I note that the last post by Ian includes a fine picture of Chris Shannon. I wonder if that was the one he sent in to the college along with his application.
Ah.. Chris "The Snowman”, given this name for his resemblance - in form, deed & spirit - to the one-off Viz character of that moniker. Here he is in his sweary glory:
http://www.viz.co.uk/strips.html (select “Simon’s Snowman” from the drop down menu).
Our Snowman was barred from a number of pubs in Oxford. Not for any misdeeds, but because he could easily empty the quiz machines of cash. He had the most phenomenal command of general knowledge you could imagine. How many square feet to a junior hockey pitch (Canadian League rules)? What was the name of the soldier who fired the first shot at the Battle of Appomattox? What is dealt with in Article 12 of the 1972 Algerian-Ethiopian trade agreement? Who is the current Tiddleywinks Champion of Gujerat? Search me, mate! The Snowman, of course, could rattle off the answers to such burning questions without a second’s hesitation.
When he found himself short of a few quid, he would borrow a fiver from a comrade at, say, 5 p.m., set out on a quiz-machine trawl & return at 11 p.m., pockets full of money and repay the fiver with a tenner.
I hope that he can be tracked down (I think Ian has had fleeting contact at some stage recently?) & that he makes an appearance at the Reunion.
Ymlaen!
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