What led you to study at LSE?

I planned to study physics at university but failed my A Level in maths, got turned down by a number of universities and had to complete a two-year compulsory National Service in the RAF. During this time I struggled to find the right subject to study until by chance I found a brochure for LSE (which I had never heard of!). In 1956 I was accepted as a part-time evening student to work for the BSc(Econ) over 5 years, while working as a civil servant during the day.  

What are your fondest memories from your time at LSE?  

I have two:  

During my second year as an evening student (where classes were five nights a week from 6-9pm) a wonderful thing happened. A coffee bar opened on Kingsway, with a new-fangled Espresso coffee machine! The result was that two or three nights each week a group of us would go to the bar and relax with a coffee before heading home.  

Second, after two years part-time I took unpaid leave from the civil service, got a grant from the LCC to pay my fees and became a full-time student. Coming into LSE in October 1958 during the day and having all my time to study and have fun was a great experience.  

What in particular stood out about your LSE education that helped you to prepare for your career?  

The syllabus for the BSc(Econ) I studied was very wide ranging, with a two-year Part I in which one had to study Economics, Applied Economics, Political History, Economic History, History of Political Thought and Government. This meant that the degree provided a broad education rather than just being an exercise in learning a lot of techniques as a means of getting (or not getting!) a job. In my final year I specialised in Statistics and spent all my time learning mathematics and statistics. I got a First and in those days it was possible to go straight from being an undergraduate into becoming an academic. So it was that having graduated in June 1960, I applied for a job at LSE and on 30 September 1960 I became an Assistant Lecturer in Economics. I remained at the School throughout my career and retired as a Reader (Associate Professor) in Economics in January 2002.  

What is your favourite LSE location?   

The Shaw Library has always been a haven of peace and relaxation and I have enjoyed many lunchtime musical events there (pictured The Shaw Library circa 1960s).

Did you have a favourite LSE academic? 

The teaching in mathematics and statistics was very good, but being technical was not very exciting. I found the exciting teaching was in the non-mathematical subjects, particularly the history courses. My favourite teacher was an Economic Historian named Theo Barker. He had a great sense of humour and made his course of lectures both great fun and very challenging.  

What has been the most rewarding aspect of being an LSE alumnus?  

Given I came to LSE as a student in 1956, retired in January 2002 and since then have continued my link with LSE as a Research Associate in STICERD, I am a very untypical alumnus but I enjoy getting news from the Alumni Relations office.

What are you most looking forward to about returning to campus with your classmates this summer?   

I’m not looking forward to returning to campus as I’ve never left it! However, I am looking forward to meeting up with classmates, though surviving members of the Class of 1960 are a shrinking group and there were only a couple of us at our last reunion. So it goes...

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