"They" have done it again

[jhopgood]

I vaguely remember Michael from band days.

He did Heacham, didn't he, John ?

Yes he did and I'm not sure that he wasn't on the photo I published along with the piece on Noel a few years ago.

[englishangel]

Distinguished living Old Blues include: Sir Colin Davis, Professor Alan Ryan, Ruth Deech, and Lord Simon. Distinguished deceased Old Blues include: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Charles Lamb, Barnes Wallis and Edmund Blunden.

From the school website.

Of the distiguished living Old Blues, the three men have their titles. What about the woman aka Professor the Baroness Deech of Cumnor DBE?

I must admit that Barnes Wallis's Knighthood has also been omitted.

Back on topic - just wondered if you'd pointed that out to the school, Mary? And if so, what was the response?

No I haven't, I shall do it tonight.

[englishangel]

Done it!

[Doctor Smellcroft]

How about a contemporary list of CH celebrities?

There's Jason Flemyng, who left Mid A in the mid-80's and is quite an accomplished actor with many films and TV under his belt (e.g Lock Stock & 2 Smoking Barrells, Snatch, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Primeval etc etc)

Two others who've played leading roles in a number of films are James D'Arcy (LaA 84-91) and Leo Gregory (MdA 90-95). (Was Leo the first Old Blue to appear on screen in a full-frontal state of undress?)

[Angela Woodford]

I can't think of a single celebrity Hertford Girl.

I daresay because the confidence and pizazz that progresses to slebdom was not encouraged...

[kerrensimmonds]

Ruth Deech? Anna Swan? Ida Busbridge? Elizabeth Llewellyn-Smith?
Kathleen Duncan? Carol Adams? ~And there are more...

[icomefromalanddownunder]

I can't think of a single celebrity Hertford Girl.

I daresay because the confidence and pizazz that progresses to slebdom was not encouraged...

Surely Cathy counts as a celebrity?

xx

[Angela Woodford]

Ruth Deech? Anna Swan? Ida Busbridge? Elizabeth Llewellyn-Smith?
Kathleen Duncan? Carol Adams? ~And there are more...

These respected women are serious distinguished academic senior ladies!

By "celebrity" I suppose I meant something different. We don't have, say, a film or stage actress/journalist/singer or musician of the non-classical variety, comedienne/telly presenter/novelist from our ranks. Or even a passionate politician!

Or do we?

Hertford could never have produced a Joanna Lumley, a Jo Brand, a Judi Dench, a Shirley Bassey, an Ann Robinson, a Cleo Laine, a Moira Stewart, a Sue Townsend. Not that sort of school. Imagine!

In my opinion, there was an amazingly gifted artist (even more so than her musical talents) who I feel would have become a celebrity - the sheer outrageous originality of her work amazed me. This was Judith Pook. Her talent was completely ignored.

We do however, have AFAIK three terrific priests, which, in view of the current C of E FIFfers, makes me feel proud!

Very willing to stand corrected!

[kerrensimmonds]

I think that anyone is a celebrity if they get to the top of their profession - not necessarily in the field of entertainment. And yes I did forget Catherine (sorry!) and Anthea Case. We do have an actress - shes about 70 now and not entirely unknown, but I have forgotten her name!

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

On the Horsham side ------- Bernard Levin ?

Certainly a "Celebrity" in TW3 !

[J.R.]

On the Horsham side ------- Bernard Levin ?

Certainly a "Celebrity" in TW3 !

........Who, strangely, hated C.H. and used every possibility he could to denigrate it !

[Rex]

These respected women are serious distinguished academic senior ladies!

By "celebrity" I suppose I meant something different. We don't have, say, a film or stage actress/journalist/singer or musician of the non-classical variety, comedienne/telly presenter/novelist from our ranks. Or even a passionate politician!

Or do we?

I think that's a fair distinction, but personally I'd qualify it further: actresses and suchlike are only celebrities if they're well known.

In that sense, Hertford-educated celebrities do seem to be thin on the ground. I believe Olive Stephens (Voysey-Martin, 1's 30-35) was a minor TV personality in the Fifties. And the surgeon Judy Evans (6's 62-69, Head Girl) gained a high profile through the 1998 TV series Medicine Women:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_repo ... 137931.stm

Otherwise I can think of no one - though did we ever get to the bottom of that rumour that Josie Lawrence is an Old Blue? (She'd have been at Hertford circa 70-77 if so.)

[Rex]

We do have an actress - shes about 70 now and not entirely unknown, but I have forgotten her name!

I assume you're thinking of Andrée Evans (4's 42-49), Kerren?

Don't forget about Pam Abas (Ross, 1's 36-43), best known for playing the Mother Superior in the Clint Eastwood movie Bronco Billy.

Then there's Louise Winstone (4's 77-83) too:
http://www.elinorhilton.com/actors_Deta ... 20Winstone

And didn't you write once about another Hertford OB who's an actress in the States?

[Rex]

We don't have, say, a … novelist from our ranks. …Or do we? ...Very willing to stand corrected!

Hazel Hucker (Drake, Hertford 46-51) has had six novels published and Elizabeth Gibson (Glen, 4's 61-67; now Lizzie Ballagher) at least five. The late Paula Neuss (2's 54-60) also wrote one, All Girls Together (Duckworth, 1979), a rather jaundiced picture of a girls' school supposedly based on Hertford.

I think it would be fair to say that none of them is especially well known though.

[Jo]

Otherwise I can think of no one - though did we ever get to the bottom of that rumour that Josie Lawrence is an Old Blue? (She'd have been at Hertford circa 70-77 if so.)

I hadn't heard that rumour. Neither Wikipedia nor any of its references mention that, although that's no proof either way. For what it's worth, her real name is apparently Wendy Lawrence, if that jogs anyone's memory?

In terms of this thread in general, whilst all the women mentioned are no doubt very well-known and successful in their own fields, I think we have to be wary of apparently clutching at straws. (That's not meant to sound as rude as it perhaps does.) I think limiting it to one or two very successful women is better than lists of women to whom the response would be "who's she?". Titles help.