King’s Class of Geography 1974 celebrates their 50-year reunion in style

On a sunny day in June, 20 alumni from King’s Geography Class of 1974 gathered from all corners of the country to mark their 50-year reunion. The group were joined by Dr Barrie Morgan, Emeritus Professor Linda Newson and Professor Steve Nortcliff.

Among our attendees was alum Ruth Owen, who planned the event. Ruth reflects on highlights from the reunion and fond memories of King’s.

Life-long friendships formed at King's

‘Throughout our three years, my course mates and I were fortunate to have access to quality teaching staff from both King’s and LSE, a wide variety of modules to spark our interest, and the culture and sights of London at our disposal.

‘King’s being a non-campus university meant we all lived away from the Strand and worked hard to arrange evening entertainment and activities to bring us together at weekends.’

A formative field trip

‘As a new group of Geography students in September 1971, we were invited to attend a pre-Freshers’ Week field trip at the King’s Field Studies Centre in Rogate. We were led by Dr Steve Nortcliff, who had only just graduated himself. Dr Nortcliff came to our reunion this year, where he bravely admitted that he had very little briefing about the plans or content for the field trip.

‘After those few days together at Rogate, we all became firm friends and were looking out for each other during Freshers’ Week in October.’

A lifetime of friendship

‘Since leaving King’s we have actively attended reunions, always keen to keep in touch and to learn about the varied career paths we embarked on after graduating.

‘I joined British Airways as a graduate trainee after King’s, before joining the company’s HR Management team. After 17 years with BA, I moved to Reed Elsevier (an Anglo-Dutch publishing group), where I worked as an HR Director. In 2000 I joined the Institute of Directors as a tutor and coach in Leadership Skills and People Management and set up my own HR consultancy business.

‘Meanwhile, many of my cohort found themselves taking the postgraduate teaching certificate at King’s and subsequently teaching Geography in schools throughout the country. Like me, some joined businesses through graduate trainee schemes.

‘Others moved into town planning or worked as civil servants within local and central government. One became a professor of Geography. Some moved into industry in various graduate positions. Some moved overseas to pursue job opportunities and experience lifestyles and cultures in foreign countries.

‘We last met up in 2014 when the Alumni Office organised a reunion lunch at the Waldorf Hotel in June. This marked our 40-year reunion.’

A 50-year reunion

‘Our 50^th anniversary reunion took place on 27 June 2024. Celebrations began on the Strand Campus, where Dr Morgan filled us in on the growth and changes at King’s, since we graduated in 1974. We were staggered to see how the campus has grown through the acquisition of Bush House and the pedestrianisation of the Strand.

‘We then headed to the Middle Temple Inn to enjoy a reunion lunch. After lunch, we retired to the rooftop viewing platform at Bush House, where we spent the rest of the day admiring the London skyline and reminiscing about our time at King’s.’

Interested in planning a reunion?

Find out how to organise your own reunion, discover reunions near you, and reconnect with fellow alumni on the King’s website.