A.U.C.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 116, 19 May 1933, Page 5

A.U.C.

PRAISING FAMOUS MEN GRADUATES AND OTHERS. AN ILLUSTRIOUS BODY. * *■ (No. IV.) ■Preceding articles have dealt with the college, with its struggles through the obscurity or adversity to accomplishment; a more personal story has been told of those days by two of the original staff. The time has come to tell of the success of the college as reflected in the achievements of those who have passed through its doors. To make a list of persons and call renowned any whose names ■>re therein found, must be a task always i little invidious, so that we do not -laim that the record given below is -'oraplete. Nor has an attempt been made to weave a story round those oames. Space forbids this tribute. Presidents of College Council: 18831916, Sir Maurice O'Rorke, M.A., hon. k.L.D. (Dublin), M.H.R. As first chairnail much of the spade work fell to Sir •vlaurice to do. His position was no inecure. He was prominent in advocat•ng the present site for the college. '916-1920, Dr. T. W„ Leys, Hon. LL.D. (McGill). Dr. Leys will always be 'ssociated with what previously we have called the battle of the sites. In fact, 'i 1919 he published a booklet demonclearly the need for a 6ite, particularly the present site for the college; 1920-1£)33, the Hon. Sir George ■'owlds. Sir George also fought for the •'te; and for the rest he is well enough -aiown to Aucklanders. Students and Graduates. Staff: Of the original professors, only rofessor A. P. W. Thomas is still in uckland. What he has done for the rammar Schools can scarcely be estiiated. Professor T. G. Tucker, Classics nd English, went to Melbourne in 1886, 'here he has been for many years a prolinent figure. From 18S3 to 1914 Pro■ssor P. D. Brown held the chair of liemistry and Physics. He resigned and -'ied some years later.

However, most Interest centres round the students and graduates, because, after all, we have, as it were, grown them ourselves. And, further, in looking through the records, one is astonished to find how distinguished a oody they are. Those w ' lo attend the A.U.C. j are students of no mean college. j The names of some of the most prominent are given here, in alphabetical j order. They are set out in decades of years, and perhaps they will overlap a little. 1883-1893: F. E. Baiime, one of the j few members of Parliament from the. A.U.C'.; D. H. Jackson, winner of an ( 1851 science scholarship and afterwards a professor in China; H. J. D. Mahon, now headmaster of the Auckland Grammar School; C. T. Major, formerly headmaster of King's College; H. D. A. Major, now head of Ripon Hall, Oxford, and editor of the "Modern Churchman"; Miss A. C. Morrison, afterwards headmistress at the Epsom Girls' Grammar | School; Miss W. Picken, afterwards j headmistress of the Auckland Gills j Grammar School. i

1894-1904: P. S. Ardern, sometime winner of John Tinline Scholarship, at present lecturer in English at A.U.C., a man of wide culture; C. C. Clioyce, now Professor of Surgery at University ot London, in the first flight of the medical world; J. Drummond, late headmaster of the Auckland Grammar School; M A. Hunter, now head of the Renseler Polytechnic at Troy, New York State; W. S. La Trobe, now Director of Technical Education; J. S. Maclaurin, for years Government analyst, now retired; R. C. Maclaurin, one of the most famous and one of the most brilliant Graduates who ever passed through the college; won scholarships while at AU.C.; went to St. John's College at .Cambridge; was a Smith's Prizeman, and won distinctions at law; at same time published a scientific textbook; a man of extraordinary breadth of scholarship; became Professor of Mathematics at V.U.C., then Professor of Law at the same college; went to the Columbia University, in America; was invited to become _ head of the Institute of Technology in Boston, the largest of its kind in America He reorganised and enlarged it. E. K. Mul"an, afterwards senior inspector of schools; F. Sinclaire, now Professor of English at C.U.C.; E H. Strong now warden of St. John's College; C. A. B. Watson, now vicar of St. Paul s Church;

F. P. Worley, now- Professor of Chemistry at A.U.C.; M. Walker, now Professor of Modern Languages at A.U.C. I ° A Tragic Death. 1905-1915: R. M. Algie, now Professor of Law at A.U.C.; H. D. Bedford, sometime M.P. for Dunedin South, member of the Young Liberal party; man of great promise, but was drowned at Whangarei in 1918 before he could fulfil that promise; E. de C. Clarke, now professor at Perth, W.A.; L. J. Connie, at present superintendent of H.M. Nautical Almanac Office (this entails editing of the Nautical Almanac, the most important publication of its kind in the world); Kathleen Maisie Curtis, now head of the department of mycology at the Cawthron Institute, a leading botanist; W. M. Jones, Rhodes Scholar, 1913; N. T. Lambourne, now Director of Education; A. G. Marshall, Rhodes Scholar, 1911; K. Sisam, Rhodes Scholar, 1910, .assistant secretary to the Oxford University Press; A. B. Taylor, now professor of English at Hobart; F. A. Taylor, now tutor in modern languages at Christ Church, Oxford; Miss A. C. Tizard, now headmistress at the Wanganui Girls' College; A. Wallace, Rhodes Scholar, 1912, killed at Gallipoli after two years' tenure of his scholarship; S. N. Ziman, Rhodes Scholar, 1908, entered the service of the Indian Civil Service for 15 years, went to Cambridge University, is now back at Cambridge (N.Z.), and is interesting himself in the Farmers' Union movement.

1916-1920: W. T. G. Airey, Rhodes Scholar 1921, at present acting-head of the department of history at A.U.C.; J. C. Andrews, now a chemist at Messrs. R. and W. Hellaby; N. S. Alexander, now doincr research work under Lord Rutherford 0 in the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge; F. W. Baxter, now professor of English at Belfast; K. E. Bullen, at present lecturer in mathematics at A.U.C., on leave studying mathematics in England; J. A. Dunning, Rhodes scholar in 1924, is now on the staff of John McGlashan College in Dunedin. He is a well-known cricketer; R. A. Falla-, took a scholarship in education, at .present ornithologist at the Auckland Museum; has been to° the Antarctic with Sir Douglas Mawson; R. W. E. B. Harman, brilliant scientist, is now chief chemist for the Colonial Sugar Refining Company at Sydney; W. G. Kalaugher, became a Rhodes scholar from V.U.C. (Wellington) about 1926; F. M. Keesing, has be-

come well known for his research into Polynesian ethnology; G. H. Munro, is now doing brilliant research work for the Australian Wireless Commission; R. Syme, brilliant classical scholar now doing research work at Oxford; P. 0. Veale, now research analyst for the Associated Dairy Board in Taranaki. Emergence Into Present. 1927-1933: E. E. Bailey, Rhodes scholar 1929, at present in England doing work in law; J. M. Bertram, the latest Rhodes scholar from A.U.C., 1932; (Miss) Lucy M. Cranwell, botanist at the Auckland Museum, an authority in her line; P. C. Minns, Rhodes scholar 1930, at present at Oxford, well known in New Zealand and in England as a footballer; J. S. Wati, Rhodes scholar 1931. The names have grown fewer; we have emerged from the past into the present. The future is yet to come. Some there are with us who will awake one day to find themselves famous. The honour of recording their names we leave to the compiler at the Diamond Jubilee.