Andrew Parkin, Emeritus Professor of English

When I joined the Chinese University in 1995, I lived in staff quarters on campus. Driving uphill to my office in the ELTU, I would occasionally give a ride to Andrew, who did not own a car at that time. During the short drive, he would entertain me with a joke or some anecdote which was a good start to my day. During that time, he was the Chair of the English Department and was the target of some disgruntled professors in the department. When I asked how he coped with these troubles, Andrew said that he would have a leisurely breakfast each morning on his balcony facing the Tolo Harbor and mentally compose an "academic" novel in which all the troublemakers would have roles.

In 1998, I was transferred to the English Department and Andrew became my boss. The troublemakers had been removed and the English Department was at peace. If he saw my door open when passing by my office in the morning, Andrew would stop to crack a joke or relate a little anecdote. We would have a hearty laugh and the world would be all right. An amiable, supportive boss, he united both the language and literature professors. His retirement in 2000 put an end to to the camaraderie that existed in the department.



Andrew, who now lives in Paris, is a Senior Tutor of CUHK's Shaw College and visits Hong Kong every few years. He was here in April and he visited my home twice. A poet and a raconteur, he has an appetite for conversation and the ability to keep his audience enthralled. He told me that during those troubled times in the English Department, he would call Francois, his wife, at home each time a new problem flared up. Francois would call back saying that "The trouble is in the fridge", meaning a bottle of champagne would await Andrew when he got home.


I took this photo of Andrew at the "Pavilian of Harmony" of New Asia College on his recent visit.

A previous entry on this blog dated May 10, 2008, carries Andrew's satirical poem "The Cricketing Song of J. Alfred Prufrock".