Catriona Nunn The University of York’s original graduating cohort came back to campus for a moving Coming Full Circle reunion, marking 60 years since their own graduation and offering a rare, vivid glimpse into the university’s earliest days.
The event brought alumni together for a graduation ceremony, a presentation from University Archivist, Charles Fonge, a look through archival materials, and lunch with the Vice-Chancellor, but the strongest impression came from the voices of the pioneers themselves.
Charles welcomed the group by describing the archive’s role in holding the official record while alumni memories supply the lived experience that turns those records into a richer story. Charles brought along a selection of photographs, publications, and documents from their time at York to spark the sharing of fond memories, conversations, and a chance to reconnect with their time at York.
A university being made
What emerged most clearly from the conversations was how much the first students felt they were building York as they studied there. Charles noted that the archive can preserve plans and decisions, but not always the feeling of what it was like to live in lodgings, form friendships, and help create the customs that later defined the university.
“That lived experience is part of the university’s history that the archive finds it hard to fully capture.”
That sense of shared creation came through repeatedly in alumni memories. They remembered a campus with no nightclubs, where students went to the pub instead and societies quickly became central to social life. One alumnus captured the spirit of the time simply:
“No nightclubs in those days, we’d go to the pub and societies were popular. We had to make our own fun.”
The reunion also brought back some of York’s earliest student societies, with founders including John Illingworth, a founding member of the Tiddlywinks Society, and Bill Wicksteed, founder of the Fishing Society. Their presence underlined just how much of the university’s social identity was created by the students themselves.
Bill Wicksteed also reflected on the staffing culture of the early university and what it felt like to graduate from York’s first cohort. His comments captured both the intensity and the excitement of that period:
“The staffing was very top heavy and they were seriously committed to students and not overly focused on their research interests. We had a luxurious staff : student ratio.”
“It felt stimulating to be part of the very first cohort to graduate from the University of York – especially in the third year when many of us moved into College rooms. Also it was very busy as we spent a lot of the day in timetabled teaching/learning activities.”
Those recollections gave the day its warmth and energy. They described a university still small enough for everyone to know one another, but ambitious enough to feel like part of something historic. The result was a feature of York that has remained central ever since: a strong sense of belonging built early and deliberately.
Why York
Asked why they chose York, alumni remembered a university that felt fresh, open and different from more established institutions. One reason was its academic model, with York aiming for a small number of large departments, while another was the gender balance of the student body, which one alum recalled as 50-50.
The practical appeal mattered too. The university had minimal entry requirements and no fees because it was government funded, which made it feel accessible at a time when higher education was still changing rapidly.
For many, that combination of opportunity and novelty made York feel like the right place to take a chance. The university’s first cohort arrived with little precedent to guide them, but with enough confidence to help shape a new academic community from the ground up.
Royal visit remembered
Alongside student life, alumni recalled moments when York briefly became the focus of national attention. One memory that came up vividly was the Queen’s visit to York and the Duke of Edinburgh’s visit, when they joined in behind the parade and waved to everyone as they went.
Those moments stood out because they placed the still-new university into a wider public spotlight. They also became part of the shared memory of the first cohort, sitting alongside much smaller and more personal recollections of friendship, teaching, and the everyday rhythms of student life.
An archive of people
Charles emphasised that the archive’s true value lies not only in preserving documents, but in helping people reconnect with the story they lived. The display of photographs, publications and cine footage from the first graduation ceremony encouraged discussion, recognition and new recollections from those gathered.
“You were the people that turned plans for a new university and its new buildings into a real community.”
By the time the group moved on to lunch with the Vice-Chancellor, the reunion had become a celebration not just of the first graduation, but of the remarkable way those early students helped build the university’s identity. Sixty years on, their memories still define how York tells its own story: as a place shaped from the beginning by the people who chose to make it theirs.
Do you have any old nostalgic photos, programmes, posters or other memorabilia from your time at York? If so, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch to help enrich the university’s archive with your memories and materials.
