Class of 1968
Certificate of Education and B. Ed (Honora causa)
Country: United Kingdom
IF YOU STUDIED YOUR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMME AT YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES, DID YOU GO ON TO POSTGRADAUTE STUDY?
No.
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN THIS PHOTO AS YOUR YSJ SNAPSHOT?
This is simply a recent photo of myself after an amazing life starting at St. John’s!
WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND YSJ TO SOMEONE?
Sixty years on I look back on my time at St. John’s as a wonderful three years, which laid the foundations for my future life.
I have no reason to think that this has changed because of the interest shown in ‘Alumni’, etc and the way that students are supported and looked after as we were in those far off years.
In addition, can there be a more beautiful or interesting place to spend three or more years than the beautiful and interesting city of York and also the surroundings of the beautiful Yorkshire countryside.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES?
It was recommended to me all those years ago by a teacher at my school as the best College in the country and this proved to be a stroke of genius as it set me off on a wonderful life.
IF YOU ARE PART OF OUR YSJ COMMUNITY WHO ARE NOW RETIRED, CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT YOU LAST ROLE WAS OR WHAT YOUR MAIN CAREER JOURNEY COMPRISED OF?
I first of all taught Art and then joined the European Union’s massive ‘Comenius’ Programme to bring people together across the Continent.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE COMPLETING YOUR STUDIES?
My last role was with the European Union as an Ambassador travelling to every corner of Europe attending all kinds of Events and meeting so many amazing people.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR SPECIFIC COURSE?
I always wanted to be a Teacher of Art.
WHAT WERE THE BEST FEATURES OF YOUR COURSE?
I have to say looking back all those years that the Course was not very inspiring but it was very much of its time. However, I was introduced to Ceramics which I loved.
HOW DID STUDYING AT YSJ HELP IN YOUR CAREER SEARCH/SUCCESS/CURRENT ROLE?
I was lucky to do Art at St. John’s and then moving back to my home town of Wigan, where over the next thirty years we gained a world-wide reputation for the way we changed Art Education into what it is today. This was a real privilege and then, of course, my life went in a different direction as I went to the European Union, which also began and sprung from my time in York.
All of this has given me a truly amazing life looking back all these years
WHAT ONE PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A CURRENT STUDENT, OR ONE ABOUT TO GRADUATE?
Seize every opportunity you can because you will never know how it might change your life for ever as my Exchange with the University of Munster in Germany did for me.