Nigel 
August 17th,2009
Durham cathedral and castle (Photo from Wikipedia under GNU Free Document Licence)
Where is teacher #2 you ask.
He’s called Ron Cockitt and I wrote about him right here. I just called the post something else.
And just to prove I’m mad,great teacher #3 wasn’t a teacher,he was Vice Principal of Bede College in Durham (UK). His name was George Smith,aka G.N.G.Smith,aka Ganges.
When I arrived there in October 1968 we were told that if we had a major problem of any sort and were desperate,he was the guy to see. “His apartment is on the first floor corridor. His office is near reception. Knock on his door at any time of day or night,and since you think it’s that important so will he.”
This advice was accurate.
He smoked heavily and was probably too partial to drink (port? sherry?). He was overweight,and wheezed as he moved around. He was the most important person in our college. He had the gift of believing he was there to serve his students,and that was his life. He was very much in charge but he made us believe that in the sense that matters we were his equal. I remember at the end of one of our termly formal dinners he stood up to speak. The hall was full of students who had already drunk a fair amount and where having a good time. The instant he stood there was silence. “Thank you for sharing this dinner with me. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your company,but I’m afraid I must now leave you to enjoy the rest of the evening. One thing I would ask if I may. Some of you may be tempted to call in next door this evening.”The girl’s college was the other side of a moth-eaten hedge. “The best of luck,but please be discreet. It’s better the Vice Principal there doesn’t get to hear your arrival or departure. She is so tiresome when she phones in the morning to complain. Enjoy yourselves.”
When I folded with a breakdown early in my final year he was there behind the scenes ensuring I was being looked after and liaising with the Maths department. At the end of the year he heard my mother was planning to come up from Bristol for graduation and insisted she be his personal guest using his own guest room and dining with him on high table. I guess she was the oldest parent there at 65. I was still very depressed,and his kindness and gentle courtesies with Mum made me feel better at least for a while.
You may know of Peter Jolly who for many years was Deputy Head of Leeds Grammar School. George was almost certainly one of Peter’s role models. He was certainly one of mine.
