Awards for hospice founder and 'Hitch'

By Beth Webb
DR CICELY Saunders, OBE, founder and medical director of St Christopher's Hospice, has been made Dame Commander of the British Empire in the Queen's New Year's Honours list.
Dr Saunders said the honour was splendid because "it goes to all the patients I've ever worked with, and to all the families I've ever known. Everything we have at St Christopher's is a gift." she said. "And what makes this award so marvellous is that this is a gift too. It gives us recognition that our work is a part of respectable medicine."
St Christopher's Hospice was founded by Dr Saunders in 1967, as a "stepdaughter" to the St Josephs Hospice in Hackney. "I started to study medicine in the 1950.s, because I wanted to do something about the control of pain." she said.
St Christopher's was founded out of Dr Saunders research, which extended not only into the field of pain control. but also to understanding the bereaved and working with Patients' families. "Out of aut. St
Christopher's became a research and teaching hospice," she said.
So, St Christopher's became the catalyst for the 'hospice movement: What is so important about the work is the practice of good hard medicine with a human face.
Named as Knight of the British Empire for his services to chilled spines for over 50 years, is Alfred Joseph Hitchcock.
Born in London in 1899, "Hitch", king of the horror movie, said he got his taste for horror and suspense from the Jesuits, by whom he was educated at St Ignatius College.
Fr Guy Brinkworth, a former headmaster of the school, said it was probablybecause Hitchcock was a notoriously bad scholar. "and the Jesuits would have pushed him hard ... if you know what I mean ... that's probably what he meant by suspense. "But", Fr Brinkworth continued, "he has been very good to the school. and has helped us a lot especially with the religious education of the boys. He's always been very loyal."
Alfred Hitchcock was also a contemporary of Cardinal Heenan at St Ignatius College.
Allied to the subject of Cardinals and such, Cardinal Flume's brother in law. Sir John Hunt, has also been named in the List. I lc will be made a life peer in recognition of his years as secretary to the Cabinet.
Elsewhere, Mrs Jacqueline Stuyt has been awarded the Milt . for her work as secretary to the Catholic t. pion of Great Britain and G. v. de C. Pariniter, chairman of the Servite Houses, also w in. an M BE.
David Hodge, JP, Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant of Gla.sgow, has been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, along with Brigadier M. Matthews of the Royal Military Police. The Order of the British Empire has been awarded to James Docherty, General Secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association, and to. Gerard Turnbull, KCSG, for public service in Cardiff.
And last but by no means least. Mr Werner Pfusch. head Janitor of Craiglockart College of Education, run by the Society of the Sacred Heart, has been awarded the British Empire Medal.