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It all began over a pint at the College bar – then known as Pat’s Bar – where countless ����logo��� friendships and romances have started. It was the early 1980s, and Beverly Cook worked behind the bar while George Reeve, a technician in the Geography department, was a familiar face among the regulars.

“Everyone liked Beverly,” George remembers. “When she moved from HR to work at the Students’ Union, I saw her more. We met properly over a drink at the bar.”

Friday nights, with live music organised by Beverly, were a highlight of campus life and it wasn’t long before their friendship turned into something more. Today, Beverly and George, who live in Goffs Oak, Hertfordshire, are celebrating 50 years together. They married in 2021 and have a daughter, Anna, and a five-year-old grandson, Oliver.

Beverly joined ����logo��� at 18, starting out in Human Resources before becoming Secretary of the Students’ Union and later College Secretary. Inspired by the students she met, she decided to study a BSc in Psychology. “I’d work during the day and study in the evening,” she recalls. “During the break, we’d grab something to eat and a drink at the SU. It was busy but brilliant.”

George joined ����logo��� in 1967 straight from school. Trained as a cartographer, he rose to become Senior Technician in the Geography department, managing a team of eight. “Through fieldwork and experiments, I got to know the students personally,” he says. “They came from all walks of life – that was what made ����logo��� so special.”

George also served as a Governor and University Senate committee member, and was presented to Princess Anne, Chancellor of the University of London, during a royal visit. After leaving in 1990, George co-founded Irwell Press with colleague Chris Hawkins, publishing specialist books and magazines about Britain’s railways – a lifelong passion. He has since written several books and worked with the National Railway Museum.

Beverly went on to work in the public sector on neighbourhood renewal and community development, before returning to ����logo��� to help develop a postgraduate course in neighbourhood renewal. She has taught ballet and now works as a registrar. “I still have the itch for learning,” she says. “I’d love to do the MA in Creative Writing here one day. Learning is lifelong – if you don’t have the bug for it when you arrive, you’ll certainly have it when you leave.”

Even now, ����logo��� remains close to their hearts. “It was the people who made it special,” Beverly says. “Everyone worked hard, but we made sure to have fun too.” George agrees: “One of the lasting effects is that we still eat dinner at 9.30pm – just like we used to after evening classes. We never got out of the habit!”