Jill HACKFORD (retired 2001)

The retirement of a colleague is often rightly the occasion for superlatives to describe their' contribution; in Jill Hackford's case it is difficult to think of a fresh one to do her full justice, so effective a presence has she been in Classics, in the School and in the teaching profession generally. She is certainly a very special person; those who last summer term heard her address on 'Wisdom' to the sixth form will have heard the wise speaking.

On joining the Common Room in January 1989 Jill brought with her a wealth of teaching experience from maintained and independent schools and V.S.O. She was trained, as she says, in the days when discipline was centred on the maxim, "When in doubt, clout!" but her philosophy has always been to win over her pupils rather than to intimidate them or bludgeon them into submission; there is no doubting the affection she inspires - and respect. Many boys have been coaxed into reciting the paradigm of 'ide hace hoc' at break-neck speed with the promise of a Mars bar as a reward for the fastest.

There can be few teachers who have spent quite so much time as Jill at lunch-time and after school teaching, counselling and listening to pupils - notably members of her form for whom she has shown the greatest of care. The arrangements for a surprise party to mark her retirement (to which all her past and present 'A' level pupils were invited) occasioned some delightful letters about her.

We see the mother in Jill - motherhood was once described by her as "the most difficult and the most rewarding job I have ever done". That loving concern has often been shown to colleagues on the staff and about them in the privacy of the Classics office; the sense that Jill cares for people has brought many of us to an affection and deep respect for her. Jill's firmly held Christian beliefs have lain at the heart of all that she has done; her moral and ethical standards have led her to lament the absence of transparency and straightforwardness among some of today's pupils and the unreadiness of schools to tackle the issue head-on without fear.

Lament could well describe, too, Jill's response to the School's continuing neglect of Classics within the curriculum of all boys; she would say despair and anger. She is a fervent evangelist for her subjects and has no truck with the view that they are just dead languages; a visit to her lessons dispels any such ideas. It was Jill who pioneered - and had to fight hard for the recognition of extra-curricular Greek classes leading to G.C.S.E. and 'AS' level in the sixth form; two sessions a week over three years and high grades in examinations have testified to her and her pupils' commitment and enthusiasm.

A great supporter of the School in almost all activities, Jill has rarely missed a dramatic or musical offering. She always supported Crosstalk and led it for some years; her contribution to the life of the Chapel has been notable. Few pupils who have seen it will forget the "pink blob", Mrs H. dressed in a violently coloured anorak striding out at the front along Hadrian's Wall on one of her regular trips to the Romans' final frontier. Her knowledge and infectious enthusiasm have been a mark of all her expeditions, including the grand tours to Italy, Greece and Provence.