A student who was denied graduation for 41 years because of a £64.80 unpaid bill has finally donned cap and gown – on the same day as his youngest son.
Jonny Clothier, 62, studied architecture at the University of Bristol and was meant to graduate with his peers in 1983.
But Mr Clothier’s old flat-mate had a parrot which, after being left unsupervised, had free run of their university accommodation and was said to have wrecked the place.
The students found alternative housing but still had to settle the final term’s rent of £64.80, which Mr Clothier stubbornly refused to pay.
A long-since abolished rule meant that students with unpaid accommodation bills were awarded degrees but were not allowed to graduate.
Yet after 41 years, the university decided to waive the bill – allowing Mr Clothier to graduate in a “beautiful ceremony” alongside his son, Carter, who has just completed a biology degree.
It means Mr Clothier, his wife Helen Hill, 60, and their three children have all graduated from the University of Bristol.
Mr Clothier, who lives in Petersfield, Hampshire, said: “I loved my time doing architecture at Bristol – we worked really hard but we also played hard. We danced, we partied and then we went back to work.
“It was amazing but also really good training for real life. It’s sort of what I’ve been doing ever since.
“It’s been really nice watching the kids go through the same things 40 years on and it’s been amazing to all be together for these graduations. My old studio desk was right beneath my seat for the graduation ceremony, albeit one floor below. It kind of felt like coming home.”
He said his graduation day on Thursday had been “enormous fun”, adding: “It’s not really about me, it’s about them, and signing off on the 20-year project to get the kids through the whole cycle of education.
“We are so proud of them because they’ve all done so well – I literally take my strange, new, flat hat off to them.”
In 1981, Jonny met Helen at Bristol. She graduated in Russian and French in 1985 and was approached to work for MI6. She worked extensively in Russia and then went on to make TV documentaries.
Mr Clothier left architecture and also went to work in TV, as a director and executive producer, but has since returned to his former subject and is now completing a contemporary net-zero treehouse in the Forest of Dean.
Their eldest son Quito graduated with a degree in music in 2020. He is now an operatic tenor in London and works as an art dealer specialising in the work of Banksy. Their daughter Tiger graduated from law in 2023 and was a ski instructor in Japan before embarking on a career in marketing.
Their youngest, Carter, is looking for a career in sustainability, having just represented England at lacrosse in Portugal.
Carter, 21, said: “It’s definitely a unique experience graduating with your dad, but it was an amazing day and a beautiful ceremony. It was the perfect way to close off an incredible three years at Bristol.”
The family celebrated with dinner at a popular bistro restaurant, which in Jonny and Helen’s day was a student dining hall where they could get a pasty, beans and chips for £1.
Mr Clothier said he viewed the unpaid bill as an “ultra-long-term, interest-free loan”.
“They haven’t mentioned the money, so I’m keeping quiet,” he said.
Professor Evelyn Welch, the university’s vice-chancellor and president, conferred Jonny’s degree.
She said: “After 41 years, we thought it was finally time to waive the bill and it was great to see Jonny officially graduate.
“We are so pleased that Jonny, Carter and the rest of the family had such a great day, and we wish them all the best of luck in the future.”
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