Tower and Town, May 2016

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Editorial: Heroes

In this issue of Tower and Town we are celebrating the fact that communities can be greatly enriched by the deeds of their heroes and heroines. The contents depict a rich canvas encompassing theatre, politics, sport, faith and science, family, and even super-heroism.

Nicholas Fogg writes to us on the pervasive influence of Shakespeare in his life and his encounters with 20th century Hathaways and Shakespeare during his youth in Stratford-upon-Avon. Louise Elkington recounts key French influences on her life, including that of Teilhard de Chardin and his family. Peter Osmond serenades John McEnroe’s extraordinary stature and his influences. Matt Gow draws our attention to the politics and social reforms instigated by Hobhouse, whilst Toby Wyles (a Marlborough College student) defends the record of our youngest PM, Pitt the Younger. Roy Smith writes in praise of those unsung heroes, your parents, who stick with you through thick and thin; and he then considers the daily grind of being a super-hero through a piece on Batman.

One of my own modern heroes is Lisa Jardine (1944-2015), who developed novel ideas about the European Renaissance; and who was celebrated by another hero, Astronomer Royal Martin Rees, in his 2015 Guardian piece “My Hero”. Another is Dame Zaha Hadid (1950-2016), the most decorated female architect, with a passion for flow and beauty in modern architecture. Most especially, I would like to dedicate this issue to my hero and mentor Professor S E Hunt, author of Fission, Fusion and the Energy Crisis.

Raik Jarjis