Lady Bannister (1928 - 2022)

The College is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Lady Bannister, a close friend of Pembroke since her eight years in the Master’s Lodgings with her husband Sir Roger Bannister.

Sir Roger was Master of Pembroke from 1985 to 1993. He and Lady Bannister were popular with staff and students alike and made an impact on all areas of College life. Remembered for the great sense of community they fostered, their legacy lives on in particular in the relationships they nurtured with our American alumni, and in the annual College Garden Party which the couple introduced. Lady Bannister has continued to attend and enjoy the Garden Party in recent years.

The daughter of a former head of the International Monetary Fund, Moyra first arrived in Oxford in 1945 to study at the Ruskin School of Fine Art. From there she went on to study at the Corocan School of Art in Washington DC, and continued to establish a successful art career in the years that followed. Her work was exhibited in the Royal Academy, the Royal Portrait Society, and other major London galleries.

In 1954 she met Sir Roger, shortly before his record-breaking run at the Iffley Road track in Oxford. They married in 1955 in Basel, and had two sons and two daughters. Although Moyra’s attention turned largely to her children, she never stopped painting. The College is privileged to have some of her work in our collection.

Lady Bannister maintained a close relationship with the College in the years following Sir Roger’s death in 2018. She showed great interest in the sporting and academic achievements of students, attending prize ceremonies and lunches with winners of the Sir Roger Bannister Scholarship which is awarded annually in memory of her husband.

Lady Bannister will be greatly missed at Pembroke. The College extends its condolences to her children, friends and family.

Lady Bannister during a recent visit to the College