A long service and retirement tea was held on Wednesday 25 June to honour those staff who are retiring or who have served Birkbeck for 30 years. The Master, Professor David Latchman, presented gifts to the staff members, saying, “it is an inspiration to me that so many Birkbeck staff only leave the College when they reach retirement age.”
Dr Brian Harwood, College Registrar, (pictured right with the Master and Tina Reynolds), reached 30 years service and also retired on 30 June. “When I took over in 1983,” says Brian, “I had been thinking of staying around three to five years, but when that time was up we were in the middle of a period of tremendous challenge and change; there was a sense of wanting to see things through. That idea stuck.”
Special mention:
Dr Brian Harwood, College Registrar, 30 years service and retirement
30 Years Service, 2008:
Kevin Brunt, Information Technology Systems
Dr Alison Finlay, English and Humanities
Dr Jim Pitts, Crystallography 
Retiring Members of Staff as from 30 September 2008:
Dr Oya Biringen-Akman, Psychology
Greta Cason, School of Psychology (now already retired)
Alan Charlton, Faculty of Lifelong Learning
Jenny Cook, Management
Professor Robin Howells, Languages, Linguistics and Culture
Jane Hoy, Faculty of Lifelong Learning
Chris Mottershead, Faculty of Lifelong Learning
Beatrice Rennie, Estates and Facilities
Penny Sewell, Languages, Linguistics and Culture
Linda Tomkinson, Registry
Group photo:
Front row: Jane Hoy, Dr Alison Finlay, Professor David Latchman, Dr Brian Harwood, Linda Tomkinson
Back row: Kevin Brunt, David Willcox, Dr Jim Pitts, Professor Robin Howells, Penny Sewell