Last month, 91¾«Æ·ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï was delighted to receive the delivery of a bench donated by alumnus Lynn James (Arts, 1967) for the Treborth Sports Fields site.
Lynn donated the bench to commemorate the 91¾«Æ·ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï Soccer Old Stars – former players of the 91¾«Æ·ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï student soccer team. As a student, Lynn was Vice-Captain of the soccer club 1966-67 and served as Captain in 1967-68, noted by a plaque on the bench.
A plaque for Lynn’s former teammate John Young (Modern Languages, 1970) is also displayed along with another which invites other Soccer Old Stars who have returned for the Old Stars weekend for over 10 years to follow Lynn and John’s lead and add their own credentials.
Lynn has been a great supporter of the Development and Alumni Relations Office’s work over the years, maintaining a connection with the University through attending events and donating to the Bangor Fund. Lynn, John and a number of other soccer Old Stars return to Bangor every year for the Old Stars weekend in early May and it’s been great to welcome the group for an additional reunion in September in recent years.
Lynn said:
The 91¾«Æ·ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï "Old Stars" bench is a very small expression of the debt I owe to my experience - both sporting and academic - at 91¾«Æ·ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï from 1964 - 8. The University had only 2,000 students then but fielded 5 soccer teams. Nothing would please me more than to hear of a return towards that level of participation currently.
I have worked in several universities in the UK and North America and have never found - or heard of anywhere where sporting alumni return each year to uphold the finest of traditions in the annual "friendly" game versus the current student teams. Long may this continue and be supported as at present by the University and Alumni staff.
Emma Marshall, Head of Development and Alumni Relations, said
We’re so grateful to Lynn for donating the Old Stars bench to commemorate his time at the University. The bench is a wonderful addition to the Treborth site and a great reminder to our current student teams of the history of the University’s sports clubs. Lynn’s loyalty to 91¾«Æ·ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï is a wonderful thing and we thank you him for his enthusiasm to sport at Bangor over the years, perfectly celebrated by the new bench.
Donations from our alumni to the University through the Bangor Fund help to ensure that students benefit from excellent facilities and services alongside their education. The Bangor Fund, made of kind donations from Bangor alumni, have supported a number of sports-related projects over the years, including the upgrading of the boat club fleet, the purchase of six second-hand Firefly sailing dinghies for the 91¾«Æ·ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï Sailing Club, providing essential diving equipment for the Sub Aqua Club and the purchase of two new outdoor scoreboards, for the Treborth playing fields site and on the hockey pitch on the Ffriddoedd site.
If you are interested in supporting the University through the Bangor Fund, please see our website, or email Persida Chung, Development Officer, on p.v.chung@bangor.ac.uk