David A.G. Johnson Jr. (JYA 1971-1972) who hails from Jamaica Estates, New York, recalls his year abroad in Lancaster and the memories that have stayed with him more than 50 years on.

"My journey to discovery began upon embarking for a Junior Year Abroad Program at The University of Lancaster (as it was then known) in October 1971. One of ten goodwill ambassadors from Case Western Reserve University in America’s Midwest. It was a thrilling adventure arriving at London’s Heathrow Airport on the now defunct BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation). A heady moment for four fellow students and me. We spent a tourist filled week in the capital. Samuel Johnson once said, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.” We reveled in the cultural riches.

Family history propelled me to pursue study in England; a great-great African American grandmother had been a nurse at one of London’s smallpox hospitals during the Victorian Age. The oral history riveted me in addition to experiencing a maiden trip abroad. I was not disappointed.

A member of Cartmel College, I launched into feverish involvement academically with courses. Outstanding instruction by English Professor David Craig, History Professor Austin Woolyrch and the irrepressible Professor Ninian Smart of the Religious Studies Department. And there was Vice Chancellor Charles Carter. Lancaster offered a contrasting version of higher education to that in the United States- more seminar focused, which I found engaging.

The year was filled with extraordinary moments including the Miners’s Strike where energy curfews existed, but campus bars with their generators remained open for socializing. A rising Conservative female education minister sparked controversy by ending the free milk allowance for children. The refrain” Maggie Thatcher the Milk Snatcher” still reverberates.

For a group of people who I thought shared a common language, learning a new vocabulary was essential. The words boot, bonnet, fag, knock me up among the most colorful. Not to mention cuisine-beans on toast, Shepherd’s pie, Cornish pasty, bangers and mash, rhubarb tart, spuds to name a few. But I did become partial to the Sunday standard fare of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Alcohol consumption initiated that year with lager and lime; Chateauneuf du Pape a staple at every informal student gathering. At posh events Mumms Cordon Rouge de riguer.

Unforgettable forays into Lancaster Town with its ancient Castle and Azzizes, weekly market and the old Portofino Restaurant to consume snails. On campus, participation in the Hiking Club and its Lake District memories, the Sailing Club and Drama Society. Moreover, extensive travel across the British Isles and “the continent” apropos for young adults bestowed with the honorific Esq. on written communications.

Two events are firmly etched – a Thanksgiving Dinner organized by American students and reciprocal traditional Christmas Dinner with glittering silver candelabra and appetizing treats hosted by our English classmates. It was the apotheosis of international exchange.

More than five decades later, through the mist of time, I recall Lancaster education with immense fondness and gratitude. It contributed to a decision to pursue graduate studies in international affairs at Columbia University and later professional pursuits in international non-profit, government and educational sectors. Hours spent chatting with classmates in Alexandra Square remain sparkling. The other gift has been a friendship forged at Lancaster, remains today despite separation across the pond.

Invitations by English students to their homes for tea and weekends constituted priceless gifts of self. At times it seems a dream. I returned for Cartmel’s stellar 50^th Anniversary. Whilst not a graduate I cherish the indelible moments .The institution has become a leading light in British higher education. It can have no greater advocate than I. Long may it prosper. “Ta”.