Thursday, 28 June 2018

Reunion 2018


Well, thanks to all the efforts of Jane, the 50th anniversary reunion took place at the Leopold Hotel in Sheffield on 16 June 2018. It was a most enjoyable informal lunch, preceded by a champagne toast to absent friends and the staff of the hotel did us proud. Jane brought a collection of photographs from the 1960s but the one thing we neglected was to maintain the photographic record by having a group photograph of alumni as we did ten years before. I am putting up the three grotty photographs I took which have been supplemented by some extras from Angela. If any others who were there  can supplement these, particularly whose faces are not well represented, I would be pleased to add them. We seem to have weathered the past ten years well  enough not to be embarrassed.  



Our menu


Ian - 1. 


Ian - 2. 


Ian - 3. 


Angela - 1.  Jane and Ian. 


Angela - 2. 


Angela - 3.


Angela - 4. 


Angela - 5.  Tony, Peter and Jane.


Angela - 6. Tony and Peter.


A unique opportunity

Our reunions have become so renowned that they have hit the commemorative ceramics market. Peter received this through the post (not having access to email). He wondered whether any of us had been approached on-line and whether we considered it a good deal. 

Monday, 1 January 2018

Mini Supsliskan reunions

This blog includes images of miscellaneous meetings with Supsliskans during the course of our travels, this one from September 2005 when we visited Anne in Rohrbach,


Ian, Anne and Howard

... and this one from September 2012 when several of us met up in York.


Priscilla, Ray, Jane, Jill, Sylvia, Ian and Peter

I'm sure we could turn up more - or if you have any to offer I can put them on the blog.


This page last updated 9 July 2018

Wednesday, 23 July 2008

Reunion 2008

The 40th anniversary reunion of the Supsliska class of '68 took place on 12 July 2008 in the nineteenth-century splendour of the Holiday Inn Royal Victoria, Victoria Station Road, Sheffield. An eager few visited the new undergraduate library, the Infomation Commons during the afternoon but for most Supsliskans the evening started in the Great Central Room at 7.00pm with the buffet served from 8.00. For the record we were regaled with:

  • Garlic & ginger prawns
  • Pepper & cream cheese filo parcels
  • Salmon, lemon and black pepper nuggets
  • Wholemeal, cheese & tomato quiche
  • Chicken drumsticks (plain)
  • Tomato & smoked garlic potatoes
  • Selection of salads
  • followed by a selection of "petit pastries" and washed down by champagne, kindly supplied by one of those present.

Jane and Ray managed to assemble the thirteen Supsliskans and assorted partners listed below. Names have been partially anonymised, as not everyone has a presence on Facebook or wishes to be unearthed by sites such as Friends Reunited. In any case Sylvia has distributed full biographies and we now have each others' email addresses.


  • Angela B.
  • Anne F.
  • Howard P. and Mandy
  • Ian M. and Jill
  • Jane W. and David
  • Janet A. and John
  • Lesley S.
  • Liz G. and Roger
  • Margaret W.
  • Peter M. and Maggie
  • Ray P. and Priscilla
  • Sylvia J.
  • Tony H. and Marlene


Four of those contacted presented their apologies:


  • Sue Dalgleish (New Zealand is a little far!)
  • John Talbot
  • Pat Malvern
  • Valerie Burgess and Chris. Ian and Jill managed to visit them a few days later and a photo is included among those below


We were particularly disappointed not to have been able to contact Jim Bragg who had been so enthusiastic about any future reunion the last time we met.

Anne has asked for an explanation to be given as to why her face appears rather black on the photos. The reason, for those of you who were not at the reunion, was that she had an argument with her pony Hal when leading him and came off worse. Fortunately the bruises have now disappeared.

All photos can be seen enlarged if you click on them. The first batch was taken by Ian or Jill.



