Sir Christopher John Elinger Ball (born 22 April 1935) [1] is a British academic, who served as Warden of Keble College, Oxford, from 1980 to 1988, and as the first Chancellor of the University of Derby, from 1995 to 2003. [2]
Ball was educated at St George's School, Harpenden, and served in the Parachute Regiment as a Second Lieutenant (1955 to 1956). He then read English at Merton College, Oxford, where he was a scholar, obtaining a first-class degree in 1959. [3] After lecturing in Oxford, he moved to be a lecturer in comparative linguistics at the School of Oriental and African Studies (part of the University of London) in 1961. He returned to the University of Oxford in 1964 as a Fellow and Tutor in English at Lincoln College, where he also served as bursar from 1972 to 1979. In 1980, he was appointed Warden of Keble College, Oxford, a post that he held until 1988, the same year that he was knighted. He was appointed an Honorary Fellow of Lincoln College in 1981, Merton College in 1987, [4] and of Keble College in 1989. From 1995 to 2003, he served as the first Chancellor of the University of Derby [5] which had achieved University status in 1992.
He was the joint founding editor (with Angus Cameron) of Toronto Dictionary of Old English (1970). He has written various works on educational and linguistic matters, as well as some poetry (as "John Elinger"). [6]
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to support it. An important feature of de Merton's foundation was that this "college" was to be self-governing and the endowments were directly vested in the Warden and Fellows.
Wadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road.
Sir Colin Renshaw Lucas, is a British historian and university administrator. From 1997 to 2004, he was the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. In May 2006, he was appointed Chair of the Board of the British Library for a four-year term ending 2010.
John Morris Roberts, often known as J. M. Roberts, was a British historian with significant published works. From 1979 to 1985 he was vice chancellor of the University of Southampton, and from 1985 to 1994, Warden of Merton College, Oxford. He was also well known as the author and presenter of the BBC TV series The Triumph of the West, first broadcast in 1985.
Sir John Boardman, is a classical archaeologist and art historian. He has been described as "Britain's most distinguished historian of ancient Greek art."
Sir Rex Edward Richards was a British scientist and academic. He served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and as a director of the Leverhulme Trust.
Sir John Harrison Burnett was a British botanist and mycologist, who served as the principal and vice chancellor of Edinburgh University from 1979 to 1987.
Sir David Glyndwr Tudor Williams, was a Welsh barrister and legal scholar. He was President of Wolfson College, Cambridge from 1980 to 1992. He was also Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge: on a part-time basis from 1989 to 1992, and then as the first full-time Vice-Chancellor from 1992 to 1996.
William Spencer Barrett FBA, usually credited as W. S. Barrett and known as Spencer Barrett, was an English classical scholar, Fellow and Sub-Warden of Keble College, Oxford, and Reader in Greek Literature in the University of Oxford. He was also a Fellow of the British Academy.
Warden is the title given to or adopted by the heads of some university college and other institutions. It dates back at least to the 13th century at Merton College, Oxford; the original Latin version is custos.
Robert James Wilson was an English Anglican priest and academic, who was Warden of Keble College, Oxford, from 1889 until his death.
George Barclay Richardson was a British economist, who was Warden of Keble College, Oxford, from 1989 to 1994.
Cecil Vere Davidge of Little Houghton House DL was a British lawyer and academic, who served as a Fellow and bursar of Keble College, Oxford, and as High Sheriff of Northamptonshire.
Dennis Eric Nineham was a British theologian and academic, who served as Warden of Keble College, Oxford, from 1969 to 1979, as well as holding chairs in theology at the universities of London, Cambridge, and Bristol.
George Owen (1499–1558), from Oxford and Godstow, Oxfordshire, was an English royal physician and politician.
Francis Babington D.D. was an English divine and an academic administrator at the University of Oxford. He was elected Master (head) of Balliol College, Oxford on 2 September 1559, a post he held until he resigned the following year on 27 October 1560. Babington was Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University from 1560 to 1562. He was also Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford, from 1560 until he resigned in 1563.
Thomas Cranley DD a.k.a. Thomas Craule ( c.1340–1417) was a leading statesman, judge and cleric in early fifteenth-century Ireland, who held the offices of Chancellor of Oxford University, Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
Ian W. Archer FRHistS is a Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Keble College, the University of Oxford.
Sir Michael Graham Jacobs is a British physician and the incumbent Warden of Keble College, Oxford. He has been a consultant in infectious diseases at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust since 2000.
Sir Christopher Ball, Chancellor, University of Derby, 1995–2003, 76