Univ Record 2018

completely different subject area, thermodynamics in this case, can lead to intuition and
understanding in a completely different subject area, in this case, cosmology. Personally,
I would claim that atomic physics is a similar help in later utilizing quantum mechanics
and field theories in multiple areas of physics.
My memory from the math tutorials was how when we began work on general
relativity, Steve and the tutor completely left me struggling in the dust. He took to it like
a fish (not just like a duck!) to water... and that topic became his life’s work.
A first visit of Steve and myself to Cambridge was as members of the Oxford
coxwains’ annual challenge with their Cambridge equivalents; too bad that Cambridge
won – Stephen was not so famous at that time so that a Cambridge paper spelled his
name as “Hawkong”. Can you imagine an athletic Steve rowing in a race in an “eight”?
He and I infrequently would row on the Isis in a “coxless pair” (we never wanted to be
following orders from another cox!). I have always claimed that the only thing I could
do better than Steve was to be the University College first eight cox – he coxed the 2nd
eight – not a tremendously intellectual endeavour.
Steve and I both took the theory option for the Oxford examination finals in June
1962. Thus, we had just one term of laboratory physics to complete, which we took
together as partners. The student labs were open most of every weekday, to complete six
separate experiments, essentially one per week. However, since we were both coxing every
afternoon on the river, we would complete each experiment in one three hour morning,
and then write it up back in College. Most students would spend several days in the lab
each week, so the graders – physics doctoral students – would be surprised when we came
in on Fridays to get our
completed experimental
reports approved and a
pass grade. Admittedly,
we did everything very
rapidly, and worked
hard on estimating the
measurement errors, but
the graders asked us lots
of tricky questions not
quite believing that we
had actually made the
measurements shown.
We passed! It is also true
that neither of us went
to many physics lectures
during the whole three
undergraduate years.
The only set that I found valuable was “Quantum Mechanics” by a visiting American
professor from Yale – Willis Lamb, of Lamb shift fame.
The story of Steve falling downstairs one late evening hitting his head and losing his
memory has been described many times. There followed many hours of questioning with
his friends, myself amongst them, lasting till daylight the following morning. It was the
beginning of the subsequent diagnosis of his debilitating illness. Successfully passing
59