[2015] OPEN UNIVERSITY

9124 OU4 - The OBS Family

In 1959 OBS moved to a new site, away from the OU campus, at Stony Stratford. This was some ten miles away from the OU, but -- due to the excellent road system within Milton Keynes -- I could get there in not much over ten minutes. The only problem was that, as it was on the High Street, parking was difficult if you arrived late; but that now seems to be a problem wherever you work – no employer seems willing to invest in a sufficient number of parking spaces for their staff.

It was one floor of a speculative office development, albeit a small one. On the ground floor, it had been fitted out well and was very comfortable -- though we did miss our contacts with the rest of the university. In many respects, though, it proved to be an ideal environment. There were only around 30 of us in total, including all the secretaries and less than a dozen academics. The best thing was that the photocopier was located in a space in the middle, so that when you did the photocopying – of which we all did a great deal - - you tended to meet everyone else who worked in the school. Accordingly, not merely did we know what was happening in everyone else's area but we also became firm friends.

Most of the people within the school turned up every day to work with everyone else. All this could not have been more different to later on, when 300 of us were ensconced in a beautiful new big building but most people didn't even bother to turn up. It was not surprising that the atmosphere became very different then.

Indeed, at Stony Stratford we went beyond being friends in the workplace to becoming almost a member of an OBS family. The only exception to this was David Asch, who started out being director of the MBA programme and then, having rowed too often with Andrew, gave up this post and more or less disappeared from the school. This boded ill for later developments. The rest of us, though, used to go out at lunch together to the local pubs. We used to go mainly to the Bull. This was one of the famous pair of hostelries, the Cock and the Bull. These two inns, on High Street, were famous in olden days because they were the last overnight stop before London. Before going to bed, people used to tell each other stories, hence the origin of the cock and bull story.

The Bull had a bar on ground floor which was pretty basic, but did acceptable sandwiches so we used to eat there. Alternatively, if there were more of us we used to go round to the pub on the square where we used to get more substantial food. As with a lot of other pubs this has now changed to effectively being a restaurant -- which is more profitable.

But we used to socialise outside work as well. We occasionally had dinner as a group, including Pat and some other wives, in Ruby Tuesday's -- which was a mid-range restaurant on High Street. But, like so many other restaurants, it has long since been replaced. Then we would go back to Julia's house, just behind the High Street, for coffee. Julia, incidentally, was the administrative assistant, who spent much of her time planning our move from the OU campus to Stony Stratford and then back again to the OU. She was ambitious, and made full use of this to further her career, but she was also very much the social centre of the group. When she moved on to join the Civil Service we missed her contribution. We also used to indulge in other events. I well remember one Christmas party which was in fancy dress. All of this camaraderie certainly led to a very relaxed working atmosphere.

Of course, the main reason for the happy atmosphere was Andrew. He was quite easily swayed by his kitchen cabinet. In particular he was very friendly with one of the BBC producers, but Andrew never held a grudge and was always fair with everyone. He was one of the best bosses I have worked for.

My own contribution to his own happiness was bringing him into contact with Rosie, one of the course managers, who he later married. At the time Andrew was divorced, but Rosie -- who was about to get into her own divorce -- was keen on him. Accordingly, I was delegated by the girls in the School to accompany Rosie to a meeting of the Milton Keynes Chamber of Commerce; and then to leave her stranded there, so that Andrew had to take her home. This was beginning of a love match which had few equals. Unfortunately, some eight years later, Rosie died. She was a chain-smoker and developed asthma, very bad asthma, which eventually led to a heart attack. Andrew consoled himself, after a couple of years, by getting back together with his previous girlfriend and marrying her; and moving to New Zealand.

But it was a lovely atmosphere, and was -- for five years while Andrew ruled the roost -- one of the happiest experiences of my life.

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