Ray, Sylvia, Priscilla, Liz and Roger
Tony, Anne, Howard and Mandy
Howard, Marlene, Tony and Anne
Mandy, Howard, David, Jane, Marlene, Tony and Anne (taking photo)
Peter, Maggie, Angela and John
Margaret, Janet, Lesley and Angela
Ian, Ray, Sylvia and Howard
Sylvia, Priscilla, Liz, Roger and Ray
Anne, Janet, Tony, Lesley, Peter and Margaret
Angela, Peter, Tony, Marlene, Maggie and John
Jane, Ray, Sylvia and Tony
Group photo 1: Jane, Howard, Ian, Peter, Liz, Anne, Tony, Janet, Sylvia, Ray, Margaret, Lesley and Angela
The following morning: Ian (with arrow though head), Jane, Anne and Sylvia
Some days later: Valerie and Chris with Ian


The following photos were kindly sent by Janet and they fill most of the gaps in coverage as well as providing an alternative group photo.


Lesley, Roger, Peter, Howard
David
Ian, Tony, Ray, Priscilla, Anne, Margaret
Roger, Liz, Maggie, Howard, Mandy, Peter, Jane
Jill, Sylvia, Ian
John, Angela, Liz, Roger, Maggie
Group photo 2: Jane, Howard, Ian, Liz, Peter, Anne, Tony, Janet, Sylvia, Ray, Margaret, Lesley, Angela


The following were also sent by Liz and they replace some of the less successful group photos.



Group photo 3. Jane, Howard, Ian, Liz, Peter, Anne, Tony, Janet, Sylvia, Ray,Margaret, Lesley, Angela



Group photo 4. Jane, Howard, Ian, Liz, Peter, Anne, Tony, Janet, Sylvia, Ray,Margaret, Lesley, Angela

1. Ian, Ray, Sylvia

2. Jill, Ian, Ray

3. Ray, Sylvia, Priscilla

4. Tony, Jane, Ray, Sylvia


5. Ray, John
Last reviewed 24 Nov 2011

Sunday, 25 April 1993

Reunion 1993

The Supsliskans' 25th anniversary reunion was held on 24 April 1993, ably organised by Ray with the assistance of Jane and Sylvia, in the sumptuous surroundings of the Swallow Hotel in Sheffield. It was an altogether grander affair than our latest reunion, involving an optional visit to the recently completed St George's Library at the University and the new premises of the Department of Information Studies, opened in September 1992 - farewell Claremont Crescent. The buffet meal was served in the Cutlers Room and sluiced down by wine generously provided by BLCMP Library Services - thank you Tony. Many of those attending stayed the night (£30 per person) and several of the library staff attended. The following photographs have been unearthed and are presented here for Those of us who are in their anecdotage. 

If any of you have the time to help me out by identifying people in the crowd scenes, I would be pleased to add more informative captions. 


The grandeur of the Swallow Hotel, Sheffield


1. General view of the assembled Supsliskans

2. Sam in animated conversation with Tony

3. Joan Friedman with assorted Supsliskans

4. Wilfred Saunders

5. More happy eaters

6. Chatting after the buffet. 

7. Round table talk

8. Val and Sylvia catching up.

9. The next morning - Val and Sylvia still catching up!

10. Ready for the off: David, Jane, Anne, Ian and Ray

Saturday, 24 April 1993

Supsliska newsletters

At the 1993 reunion (our 25th) several members of staff were present. One of them dredged up from the archives a set of the newsletter that was produced in the summer of 1968. They are presented with a feeling of some embarrassment - typical student rubbish and taken from poor photocopies - but apart from their nostalgia value they do have some historical interest. In this digital age who remembers Cutter's Expansive Classification, Ranganathan and the other allusions to the technical developments of half a century ago?

One disappointment was that no copy was found of our programme during the study visit to London but it is recalled by Joan Friedman: " ... seeing the CLW (College of Librarianship Wales) programme on the notice board, with its red dragon and instructions for briefing and debriefing, [Supsliska] put up as a riposte, our (imaginary) schedule, which included visits on successive days to the Library of Congress, the Lenin Library and the Marquis de Sade Library in Paris. This was in the golden age when CLW students visited libraries abroad as well as in the UK. Back at Claremont Crescent, when the Supsliska programme appeared on our notice board, our cleaner, who took a great interest in the students, was impressed; she had no idea, she said, that they had been abroad during the Field Week."

The following, with its title changing issue by issue, would have taxed Joan Friedmans's skills as a cataloguer: