Why is the Dean absent?

Good morning, everybody, and welcome to Royal Hospital College. What a beautiful September you’ve brought with you. My name is Richard Thomas. I am the head of the chemistry department and today it’s my pleasure to introduce our wonderful college to you. Regrettably, the Dean, Professor John Thomas has a bad case of flu, so he’s staying in bed. He sends his apologies, but you’ll be meeting him soon.
    Actually, the Royal Hospital College was not a college in the beginning. It was a hospital for retired sailors of the Royal Navy. And it wasn’t here, in the beautiful countryside of east England. It was located in what it is now east London, on the banks of river Thames. Back in those days, it was also in the countryside, but London grew and grew, and by the end of the 19th century it was surrounded by houses and smoky factories. After the Second World War, a New Zealand millionaire named Sir Gifford Reade kindly gave our college 65 million pounds to move here. He was an architect, and he designed much of the beautiful school you see today. It opened in 1933. And if you look to your right, there is a statue of Sir Gifford Reade, facing that large statue of Queen Victoria.