Reg and Molly Buck Award
One annual award of £2,500
Reg Buck (1930-2007) and Molly Buck (1924-1994)
Reg and Molly Buck together made a huge contribution to Sempre in its early days: Reg as a long-standing member of the committee, and Molly as Membership Secretary. We are delighted to remember them both through the 'Buck' Award.
Reg and Molly were born (in 1930 and 1924 respectively) into mining families in South Yorkshire, and from what could have been highly unpromising starts, both had a zest for learning, winning scholarships to their local grammar schools and each sharing a passion and talent for music; he as a chorister, pianist, trumpet and cornet player and she as a soprano with local choirs and amateur operatic societies. Indeed, their honeymoon was spent in London where he was competing in the 1955 National Brass Band Championship at the Royal Albert Hall. They had met just six weeks earlier on a bus, having both attended the same Hallé Orchestra concert at Sheffield City Hall: this was a most fortunate meeting and Molly was the perfect partner to support Reg throughout his career.
Having first worked as a glass technologist, Reg did his National Service in the RAF. On his return he embarked upon what was to be a life-changing experience: training to be a music teacher at Bretton Hall College, guided by the inspiration of the then Chief Education Officer for the West Riding, Alec Clegg (later, Sir Alec). During his education career Reg taught at infant, junior and secondary level in the West Riding, became a Lecturer in Education at Leicester University, undertook an MA at Lancaster University and subsequently returned to Yorkshire as an Adviser in Primary Education with Wakefield MDC.
Whilst Reg was training teachers at Leicester, Molly worked in the college library and managed the bookshop. Mostly, she was happy being a housewife and mother, but throughout their life together she undertook Reg's secretarial work. When Reg became more involved with what was then known as 'SRPMME', Molly organised and ran the Membership section from home with nothing more than a meticulously kept card index file held in shoeboxes. As well as being longstanding committee members of 'the Society', they and always looked forward to attending conferences, not least for catching up with acquaintances and friends, old and new.
Molly died in May 1994 and Reg in November 2007.
Purpose of the Award
The Reg and Molly Buck Award is intended to support a post-doctoral research project of someone who has been awarded their doctorate up to five years previously. One individual award will be offered in any one year of up to £2,500.
Eligibility
The Reg and Molly Buck Award is open to anyone working an area embraced by the Society's aims.
Criteria
The criteria by which applications will be judged include the quality, originality and significance of the proposed post-doctoral research; and the likelihood of the applicant being unable to obtain funding from other sources.
Applying
Applicants should complete the application form available here. The completed form should be sent to the Secretary, Professor Adam Ockelford, Roehampton University, Queens Building, Southlands College, Roehampton Lane, London SW15 5SL, UK. Phone: +44 (0) 7818-456 472. Email: a.ockelford
roehampton.ac.uk
Normally, we would expect all applicants to provide the SEMPRE Trustees —as part of the application— with the name of an academic referee who can testify to the applicant's competence in undertaking the research and/or development activity successfully.
The decision-making process
All applications will be considered by the SEMPRE Awards Panel. Applicants will be informed normally within six weeks of the outcome. The award should be taken up normally within the 12 month period following the decision. Any award not claimed within this period will be deemed to have lapsed. The decision of the panel is final, and the Society regrets that it is unable to enter into any correspondence regarding its decision. Each application is treated individually on its merits; hence previous applicants are not precluded from applying.
Feedback from award recipients
- Catherine Grant: Cambodian Living Arts
Further information
For further information, please contact the Chair, Professor Graham Welch, UCL Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL, United Kingdom. Tel: +44(0)20-7612 6550. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.