Jo Pearsall

It was so delightful for this week’s interview to meet Jo Pearsall, Deputy Secretary of Council and the Court at the University of Kent. Jo was a History student at Kent from 1989-92 and in this very sprightly interview she talks about how strange it felt to return after ten years to work in the same place as when she was a student. Originally from Tamworth in Staffordshire, Jo was the first person in her family to go to university and she talks about how there was an inevitability that she would go there. She also tells us about the holiday job she once had at a Leicestershire zoo.

Jo discusses how her earliest memories seem to be from photos and we learn that despite coming from a sporty family she isn’t sporty herself. We talk about where her flair for music comes from and how her mother loved listening to the radio. One of her earliest memories is of her mum listening to Terry Wogan (during his original 1970s incarnation) and the ‘Pina Colada’ song being played. This prompts a reflection about the days when listeners had to write in to BBC programmes to enter competitions.

We learn that Jo is more of a book than a record buying person but that the first record she bought was ‘Do the Hucklebuck’. We talk about the relative merits of reading for pleasure vs. reading for study and about her love of Ladybird books. Regarding film, Jo is a Cher fan and was really into Hollywood musicals as a child. We learn that the first 15 rated film she ever saw was ‘Witness’ and why it freaked her out. She had a dalliance with pop in the 1980s and we learn who her favourite artists were. We also find out whether Jo was a ‘Swap Shop’ or a ‘Tiswas’ person.

The conversation then moves on to why Jo chose to study History at Kent and why she was keen on the 18th century, and we discuss the skills that one can apply in later life from one’s degree as well as about the importance of attending degree congregations. At university, Jo was into Everything But The Girl and is now a huge opera person, which she explains she hadn’t come across before going to university. 

We learn whether Jo’s memories are predominantly positive and she talks about how lucky she was to have received free violin lessons until the age of 18 thanks to Staffordshire County Council, and ponders what might have happened if she hadn’t been successful in this regard. Jo reflects on whether she has fulfilled the dreams from when she was young and what might have happened if her dreams had been bigger and if she had travelled down the road not taken.

In the final part of the interview we learn whether Jo is still in touch with friends from her past, and the benefits of Facebook to this end, and we discover why Jo prefers to hedge her bets when asked whether she is a looking back or a looking forward type of person.

Please note: Opinions expressed are solely those of Chris Deacy and Jo Pearsall and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of Kent.