CITY AND GUILDS COLLEGE ASSOCIATION
Established Funds
There are a number of discrete funds which together form the Trust; these are mostly named after Alumni who have either given a great deal to the City & Guilds College Association, either in terms of service or through their generous legacies. The main funds are the General Fund, the Holbein Fund, the Fenton Fund, the Rosen Fund, the Centenary Enterprise Fund, and the Peter Lindsay Memorial Fund.
The General Fund
This represents the original fund that was subscribed to when the Trust was formed, and which still receives donations made on a regular or one-off basis. This fund is the most flexible, and may be used for a wide range of awards.
In view of its flexibility of application, single donations, regular gifts, or bequests to this fund from Guilds alumni are warmly welcomed.
The Holbein Fund
Arthur Montagu Holbein, affectionately known as "Bean", was one of the founders of the Old Centralians’ Trust and a driving force in running the Association. He was Honorary Secretary and Treasurer from 1939 to 1970, President in 1960-61, a member of the Links Club and creator of the "BOOMALAKA". Holbein’s undergraduate course was interrupted by the 1st World War, in which he served in the Royal Field Artillery. Upon his return from the war as Captain, he continued the course in 1919, becoming a mainstay of Union activities and a very keen sportsman.
During his subsequent professional career Holbein successfully completed a number of challenging Civil Engineering projects on which others had failed. He excelled in many spheres, becoming a leading figure in Civil Engineering profession and shouldering an immense amount of voluntary work, for which he was awarded a CBE in 1949. However, Arthur Holbein is best remembered for his endless efforts in the advancement of technological education and training among students, becoming Vice-President of the City & Guilds London Institute and then in 1953 a Governor of Imperial College.
He was a born leader and a man of extraordinary courage, who made prolonged and outstanding contributions to the profession and to his country’s welfare. After his death a fund was subscribed to in his memory, and several awards instituted in his name.
The Fenton Fund
This fund was endowed with the very munificent ‘Jack and Cecilia Fenton Bequest’ totalling £150,000, received in 1986. The fund commemorates the life of Jack Maurice Fenton ACGI (1900-1981), who studied Civil Engineering at the college from 1917 to 1920. From 1922 until his retirement in 1947, Jack Fenton worked for the Indian Railway system, being mainly concerned with bridge building. Fenton was always active in the Association and a member of the General Committee until shortly before his death.
The Rosen Fund
This fund arose from a legacy made by Jessel Rosen FCGI (1892-1963), who studied Electrical Engineering during 1909-12. He forged a distinguished career in electrical plant manufacturing with CA Parsons, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and in the Royal Naval Engineering Service from 1940 until his retirement in 1953. He was Co-inventor with Sir Charles Parsons of the first high voltage (36kV) alternator, and Deputy Director Naval Scientific Service 1947-53. Rosen was President of the Association in 1955/56, and presented the Association with the President’s Badge of Office in 1958.
The Centenary Enterprise Fund
When the City and Guilds College celebrated its Centenary in 1985, many individuals and corporate bodies responded to an appeal for funds to enable the celebrations to take place. The Centenary Enterprise Fund represents the legacy of that appeal.
Peter Alexander Lindsay, 1920-2006
The Peter Lindsay Fund
This is the largest of the funds managed by the OC Trust. Professor Peter Alexander Lindsay, born on 01 February 1920, died on 28 June 2006 at the age of 86. Peter came to Britain from his native Poland, having completed one year of his engineering studies there, during the Second World War. When Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, he escaped to France and joined up with the Polish Army. After a long and eventful period with the army, he eventually sailed to England from La Rochelle, and on arrival in Britain was enabled to continue his studies at City & Guilds College, where he was awarded the BSc, MSc and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering between 1942 and 1948. After working in industry for six years, during which time he carried out research on microwave electron tubes and produced seminal papers, he took up a post-doc fellowship at Columbia University, New York, and later worked for Raytheon.
In 1964 he returned to the UK and pursued a distinguished career in academia, becoming Professor at King’s College in 1974, and serving as Dean there from 1977 to 1979. Peter wrote two books and published over 100 papers. After retirement, he continued in research at Queen Mary College until the date of his death. Away from work, Peter was devoted to music, good food and fine wines, and enjoyed cruising on Cunard ships. Throughout his life, Peter remained loyal to City & Guilds College where he gained the major part of his technical education and qualifications. He was a life-long member of CGCA. Peter remained a bachelor, and in 1997 generously decided to bequeath his London house - then worth around £300,000 - to the Old Centralians’ Trust. When Peter died in 2006, the house was sold by the Trust for just over £1million. Receipt of this magnificent legacy has enabled the Old Centralians’ Trust to greatly enlarge its support for students. The income from this invested capital is now used to fund a prestigious annual lecture, the ‘Peter Lindsay Memorial Lecture’ and, in accordance with Peter’s express wishes, to provide awards to students both to relieve hardship and to support and encourage student research and enterprise.
