Celebrating 50-Years: Medicine Class of 1971 Reunion
School of Medicine alumni from the Class of 1971 recently gathered in Liverpool to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Originally scheduled for 2021, the event was postponed due to the pandemic, making this reunion even more special.
The reunion featured a dinner at the Hope Street Hotel, in Liverpool, with around 70 attendees made up of both alumni and their partners. Sadly, of the 110 or so students in their graduating class, around 20 have now passed away. The cohort maintain strong connections and bonds from their time at university and have arranged previous reunions: the Holiday Inn Hotel in 1981, the Atlantic Tower Hotel in 1991 and the Crown Plaza Hotel in 2001, all these being in Liverpool, and the Carden Park Hotel, Cheshire, in 2011.
The highlight of the evening was a talk by distinguished alumna Professor Averil Mansfield DBE (MBChB 1960, ChM 1973, Hon MD 1994) who shared her inspiring journey to becoming the UK’s first female vascular surgeon and the first female Professor of Surgery. Averil’s story is particularly remarkable as she qualified as a surgeon at a time when only 2% of her colleagues were female.
The current Dean of the School of Medicine, Professor Hazel Scott, also attended the event as the guest of alumnus Sam Ramsey Smith.
A dedicated committee of volunteers managed the overall organisation of the event such as bookings, curating photos from their student days, and taking on roles such as Treasurer and Master of Ceremonies. This included Celia Parry (nee Young), Stuart Mellor, Keith Park, Greg Richardson, Ian Morgan, and Roger Chitty. Martin Vaughan took the large group photograph.
If you are an alumnus, planning a reunion or wishing to arrange a return visit to the University, the alumni team is here to help. Please contact them at alumni@liverpool.ac.uk.
Below are a series of images from the Class of 1971's time at the University of Liverpool, including memorabilia from the University of Liverpool Medical Students Society Balls 1969 and 1971, and a ticket for Graduation 1971.
