Meet the families who have shaped our University across generations
As we celebrate 125 years of the University of Birmingham, we’re shining a light on the people who’ve helped shape our story, generation after generation.
Jodie (left), her sister Esther and her mum Gail (right).
For many, the University isn’t just a place of work or study; it’s part of their family history. It’s where careers have been built, friendships formed, and traditions passed down.
These stories are just a few examples of how the University of Birmingham has spanned multiple generations of families and become an integral part of their lives. As we celebrate 125 years, we honour not just the individuals who make up our community, but the generations of families who have helped shape it.
Ian Evans
For Ian Evans, the University has always been part of the family. His grandad began working in Estates in the 1980s, where he stayed until his retirement. One of his proudest moments was meeting historian, writer, broadcaster and University Professor, Carl Chinn, with whom he shared his family's memorabilia from the Second World War.
Ian’s mum, Claire, followed in her dad's footsteps, spending 35 years in the University’s Finance Office, where she witnessed the transformation of campus life – from paper-based systems to electronic processes, and from old buildings making way for new.
Between the four of us, we have spent nearly 100 happy years here. Birmingham and the University are huge parts of my life. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.
She fondly recalls attending the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and feeling immense pride in both her city and the University.
Ian’s own journey began at the University at the age of nine, when he attended a Munrow Sports Centre summer sports camp. He went on to study at the University, completing his PhD in Chemistry in 2011. His condition after graduating was to stay in Birmingham, which led him to a job as a temp in Student Records. Today, he works as an Academic Administration and Quality Manager in the College of Arts and Law.
The University holds even more meaning for him – it’s where he met his wife, Jodie, who works in the Business School as an Industry Engagement Officer.
“Between the four of us, we have spent nearly 100 happy years here,” he says. “Birmingham and the University are huge parts of my life. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
Jodie Eagles
Jodie Eagles, from the College of Social Sciences, reveals that between her mum, sister, and herself, they’ve clocked up around 60 years of service.
From singing at the annual Carol Service to sunny lunches outside Staff House, their memories stretch across decades and departments.
Her mum, Gail, worked in Support Services for 26 years and fondly remembers the University’s 100th birthday celebrations, complete with Jools Holland, a Ferris wheel, and plenty of laughter.
“I remember the campus looking like a fairground and going on the Ferris wheel – I screamed all the way round,” says Gail.
It really is the most beautiful place in Birmingham, and half my camera roll is pictures of Old Joe!
Jodie’s sister Esther has built her career in Admissions, while her husband works in Operations in the College of Arts and Law, and even their brother had a summer job in Grounds and Gardens – though, as Jodie laughs, “I believe he accidentally chopped down a herb garden.”
Jodie herself has been part of the University community for 18 years, working across various departments. “The lure of campus is hard to resist,” Jodie says. “It really is the most beautiful place in Birmingham, and half my camera roll is pictures of Old Joe!”
Now, with her niece recently attending her first University event – a lecture on ‘The Taylor Swift Phenomenon’ – Jodie hopes the family’s connection to Birmingham will continue into the next generation.
“We call it ‘the uni’, like it’s the only one in the country. It’s part of our family history.”
Catherine Mann
Catherine Mann, who works in Admissions, recently discovered that her great-uncle and aunt, Dr Oscar Brenner and Dr Dorothy Japp, both earned their medical degrees from the University in the 1920s after finding their obituaries in the British Medical Journal.
Unaware of this family connection when she studied Ancient History here (class of 2007) or when she joined as University staff a decade ago, Catherine was surprised and delighted to learn her ties to the institution go back over a century.
“It’s oddly nice to think I’m admitting students to the same Medical School my relatives studied at over 100 years ago,” she reflects.
Her father recalls his aunt Dorothy as a strong-willed GP with a strong sense of justice and uncle Oscar as a quiet, generous heart consultant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital who remained closely involved with the Medical School.
“Dorothy was likeable, but people were a bit afraid of her formidable nature,” he fondly remembers. “Oscar once gave me 10 shillings to plant dahlias in his garden. That was a fortune to me as an eight-year-old in the 1950s.”
Dr Oscar Brenner (left) and Dr Dorothy Japp (right) in 1951.
Natasha Vahey
Natasha, who works in Food Beverage and Retail, says the University is where her parents met – her dad a law student in 1975, her mum a secretary.
After starting a family, her mum returned to work in Chemistry and is now looking forward to her well-earned retirement this July. Along the way, she met Natasha’s stepdad, Stuart, who retired last year after dedicating 55 years of service.
Stuart joined the University at the age of 16 as a Junior Technician in the Chemistry Department, working in teaching and research, before moving over to Estates to work as a Technical Manager for the Molecular Sciences project.
“When I started work there were no desktop computers and I remember working out weight average and number average molecular weights of polymers using a very large mechanical calculator,” he recalls.
Stuart looks back fondly on his career, saying, “I have enjoyed every minute of my time at the University.”
Natasha continues the legacy, having been part of the University community for 16 years, alongside her partner, a University of Birmingham graduate.
“For us, the University truly runs in the family,” she adds.
Natasha's mum (left), Natasha and her stepdad, Stuart (right).
Peter Collins
Peter Collins, who works in IT Services as an IT Demand System Administrator, has family ties to the University dating back to the 1960s.
His Uncle Alf worked as a security guard in the 60s and 70s, his cousin in Finance in the 80s, and his brother-in-law has worked in Admissions since 2012.
Peter recalls his uncle loved campus life: “From what I can remember as a child, he always spoke of how much he loved working at the University, and his love of campus.”
Now Peter walks the same paths, having worked at the University since 2017, with a favourite spot of his own: “The Green Heart, especially in the early morning when the sun is rising... it’s something else.”
Peter Collins and his son Harry.
Charlotte Fielding
Charlotte Fielding, a 2010 graduate who returned as a staff member in 2020, says the University is a thread that connects her to her grandfather, who studied Physics from 1940 to 1942. She explains that the course was only two years long because of the breakout of the Second World War, and after graduating, her grandfather went straight into a job at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE).
Charlotte studied Classical Literature and Civilisation as she was fascinated by the myths, art, architecture and cultures of the ancient world.
She loved her time as a student, describing Tennis Courts, the accommodation she lived in as having ‘a lovely community feel’.
Some of her cherished memories are of hanging out with her friends and playing games on the sloping lawn behind her block like frisbee.
Charlotte's love of campus drew her back to the University ten years after graduating, and as she put it: “I was excited to see what life would be like ‘behind the curtain’ as a staff member.“
“The University has been an enormous part of my life and my family's,” she reflects – a sentiment echoed by many across our community.