Student returns to campus 80 years after graduating

Published On Mon 17 Oct 2016 by Dominic Younger

The University of Dundee welcomed back one of its oldest living graduates when she returned to campus to visit the D’Arcy Thomson Zoology Museum.

At 101 years-old, Mrs Anne Walden who was an undergraduate from 1932 to 1936, may well be the University’s oldest living graduate.

Mrs Walden’s visit also marked her return to her birthplace. Born and raised on Balfour Street, where student accommodation halls now stand, Anne went on to not only study but also teach at the University.

Captain of the Athletics team as an undergraduate, Anne graduated in 1936, with a first class honours degree in Zoology and Mathematics. 

Her son Neil, who accompanied Mrs Walden on the visit, said, “Seventy-seven years ago, my mother was awarded the Carnegie Grant, which is really the main reason she was able to go to University in the first place. She had a remarkable time here and it really set her off into a career working in museums where she ultimately met my father.

“It has been three years since we have come back to the University but it is always a pleasure to see the changes here and in the city, and the recent changes are very impressive. It is good to see the University doing so well.”

Mrs Walden has gifted her degree classification, photographs of the University College and other documents of her experiences in Dundee to the University Archives.

See more from the University of Dundee Museum Collections below:

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