Privileges of age

I must interrupt my Cambridge story by mentioning my return to Oxford last night. My college, Regent's Park College, was celebrating a Gala Dinner.  In rain-soaked marquee and grounds a large crowd gathered at which it soon became apparent I was one of the oldest by some distance. This brought certain privileges.

First, the conversations. I sat with Dr. Rex Mason, a venerable academic whom I have known since the 70's (who was the oldest person present) and Dr. Paul Fiddes (the former Principal and also a very venerable academic) whom I have known since we were in college together in 1970.  To be able to spend an evening with such friends whose interesting lives overlapped with mine in countless ways enabled extreme conversation.  We talk of extreme sport......well, extreme conversation is 50 years of action-packed reminiscing and pontificating.  And it was wonderful.

Second, the organizers had displayed old black and white photographs in plastic sleeves all over a table in one of the rooms.  If we could identify anyone we were asked to write names and any relevant dates and stick them on the sleeves  I recognized many of course.  But what thrilled me was a photo from 1952 (or thereabouts) showing faculty and students in formal pose in front of the main hall.  In the middle next to the imposing figure of Robert Child (who was Principal and a predecessor of mine at the Cambridge church) was my youthful looking father (who was Bursar).  It really made me smile and as I scribbled down his name I identified Ernest Payne and Neville Clark too (two important Baptist figures I also grew to know).

Yes, to be older has privileges of having shared in history and being able to reflect on it with others who shared in it too.