Honorary Fellows 2003
Kate Atkinson - author, was born in York
and has many family connections in York, her parents owning a
surgical and medical supply store in Stonegate for many
years. She attended Queen Anne's Grammar School in York
before studying at Dundee University, where she began her career
tutoring. At 33 she began creative writing and in 1988 she
won the Woman's Own short story competition. Her first novel,
Behind the Scenes at the Museum won Kate the 1995
Whitbread Book of the Year Award and was followed by two more
critically acclaimed novels, Human Croquet and
Emotionally Weird and several short stories. Kate's
first stage play Abandonment was recently performed at
York Theatre Royal.
Revd Dr Stuart Burgess - held in the
highest regard in the Methodist Church, its President in Great
Britain in 1999-2000. The Revd has served as Chaplain at
Nottingham and Birmingham Universities and is Trustee of the York
Industrial Chaplaincy and Chair of the Selby Coalfield Chaplaincy.
He has been heavily involved in working toward cancelling third
world debt, visiting Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe and forging
links between these countries and ours. Stuart is also
involved in projects which bring support to marginalised and
disadvantaged people in Hull, and has worked with York St John
University to set up the York Institute of Community Theology,
providing training for Ministers and access to Theology for a wider
community.
Dr William Thomas - Professor in French
and Director of International Studies at Union College,
Schenectady, and has made an outstanding contribution to
International Education. William is committed to ensuring students
receive an international experience, forging links for Union
College with HE institutes across the globe, to the great benefit
of students worldwide. William has overseen the exchange of
over 400 students from the USA to York alone and has looked after
over 200 students from York St John in America during the 25 years
since the start of an exchange programme between the two
institutes. He has also passed his experience on, advising
through his links with the National Association of Foreign Student
Advisers and has been awarded a medal for his contribution to
International Education by the Czech Technical University in
Prague.
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