A well-earned retirement for Dr Frank Tallett after 37 years
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Dr Frank Tallett and his wife Judy say au revoir to friends and colleagues
ÔÇÿI count it as a privilege to have worked along side colleagues who were immensely talented and dedicatedÔÇÖ
Friends and colleagues gathered to say farewell to Dr Frank Tallett recently as he retired from the University after 37 years. In fact, Dr Tallett arrived at the University in 1968 as a student and returned in 1974 as a Lecturer in Early Modern European History.
Head of the Department of History, Dr Jonathan Bell explained; "After Frank's arrival as a member of staff he quickly became a hugely valued and important colleague, distinguished not simply by his charismatic teaching and enquiring historian's mind - his 1992 book on warfare and society remains the benchmark in the field - but also by his willingness and ability to serve the University in a wider capacity."
During his time at the University, Dr Tallett has been Chair of the Association of non-professorial staff, requiring him to sit on the University promotions committee, has been a member of Senate, and latterly Head of Department and Head of the School of Humanities.
In collaboration with the late Nick Atkin he helped to set up the Centre for the Advanced Study of French History, organised conferences and co-authored a series of publications on French and religious history.
"Looking back over nearly 40 years spent at the University I count it as a privilege to have worked along side colleagues who were immensely talented and dedicated and I shall certainly miss the people;" said Dr Tallett.
"What has most obviously altered over the last four decades is the extent to which we are all subject to external scrutiny. Sometimes, this can be irksome though some element of it is undoubtedly necessary. I hope we never lose the buzz and excitement that comes from making new discoveries, imparting knowledge and watching each cohort of students blossom; he continued.
"I have always found Karl Marx's aphorism that 'Men make their own history, but not in conditions of their own choosing', to be helpful in the study of history. But it's also a useful principle to follow as we look to the challenges of the future. We do not control the circumstances in which we operate, but we can shape our futures and I'm confident that the University will go from strength to strength."