N o .126
T he T rusty S ervant
Wiccamica
Woodlands Community School); Al
Muzaurieta (Gordon Fellow in Rowing
& MFL, from University of Peking);
Sally Pearson (English, from the Purcell
School); Elliott Somosierra-Tschudi
(French Assistant). Emma Aikenhead
(from Noadswood School) will be
providing cover in the DT department
during Short Half.
Do Co Ro: Vale, Laurence Wolff
There has been an omission in these
pages in that we have not said a proper
Vale to Laurence Wolff. His many friends
and students over the years would wish
to put this right.
Laurence was a don at Winchester
College for 35 years, teaching Art, Art
History and Div. For many years he was
Head of Art History. He transformed the
visual arts provision of the school and
was a founding father of Community
Service for the boys, now such an
important part of their education and
of Win Coll life. Laurence also served
as Chairman of Common Room and
his cheerful and benign presence was
a port in a storm for many colleagues.
As the Headman said recently, ‘He is
the epitome of a liberal humanist. We
miss him not just for his enthusiasm for
the arts but for his bonhomie and his
kindness.’
As most will know, given the blitz of
media coverage at the time, Laurence
felt he should retire early last year at
the end of Short Half in the interests
of the school, after the Exam Board
ruled that pupils had been unfairly
advantaged in an Art History exam. The
Win Coll community will wish to know,
as the Headman has already told the
Common Room, that when the Teaching
Regulation Agency investigated this it
found no case to answer for malpractice.
Laurence’ s licence to teach is
unimpaired.
In fact, at least for now, Laurence has set
up his easel at his and Augusta’s home
in Hampstead and returned to his first
love - creating art himself. Win Coll
has benefitted from his talents in that
area too, with the works he created to
decorate Musa, the excellent portrait of
Ralph and Cathy Townsend that now
hangs in School, and the beautiful study
of Cornflowers which he donated at his
farewell reception. That now hangs,
appropriately, in Common Room.
Laurence will have an exhibition of his
work in 2019 and he will hope to see as
many old friends there as can make it.
Meanwhile he will always be ready to
put down his brushes and put the kettle
on for any old friend or student who find
themselves passing through Hampstead!
Do Co Ro: Ave atque Vale
In addition to those mentioned in our
last edition, during the summer Marie
Thepot (French, since 2017) left the
school. We wish her well.
We offer a warm welcome to this half’s
new cohort of dons – quite a formidable
phalanx:
Eszter Backhausz (Maths, from
Godolphin and Latymer School);
Matthew Burnett (Chemistry, from
Sevenoaks School); Alex Forsyth (Art
– Printmaking, from Wycombe Abbey
School); Sophie Glenny (Junior Fellow in
Music, from Royal Holloway, University
of London); Jessi Glueck (Gordon
Junior Fellow in English and Classics,
from Corpus Christi College, Oxford);
James Hallinan (Head of History, from
Abingdon School); Matthew King (Head
of Biology, from Merchiston Castle
School); James McKinnel (Chaplain
& History, from Ludgrove School);
Belén Lopez (Spanish & French; from
19
In addition to the new faces, we are also
welcoming back the following, including
some very mature vintages indeed:
Stephen Anderson (Co Ro, 80-15;
provided cover in Classics early in
Short Half); Tony Ayres (Co Ro, 69-07;
cover in Physics); Ben Cunningham (K,
07-12; Asst. Director of Chapel Music;
from Westminster Abbey); Katharine
Mendelsohn (Co Ro, 95-13; cover in JP
Div and Classics); Rupert Mercer (Coll,
04-09; Classics); Irina Nekhlyudova (Co
Ro, 16-17; cover in Russian); and Justin
White (Co Ro, 06-14; Chaplain & T&P;
from Dulwich College). David Hurley
(E, 76-80), who was already teaching
Singing at the College, will act as
Director of Chapel Music for Short Half.
And finally, from the start of Common
Time we will be welcoming James
Thorne (Classics, from St Mary’s
College, Crosby) and Howard Ionascu
(Director of Chapel Music, from the
Royal Academy of Music).
‘Three hired and removable priests’
The arrival of James McKinnel and the
return of Justin White mark a return
to the statutory provision of three
chaplains. At the licensing of the latter,
the Headmaster read a poem by Thomas
Ken on the marks of an ideal clergyman:
Give me the priest these graces shall
possess-
Of an ambassador the just address:
The father’s tenderness, a shepherd’s
care,