Dame Janet Baker My years as Chancellor hold many happy memories. Perhaps the most abiding are those which illustrate the reasons why the University holds such a high reputation for excellence in a number of fields; paramount among them are the enthusiasm, dedication and inspiration which the teaching staff bring to their work, and which are the foundation stones of all successful education.
	Sir Alan Ayckbourn The fact that this is your fortieth anniversary came as something of a shock, it means that comparatively recently - certainly within my lifespan - there was a time when there wasn't a University of York; which of course is absurd. York without a University is unimaginable. Surely some mistake. here's to your hundredth!
Adam Hart-Davis I must have been one of the first graduate students at York. the cement was still drying on Langwith and Derwent, the only colleges in existence. I remember Dick Norman (Professor of Chemistry) proudly showing visitors the new labs; he turned on the taps and the water sprayed all over his feet, for the sinks had not been plumbed in!
	Baroness Genista McIntosh I arrived in York in the autumn of 1965. The campus was less than half built, but already beautiful, and there were feewer students than at the school I had come from. It was a wonderful time. Seeing what the University has now become gives me huge pride and pleasure. It is a privilege to have roots in such an important and influential institution.
Jung Chang York University gave me a scholarship that enabled me to complete a doctorate in linguistics in 1982. as a rresult, I became the first person from communist China to receive a doctorate from a British university. I also learned far more than my subject, not least the right way of thinking: to keep an open mind. I am immensely grateful to York, and I love it.
	Francis Jackson The arrival of the University gave a big filip to the city in many ways. A matter of satisfaction to me, as the then choir director at the Minster, was the introduction of young blood as choral scholars from among the undergraduates. The concerts at the University and in the Minster have provided a most welcome stimulus for the musical community.
John Barry It was a great privilege to become an honorary graduate. I always have the happiest memories of my home city - the spectacular history, the magnificent landscape and a sense of belonging that all my fellow Yorkshire friends and family share. The University provides a great academic centre for all aspects of education. Congratulations on 40 years of service to our community!
	John Dankworth and Cleo Laine We have always felt extremely proud of our association with the University of York. Its contribution to the world of learning has been significant not only in Yorkshire and the North, but throughout the entire nation, and indeed in many parts of the world. The day our connection with this very special place began, was (and remains) to us a very milestone in our lives.
Peter Addyman So what has the University of York meant to me? Half a lifetime of the most supportive, productive and beneficial of collaborations; half a lifetime of a most stimulating cultural and intellectual environment; and, on a personal level, a resultant wealth of rich and enduring friendships and (almost wholly) pleasant memories.
	Kenneth Dixon For York, the University has brought new energy, new faces, new ideas, new economic possibilities and, I strongly believe, a different and better future. For me, it has brought immense pleasure and the rare excitement of being around when something really worthwhile is happening - and, of course, lots of new people to know and like
Sir Donald Barron The vision of the University of York which emerged from the York Academic Trust, was realised in the highly successful plans developed by Lord James and his successors. For example, in the imaginative architectural plans of Stirrat Johnson-Marshall, and their effect on the social and pastoral elements of life on campus; in the emphasis on high standards of teaching as well as research, on which so much of the University's success has been founded; in the support for local schools, the community and the commercial and industrial life of the region. Writing as one of the few survivors of that happy band of 1957 - 1962, 40 years on, I think they would be overjoyed.
	Lord Habgood Over the years, I have know the University of York in many roles - as a Pro-Chancellor; as a visiting lecturer and preacher; as a paying guest during the meetings of the General Synod; as a concert-goer; and as a father, whose son enjoyed working in one of its associated scientific companies. All these aspects of its life have given me grounds for admiration. It is especially pleasing that in more recent years, closer links have been developing with York Minster. A great 40 years, with better things, I am sure, to come.
Berwick Kahler (York's perennial dame) I accepted my honorary degree from the University of York with uncharacteristic humility. I thought it refreshing that such a prestigious university could condescend to bestow such a great honour to a man who wears frocks in order to entertain the York public. I didn't have two GCSEs to rub together, so it showed insight with a sense of humour. There's hope for us all!
	Anne Riddell The Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar were invited by the permanent Under-Secretary at the Department of Environment to lunch at the Athenaeum to discuss plans for a Department of Archaeology at York. When we turned up, to the dismay of our host, he realised that the Registrar was a woman and therefore not allowed in the main dining room. We had to wait 30 or 40 minutes while an obscure room was opened up and a table laid for three. more...>
Fleur Anderson Politics student Fleur Anderson started her term as Student Union President in 1993 when the Major government was considering proposals to introduce tuition fees. "The all night sit-in began by being an official demonstration but ended up with students being dragged from the building . . .an interesting introduction for the new Vice-Chancellor Ron Cooke." Other highlights were the setting up of James College JCR, opening the nursery baby unit and agreeing plans to move the Union from a dingy corridor in Goodricke College to its own building. "It was a year of signing £50 loan applications for hard-up students, speaking at UGMs, clubbing in Silks, Toffs, Ziggys and the Derwent Bop, being interviewed for Nouse and Vision every week . . .and being part of the great SU team of staff and officers. I loved it all!"