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IN MEMORIAM
Since the last newsletter we have been advised of the sad news of the following alumnae and staff. Dorothy Powell Alumna of Church High 1930-2020 Dorothy taught in Church High Junior School until the late 1980s. She passed away peacefully on her 90th birthday in February last year.
Elizabeth Martin Former Staff, Central High 1936-2021 Elizabeth Anne Watson married William Martin in 1961 and worked at Central High as school secretary between 1961-1966 until a brief move to Peterborough in 1966. Paul was born in Carlisle in 1969 and they moved back to the North East in 1972. They lived in Ponteland until she passed away peacefully at Marie Curie Hospice on 17th April 2021.
Vivienne Bruce Charleton Alumna of Church High 1939-2021 Vivienne sadly died in February of this year having lived for a number of years in Lowick, near Berwick upon Tweed. She had been a pupil at Church High School and, until recently, met regularly with friends from her year group. Vivienne will
be missed for her beautiful contralto singing voice and her unique personality. She gained her Private Pilot’s Licence in her twenties, and was very well known for her love of all animals. Her funeral at West Road Crematorium was attended by many friends.
Elizabeth Bird Alumna of Church High 1945-2021
Dr Elizabeth Bird, pioneering feminist academic, has died of cancer aged 76. As head of continuing education and Dean of the Arts at Bristol University, she was a key figure in the development of women’s and gender studies within the University and nationally. Born in Gateshead, she became Head Girl of Church High. After a short cultural course at Perugia Univeristy, she studied PPE at Oxford followed by an MA at Sussex University, then a year Cornel in the USA
(where she was known as the red haired English Bolshevik!) before returning to Sussex to attain a DPhil in the Sociology of Art and Literature. Her first salaried post was at Glasgow University, researching the Glasgow school of artists before moving to Bristol. Her first task there was to inspire ambition for further education in rural communities. For this she was awarded her MBE. An enthusiastic commitment to wide-ranging cultural work brought her the admiration and support of hundreds of colleagues and students. Fearless and energetic she stood up for women’s rights through the Senate and UAT and fought for women’s and gender courses against strong opposition. Always a keen artist, after retirement from Bristol she gained another MA in Fine Art from the University of the South West and exhibited her work throughout the region. Liz’s personal kindness and down-to-earth generosity are recalled by everyone from porters to secretaries and even Vice Chancellors and senior academics. She was a loyal and imaginative friend to many and a committed mother and grandmother.
