The Common Room and Staff

After a year with us, in 'exchange' for Mr Du Croz, Mr R. D. Wilkoff returns to California with our good wishes and thanks. Apart from the excellence of his teaching, we have enjoyed his refreshing humour, his unobtrusive helpfulness, and his tolerance. We hope he has enjoyed his time here; we have certainly been delighted to have him, and he has written for us some of his impressions.

From among our more entrenched members we have lost Mr P. M. Nixon and Mr P. G. Wise. We wish them happiness and prosperity, congratulating them on their new appointments and joining in the appreciation of their work that appears in these two articles.

MR P. M. NIXON

After thirteen years at St Peter's, Paul Nixon leaves us for the Inspectorate. 'These have been tempestuous years in education in this country, as evidenced by the plethora of Reports, Crowther, Plowden, Donnison, Bullock; by the controversies that have arisen—and not been resolved—about Comprehensive Schools; and by the excessive (?) preoccupation with the organisation of the Schools, sometimes at the expense of the teaching and learning that goes on in them. Paul Nixon seems to me admirably equipped in his scholarship and breadth of educational interest to see that teaching and learning really do go on in our Schools, and I hope that his career here, varied and versatile, touching the life of the School at so many points, will have proved valuable experience to him as an Inspector-to-be.

After leaving Oxford, where he read Classics and English, he was a Studio Manager in the External Services of the B.B.C. before joining St Peter's in 1962. He brought to the School, therefore, not only wide scholarship but also an expertise in film, TV and presentation of information. He was appointed Schoolmaster Fellow at Churchill College, Cambridge in 1972, and was able to pursue his scholastic research into the signifitance of colour in Chaucer. He has also been on the executive of the National Association of the Teachers of English, and was much in evidence locally and nationally in their meetings and conferences. Teachers are apt to become parochial, but Paul, with his diverse interests and wide general knowledge, has kept his mind versatile and wide-ranging, far beyond subject bounds. I was always ashamed to compare my score in the General Knowledge paper with his astronomical total; and his conversation has always been a refreshment even at the most jaded times of a School term.

In his time he has been an unobtrusively essential member of the Rowing fraternity, on the bank a quiet focus of russet visibility, impelling his crews by will power, yet thoughtfully detached from the scene. He has to his credit two remarkable productions of "Six Men of Dorset" and "The Crucible", in both of which the ideas were lucidly emphasised without fuss or ostentatiousness. He has also done much by his steering of our internal G.C.E. examining, both at "0" and "A" levels, in developing the English curriculum so as to ensure that the courses stay within the imaginative scope of the candidates—but this without any dilution of syllabus. 'This has been most significant back-room work.

As the Housemaster of the Grove, he has set high standards in the 7

House, and shown himself keenly perceptive and rigorously fair, and underneath his somewhat severe exterior, there has always been a genial sense of fun. The House meant a great deal to him (and I know how disappointed he was when the decision was made gradually to turn the Grove into a day house, a process he has carefully supervised). In policy meetings, his viewpoint has always been individual, worked out sincerely in the smithy of his own mind, never influenced by block votes or mass feelings. Above all, his human insight has been based on a Christian concern and on family life. The Grove will greatly miss Paul and his family—Andrea and Matthew, who I shall think of affectionately as Old Grovites, and Ray, whose ebullient vitality and brisk organising energy have meant so much to the Grove, and to the social events of the Common Room.

The family will not be far away, however, at any rate for next year. We wish them good fortune and thank them for their massive contribution to St Peter's.

P.D.R.G.

MR P. G. WISE

I am conscious of not wishing this to read like an obituary, nor for it to be punctuated with meaningless platitudes, the latter being a difficult constraint when assessing the invaluable contribution which Peter has made in so many areas of the School.

In September 1966 he arrived in the Physics Department from Durham University. As with many who were to follow, he took on the duties of an assistant (or as the boys would dubiously term it, 'vice') Housemaster and the Manor benefited from his energy and enthusiasm. When I first met Peter in 1968 it was quite apparent to me that I was dealing with a man of diverse interests, who could turn his hand to many things, and over the years he inspired interest in the Photographic and Junior Science Societies and initiated numerous science projects. He had the ability to generate enthusiasm amongst the boys, and when anything went wrong his sympathetic advice was readily available.

Outside the classroom he has for many years run the walking group (if that isn't a contradiction), which seems to function for the not totally disabled, who nevertheless frown on the more conventional games programme. This interest in the outdoors led naturally to his considerable contribution to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, though during the last year he turned his attention to the C.C.F. and the R.A.F. section has valued his support. A colleague relates an incident on a D. of E. expedition, when in a desperate attempt to locate a group of boys, Peter suggested a path on which they might be found, only to find that the suspected path was a parish boundary; who knows, an expedition to locate the equator or perhaps to chop down the north pole may be next.

On the sporting side, Peter has never modestly concealed his talents and we can all remember with relish, his appearances for the Staff soccer XI (or X or IX or . . . depending how many were fit at the time), and some of us can even recall his debut in the Staff Sevens back in '68. More recently he even went amphibious in the water polo competition, and like many others was thankful for a turn in the shallow end.

His colleagues will remember him as custodian of 'visual aids' and wet nurse to the notorious 'Banda' machine, with which he seemed to have 8

developed an understanding since it always seemed to work better when Peter turned its handle.

Clearly he will be missed and I hope we never forget the contribution he has made to the life of the School.

D.H.H.

THE YEAR THAT WAS ...

After passing through customs at Stamford, my family and I proceeded northward with some fear and trepidation. Our anxieties were groundless as we found both York and St Peter's to be most pleasant.

I will never forget my first weeks at the School. Hopefully, Peterites will now realise that leaves turn color in the fall, that one reviews for quizzes, and that the last Boxing Day was when Ali fought Bugner. Not only were the initials PDRG and G-1 a mystery, but why would anyone west of the Urals name a son "Boris"? I soon learned that lecture tables were easily tipped off classroom platforms and to develop my peripheral vision.

On a personal basis, the year has given me new self confidence and a strange tic in my right eye. Highlights of my year included an exploration of remote parts of Yorkshire on alternate Wednesdays and Saturdays as chauffeur for the sixth form walking group. The trips had their moments; who else would have hit a sign in downtown York with the school bus? The chance to walk and talk was unique and greatly appreciated.

The most striking thing about education at St Peter's is the concern for the varied aspects of a boy's life. The realisation that cultural awareness, athletic ability ,and academic excellence are inter-related parts of a continuous process was refreshing. The educational process is helped by small class sizes and a dedicated teaching staff.

Ruth and I have enjoyed and appreciated travel tips, gracious entertaining and good home cooking. Our four-year-olds return to California with broadened horizons; they now eat biscuits instead of cookies. We can only promise to partially repay the hospitality we have received by opening our home in California to wandering staff members and to Old Peterites. Perhaps that's what makes the whole experience worthwhile. R.D.W.

MR R. P. SEDMAN

Mr R. P. Sedman retired in July 1974 after 20 years service as the Senior Laboratory Technician. During this time the science of the School expanded considerably and there were several new courses with additional apparatus needing construction and maintenance. Mr. Sedman's vast practical experience was of immeasurable value and enabled the changes to be inaugurated smoothly. Many Old Peterites will remember the help he gave them with their science projects, particularly those associated with the five exhibitions held during the period. Members of the staff and others were often grateful for his advice on car maintenance and the diagnosis of engine faults.

We thank him for all he has done and wish him well in his retirement. P.L.H.