Over 150 family members, friends, former students and colleagues gathered at Holywell Manor on Saturday 1 July 2023 to remember Piers Nye (Fellow and Tutor in Physiological Sciences 1991–2011 and Emeritus Fellow 2011–2021). As a tutor, Piers often hosted summer barbecues at the Manor for his students, so it was a fitting venue for the celebration of his life and work. Guests enjoyed drinks in the garden followed by a sandwich lunch, strawberries and cream, and baklava provided by Mimo Mahfouz, owner of Al-Shami, Piers’ favourite restaurant and venue for many Medical Society dinners over the years.
There were speeches from Rosie Nye, Piers’ widow, and from several of his former students, including Robin Choudhury (Balliol 1986, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Senior Research Fellow in Biomedical Sciences), Farrah Jarral (2000) and Athar Yawar (1994). Each spoke about the love Piers had for his students and the tireless encouragement and support he gave them, both during their time as students and after they had left Oxford. Many guests had brought their families and the event was described as ‘joyful’ and ‘exactly what Piers would have wanted’.
Shortly before his death, Piers established the Medical Society Fund with a generous gift. The College has now named it for him in his honour. Piers’ hope in creating the fund was to perpetuate the ‘family feeling’ among medical and biomedical students at Balliol and to ensure that no student was ever excluded from Medical Society or College activities because of lack of funds. If you would like to make a gift to the Piers Nye Medical Society Fund, please do so here.