Univ Record 2018

Other Lives
MAUREEN BERMAN, the widow of the late Dr Robert Berman, our Physics Fellow
from 1955-83, died on 5 November 2017.
STEPHANIE DUMKE, the wife of Professor Nicholas Halmi, died on 31 March 2018.
The College extends its deep condolences to Professor Halmi.
BERT FORREST, former College Accountant, died on 9 January 2018 aged 92. Bill and
Coby Roscoe, respectively Fellow and former Estates Bursar’s Secretary, have kindly
written the following tribute:
Bert worked in the Estates Bursary from 1948 to his retirement in 1985. Initially
an accounts clerk under “Digger” Boyce, he was made College Accountant in 1960. He
served under Estates Bursars Norman Marsh, Maurice Shock and Gordon Screaton.
The Estates Bursary was a dignified room, lit by a chandelier and originally heated by
a coal fire. Bert related that he would sometimes have to collect the coal. The traditional
style of both the office and the handwritten accounts suited him. He never gave up
his dip pen and copperplate writing. It is hard now to imagine the effort it took to
reconcile the College accounts with an adding machine and its long paper scrolls. Bert
would move into the tower for this work. We remember him coming down at the end
of a working day, announcing “I balance, I balance!” The next morning reality would
return with a renewed search for imbalances. When finally the accounts were finished,
all the accounts staff would celebrate in the Bursary with “the balancing pint”. Teasingly,
Gordon Screaton would ask Bert why he stopped looking when the difference was nil.
Bert was a kind man, helpful to staff and Fellows, unfailingly polite, a delight to work
with. When collecting rents from reluctant tenants, his letters to them always contained
the phrase “I am sorry to have to write to you in this vein.” His sense of humour was most
apparent when he was under pressure.
In his later years Bert had to move to computer technology – a huge task. He taught
Bill about double-entry bookkeeping and the College’s accounts, which enabled Bill
to help him make the transition to Hewlett Packard in 1978-9. His birthday 240925
became the computer password.
Bert was married to Joan, the Estates Bursar’s
secretary at Magdalen. Bert and Joan liked the
sun. After his mother died they were able to
move away from Oxford to the South West of
England, where they enjoyed a long retirement
close to the sea.
Bert is survived by his wife and their sons
Adrian, Nicholas and Jonathan.
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