Daphne Park Memorial book 3_3.indd - Somerville College

Wolfson during the afternoon with a shopping basket over her arm full of oranges anda miniature bottle of whisky for the invalid.She had very strong political views, and found it remarkable when others didn’t sharethem. Indeed, she had strong views on many things. But – as one would expect fromsomeone who’d had her career – she could also hold her cards close to her chest. Onestory illustrates this. After her principalship, when we were having a row with thestudents over Governing Body’s proposal to make Somerville a mixed college, Daphnetold us that the JCR had written to her, seeking her support in opposing us. She hadtold them that she wasn’t going to support them because she herself as Principal hadalways thought that the college should go mixed, and that the Governing Body wastherefore now doing the right thing. By her account, they wrote back to her, saying, Butwe thought you loved us! She replied with characteristic briskness: Of course I do loveyou, but I still think that the Governing Body is doing the right thing.Joanna Innes, Fellow and Tutor in History, 1982-WHAT COMES TO MY MIND is an example of Daphne’s wonderful ease withpeople, students, crowned heads - all manner of men and women. She brought us a lotof very delightful guests, including some very suave Foreign Office people who wereas knowledgeable and entertaining and life-enhancing as you could wish. Rumours ofher being a spy were rife before she came out with it, and that made her seem all themore glamorous. She made you feel it was OK to laugh - not just through the famousanecdotes, but in private too, always able to see the funny side of anything that had one.Adrianne Tooke, Fellow and Tutor in French, 1981-2008DAPHNE PARK HAS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLE in making me feel at homein Somerville, Oxford and Britain, from the moment I had the privilege of interactingwith her whilst applying for the Rhodes Visiting Research Fellowship at Somerville inthe summer of 1988. She extended generous hospitality, wise counsel and unflinchingsupport to me and other young Somerville academics. In my case this includedsupporting my academic aspirations, introductions to the great and good and the gift49