'Never More Blessed' - A Talk on the Friendship Between Mary Lily Walker and D'arcy Wentworth Thompson

On the 26th March, our research team hosted a talk on the lifelong friendship between Mary Lily Walker and D'arcy Thompson. More information on their friendship has recently been unearthed from their correspondance between them held in the archives at St Andrews University. 

D'arcy Thompson was appointed Professor of Biology at University College, Dundee (which would later become the University of Dundee which we know today). Mary attended the college and the two of them started a friendship which would last their entire lifetime, before she passed away in 1913.

Appropriately enough, the talk was held in the D'arcy Thompson Zoology museum, situated in the Carnelly Building on the University of Dundee campus. The museum is full of zoological specimens that Thompson obtained throughout his life, including some rarer specimens such as the skeleton of a now-extinct Steller's Sea Cow.

The talk was well attended, with about 30 brave souls braving the inclement weather. We give our thanks for all who attended and showed an interest in the wonderful friendship demonstrated in Walker and Thompson's correspondance. Speakers included the University of Dundee's Matthew Jarrow, Dr Suzanne Zeedyk and Peter Kinnear. Below are some photos from the event:

Matthew Jarron, introducing the evening

Suzanne Zeedyk, introducing the evening's themes

Suzanne getting animated with an attentive audience

Peter Kinnear, calling up the spirit of D'Arcy Thompson

A kind and receptive audience

Michael Mulford, one of the Mary Lily Walker Event Team members

Members of the MLW Event Team, including Matthew Jarron,
Co-ordinator of the Museum Talk Series.

Another shot of the audience