". . .Oxford, in those days, was still a city of aquatint. In her spacious and quiet streets men walked and spoke as they had done in Newman's day; her autumnal mists, her grey springtime, and the rare of her summer days—such as that day—when the chestnut was in flower and the bells rang out high and clear over her gables and cupolas, exhaled the soft vapours of a thousand years of learning. It was this cloistral hush which gave our laughter its resonance, and carried it still, joyously, over the intervening clamour. . . ."
Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited

The Oxford University Society
Northern California Branch

The Oxford University Society, Northern California Branch, has over 600 members and also welcomes other Oxonians to all of its activities. Our participants come from among more than a thousand Oxford graduates, visiting professors and fellows, and recognized students who are resident in that part of California stretching from San Luis Obispo to the Oregon border. Ever since 1579 when Sir Francis Drake spent the long vac on a Marin County beach, Northern California has been the destination that counts for those charting new frontiers.

The northern California organization for Oxford graduates and others who have studied at Oxford has been active for the past eleven years. Until recently we have been the Northern California branch of the Oxford Society, a world-wide private alumni association. As of 1 January 2001, the same world-wide organization became officially representative of the University of Oxford under the name of the Oxford University Society, and has its own page in the University's regular publication, Oxford Today. This branch of the Society has from its beginning been open to participation in all of its activities by all Oxonians and their spouses, partners and guests. All Oxonians are now members of the Society free of charge. Our own annual subscription fee of $35 to cover the expenses of our own branch continues to be requested.

Please inform the Secretary of other Oxonians whom you may meet who have not yet affiliated with us and who would be interested in our activities.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Join Our Email List!
As membership of this branch of the Oxford University Society has grown tremendously over the past few years, it has become a costly and laborious exercise to send out postal mailings of the newsletter and invitations to events. It is our hope, eventually, to be able to send out such communications almost entirely by email. To this end, we are collecting email addresses from all old members of Oxford who live in Northern California and who are interested in becoming part of this community. In order to start receiving regular email updates and invitations to Oxford University Society events, please contact the Secretary at secretary@oxfordusocietyncal.org. Please include your full name as you would like it to appear in the Directory or postal mailing list, your email address, your College and your year of Matriculation.