{"id":32805,"date":"2023-08-31T21:43:17","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T04:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=32805"},"modified":"2023-08-31T21:45:34","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T04:45:34","slug":"towns-gowns-and-a-sub-four-minute-mile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/towns-gowns-and-a-sub-four-minute-mile\/","title":{"rendered":"Towns, Gowns, and a Sub Four-Minute Mile"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we approach our Fall 2023 Advance, I find myself knowing very little about our destination, Oxford.\u00a0 Fortunately, there are a variety of resources available through which to learn about this region of deep history, culture, and fascinating reputation.\u00a0 One such resource is The Secret History of Oxford, <\/em>by Paul Sullivan.<\/p>\n

A Summary of Sullivan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sullivan leads his readers on a nontraditional tour of the city of Oxford, covering history, the Oxford colleges, celebrities from the area, museum highlights, and even some of the curious and unique facts about the region.[1]<\/a> As he is not a native of the town, Sullivan set out to learn about his new home upon arrival and found that his journey became a series of \u201cdetours,\u201d in which he discovered many secrets and surprises along the way.[2]<\/a> Those secrets and surprises are woven into his book, providing the reader with a well-rounded introduction to the city that spurs a desire to learn more through one\u2019s own expedition and experiences.<\/p>\n

In reading Sullivan\u2019s book, I was particularly interested in the following three topics: the \u201cTown and Gown\u201d conflicts, the changing entrance requirements to the University of Oxford over the years, and the lists of famous alumni associated with the various Oxford colleges, which also caused me to ponder the not-so-famous alumni who have passed through the various colleges.<\/p>\n

\u201cTown and Gown\u201d Conflicts<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>According to Sullivan, the \u201cTown versus Gown\u201d riots, which represented \u201cOxford townsfolk versus university students,\u201d were first recorded in 1209 but a well-known riot in 1355 marked a \u201cwatershed\u201d year that increased tensions for centuries to come.[3]<\/a> That conflict began in a tavern, incited by a complaint about the beer by a group of students and a priest.\u00a0 The tavern owner responded aggressively, and the fight was on. \u201cTables went over. Fists turned into broken bottles, and then into bows and arrows, knives, and cudgels. St. Martin\u2019s Church bell at Carfax summoned the \u2018Town\u2019 and the bell on the university church of St. Mary summoned the \u2018Gown.\u2019\u201d[4]<\/a> Sixty-two students were killed in the conflict.[5]<\/a> Not until 1955, on the anniversary of the 1355 riot, were the hard feelings laid to rest in a ceremony through which the university Vice-Chancellor \u201cgave an honorary degree to the Mayor of Oxford\u2026 and in turn, was made a Freeman at the Town Hall.\u201d[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

I wonder if there are still tensions of this rivalry present in Oxford.\u00a0 Dr. Jason Clark mentioned an ill opinion of a pastoral colleague toward the university in recent years.[7]<\/a> Could this represent the long-lived \u201cTown and Gown\u201d conflicts in any measure? I\u2019m curious.<\/p>\n

Changing Entrance Requirements Over the Years<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>I also found it interesting to learn that the university in Oxford has experienced periods of both decline and success throughout its history. According to Sullivan, during the early nineteenth century, the \u201ccollege experience was little more than a rite (and right) of passage for rich young men.\u201d[8]<\/a> Degrees could be obtained by answering two questions: \u201cWhat is the meaning of \u2018Golgotha\u2019?\u201d and \u201cWho founded University College?\u201d\u00a0 The answer to the second question was King Alfred and this \u2018fact\u2019 was based on legend.[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

Sullivan writes that the university began to make strong refinements late in the nineteenth century and during the twentieth century, it \u201crose again to become a pre-eminent academic institution.\u201d[10]<\/a> Learning about the Oxford community struggles gives me a new appreciation for the people who have formed and continue to form the university as it strives to be an academic center ever cultivating growth and improvement.<\/p>\n

Famous Alumni and Not-So-Famous Alumni<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>It is a powerful exercise to reflect on the many people who have passed through the colleges and halls of Oxford University over the centuries. Sullivan includes a list of famous alumni at the end of each of his descriptions of the forty-four colleges and halls.[11]<\/a>\u00a0 It is interesting to imagine C.S. Lewis, John Wesley, J.R.R. Tolkien, and many other well-known world leaders, scientists, musicians, and theologians living their everyday lives and shaping their worldviews in many of the very buildings, squares, lanes, and pubs that exist still today. These lists of famous alumni also make me think of the not-so-famous alumni who have come through the Oxford education system, bringing their own meaningful gifts, and contributing to the wealth of culture, knowledge, and rich reputation that has created the University as it stands today.<\/p>\n

One famous alumni of Exeter College that caught my attention was Roger Bannister.[12]<\/a> Bannister, while a medical student at Oxford, made it his goal to run the mile in less than four minutes, a feat that had not yet been accomplished in the world and one that most people thought humanly impossible at that time.\u00a0 Training forty-five minutes a day during his lunch hour, Bannister, on a spring day in 1954, competing on the Iffley Road Track at Oxford University, ran the mile in 3:59.40.[13]<\/a> The two-thousand-person crowd who had come to see the race went wild. Bannister was the first person to break the four-minute mile barrier.<\/p>\n

For those interested in track and field, running a lap on the now aptly named Roger Bannister Track is a must. I hope to do this when I am in Oxford in honor of Roger Bannister, in recognition of the many famous alumni who have passed through this university, and in memory of the not-so-famous alumni who have contributed positively to the landscape of this longstanding institution.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sullivan has provided me with a great introduction to Oxford from which I can now pursue various avenues of interest and topics of intrigue. I look forward to arriving in person and continuing my learning experience with my peers, faculty members, and possibly new friends made when we arrive.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Paul Sullivan, The Secret History of Oxford<\/em> (Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: The History Press, 2013), 5.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Sullivan, 8.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Sullivan, 245, 243.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Sullivan, 244.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Sullivan, 245.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Sullivan, 245.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Jason Clark in the DLDR 807 Chat, Portland Seminary, August 28, 2023.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Sullivan, 43.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Sullivan, 43.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Sullivan, 44.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Sullivan, 46-102.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Sullivan, 57.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> 1954: Roger Bannister runs the first ever 4 MINUTE MILE<\/em>, Newsreel, Classic BBC Sport, BBC Archive, https:\/\/youtu.be\/Nb5AtK08gPM?si=sH3Aqcp7ShC4LOHO<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we approach our Fall 2023 Advance, I find myself knowing very little about our destination, Oxford.\u00a0 Fortunately, there are a variety of resources available through which to learn about this region of deep history, culture, and fascinating reputation.\u00a0 One such resource is The Secret History of Oxford, by Paul Sullivan. A Summary of Sullivan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":157,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1590],"class_list":["post-32805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-sullivan","cohort-dlgp01"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/157"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32805"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32805\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32806,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32805\/revisions\/32806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}