We asked our alumni for their memories of Congregation, here are some more of their highlights..
Marie Brett, History, Collingwood College
I will always remember part of Dame Margot Fonteyn’s address at Congregation in July 1985. She said if she could give one gift to every person graduating, it would be the gift of tenacity. So wise, and if anything, even more appropriate today than it was back then.
Jane Scard, BSc Hons Psychology, St Aidan’s College
5 July 1984. I remember the day as being bright and sunny, and Palace Green swimming with smiling, happy, and in some cases relieved faces. Mum and dad travelled up from Shropshire for the day; their smiles seemed the broadest of all to me. I was christened Susan Jane but have always been known as Jane, courtesy of my parents’ innocent but unfathomable decision-making. It has been something of a complicating factor throughout my life and my overriding memory of Graduation Day is of Dame Margot Fonteyn stretching out her diminutive hand, clasping mine in an enthusiastic shake, grinning broadly and saying, “Congratulations, Susan!” I was mortified but it’s a memory that has made me chuckle down the years. A few days after my big day, my mother was awarded her MPhil by the University of Birmingham: more beaming for the camera, more chests swelling with pride. It was an unforgettable summer and 38 years on I remain immensely proud to have a Durham degree and feel hugely privileged to have lived for a while in England’s north-eastern gem.
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About Spring Congregation here
Attendance information here
More memories of Congregation here
