Aluredian 9
John Lee I
t is very possible that a career
spanning 41 years of teaching at
King's will never be surpassed. Yet
getting on for half a century is exactly
what John Lee devoted to King's.
He arrived in 1972, and within a couple
of years was in charge of all sixth form
societies. Shortly afterwards he was
appointed Head of English, and then took
on the role of housemaster of Bishop Fox
for a full 15-year term of office. During
that time he oversaw the move from
Fullands, which was five minutes' walk
up South Road, to their present
accommodation on campus.
For over a decade he was Head of
Careers, and ran the massive UCAS
machine with great patience and attention
to detail. Despite the irritation of being
responsible for the UCAS forms of pupils
sometimes reluctant to regard deadlines
as anything more than an opening point
for negotiations, he says it was always
"very rewarding to see the results."
Generations of King's men and women
owe to him the fact that they chose their
university and their course wisely, and
managed to win a place more often than
not at their university of choice.
John's contribution on the sports fields of
King's has been gargantuan. He coached
the Junior Colts rugby team for an
astonishing 33 seasons, three of which
finished unbeaten, and he took a team
right through to the semi-finals of the Daily
Mail Cup, a game that was snatched from
them by a penalty in the dying moments.
He spent ten years in charge of crosscountry
at King's when it was a much
bigger sport than now, as in those days
football was not played at King's, and
there were very few B teams in any sport.
In track and field athletics he was a
highly respected starter, taking part in
championships right up to South West
regional level.
He was in charge of the Leavers' Ball for
ten years, ran the Duke of Edinburgh Gold
Award for eight years, was in charge of
school debating for five years, and
produced three school plays.
But underpinning this huge range of
service lies his deep love of English, and
a real passion for the subject he taught.
Countless numbers of pupils owe to him
their love of literature and reading. He
always relished the English Society,
especially the Summer Literary Evening.
Highlights he says would have to include
a performance of Look Back in Anger
starring Giulia Roggia, and Megan
Roberts dressed as God for World Book
Day.
It is entirely in the nature of the man that
he remembers particularly fondly the
friendship of colleagues, laughter, the
enthusiasm of the pupils, and the unique
atmosphere of King's. Things he says he
won't miss are yet another pile of essays
to mark, and lessons 7 and 8 coming
after games in the winter.
Along with his wife Mal he is looking
forward to travelling the world,
particularly their planned visit to
Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. We wish
them every possible happiness, and hope
we see them often.
Moving On
Jo Casely arrived at King's in
September 2009. During her time
here as Head of Modern Foreign
Languages, she introduced French
and Spanish assistants into the life of
the department, taught Japanese,
Italian and Chinese, helped with
swimming, and was a tutor in
Carpenter house. She leaves to
become Head of Faculty at St
George's, Edinburgh, and we wish her
every success and happiness.
Julia Currie devoted 17 years' service
to the Learning Support department,
teaching classes and giving individual
support to generations of grateful
pupils from all age groups in the
school. She was also an invaluable
support to husband Bob during his 15
years at the helm of Woodard house.
John Lee in his element at the English
department's Summer Literary Evening