On July 3, Mary Stewart was awarded an honorary degree (a Doctor of Letters) by her alma mater,
Durham University. This
news release states that she is one of six to be honored this summer, though the article is sadly almost entirely about some British newscaster who I don't care about. However, I was able to find a copy of the
speech that was to be read at Mary Stewart's ceremony, which includes a nice biographical sketch. Stewart attended Durham University as a student from 1935 to 1938, and then returned in 1941 as a Lecturer of English, during which time she also received her MA. She taught at Durham until 1945, when she married.
Durham Cathedral, where the ceremony took place
The speech doesn't really provide any new info that I haven't found previously in other sources (and I think
my biography is a little better!). But it does mention that Stewart currently still resides in her home on the shores of Loch Awe in Scotland. I love the idea of Mary Stewart enjoying her retirement in a picturesque Scottish house on the shores of a beautiful lake.
Loch Awe
I'll keep an eye out for any photos or info that surface on the Internet about the ceremony.
Durham Cathedral, where the ceremony took place
Loch Awe
4 comments:
I like that idea, too! Thanks for sharing this.
So happy to discover your blog! Would like to share a true story with you - some years ago our school held a used book sale - literally thousands of books scattered throughout the gym. At the end of the sale I was helping to pack up all the many piles of unsold books and just at random/on a whim picked up a book (the lettering on the spine completely worn off)and opened it up..It was The Ivy Tree...It was a very Mary Stewartesque moment I thought..
Been reading,collecting Lady Marys books x yrs.
Thanks for the update, in particular, and more generally, for all the work you've done in creating this Web site. I have been a Mary Stewart fan since I was in junior high school; NINE COACHES WAITING was the first of her novels that I experienced. That was long ago, and I've since read all the others with delight--over and over. Again, thank you for bringing readers a bit more from the world of Mary Stewart. Jana
I'm glad to find this site, as I've been a Mary Stewart fan since the age of eleven. I was hoping to read your biography of her, but the link, on this page, at least, leads to a shopping site.
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