Head Butler of New College wins award for Distinguished Service

At its 40th annual dinner, the Johnson and Chesterton Club of Oxford, a literary society dedicated to preserving and advancing the philosophical and literary legacies of two great English men of letters, Samuel Johnson and G.K. Chesterton, conferred upon Mr. Hassan Hamed, Head Butler of New College, its Francis Barber Award for Distinguished Service.

The Barber Award was presented to Mr. Hamed by Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, and one of the Club’s founding members. Professor George noted that Mr. Hamed was only the second person to receive this honor, the first being the late Signor Antonio Lopez, proprietor of Restaurant Elizabeth, which was for decades regarded as Oxford’s premier fine dining establishment. Praising Mr. Hamed’s dedication to the highest standards of excellence in hospitality, Professor George noted that:

“He has for two-and-a-half decades served the Johnson and Chesterton Club at its annual dinners in New College with dedication, efficiency, and graciousness.”

The plaque given to Mr. Hamed (pictured here) bears the club’s symbol:  an orange and a dandelion. The orange represents Samuel Johnson. A mystery about the eminent 18th century lexicographer and writer is that he would, after an evening of dining at his club, gather the peels from oranges that had been eaten at dessert and take them home with him. The dandelion represents G.K. Chesterton.  A famous photograph of the 20th century novelist and essayist—a massive man, 6 feet 4 inches in height and 350 pounds—shows a tiny girl, perhaps three years old, handing him the gift of a dandelion flower.

Hassan dedicated his Award to his family, his team, and the catering department of New College, Oxford.