Tim Stapleton’s story

Posted on: 4 January, 2019

Year group 1968

Class of 1966 featuring Tim Stapleton

“Those who attended the last intake of the BSc Estate Management London Degree course at St Alban’s Grove Kensington (see photograph) before its move to Reading were both privileged and fortunate. Privileged because, in that decade, only 6% of school leavers attended university, and lucky because the post-war baby boomers were the charmed generation.

The first lecture was addressed by Bill Taylor, who asked us to look to our left and our right, then said that one in three would not be there at the start of the second year. Sadly, he was correct.

A firm’s recruitment of students in their final year was a very gentlemanly process. The principal, the formidable Professor Jardine Brown, would see students in groups of three or four and send them to the leading London firms…

With a total annual graduate output of fewer than 200 from London, Aberdeen and Cambridge, jobs were easily obtained, and partners had the time to take us out, coach us, correct our work and develop our life skills.”

Extract from ‘Memories from ’66’ article, EG Life, page 131-132, 11 September 2010