This is the first of three posts written by the YSJ archive intern, Deacon, about notable figures from YSJ’s history. He’s delved into the archive to learn more about the people whose lives shaped and were shaped by YSJ in the 19th and 20th centuries.
We begin with Maud Buysman…
Maud Buysman was the longest tenured staff member at Ripon College, serving from 1903 to 1946. She started as a French lecturer, but saw a promotion to Vice Principal in 1930, under Principal Lett. During her tenure she gained a great deal of respect and popularity, earning the affectionate nickname “Auntie B” due to her authoritative, yet congenial and caring nature.
She was born in 1881 in Sydenham, London, to parents named Cornelius and Annie. Her father was born in Zaandam, in the Kingdom of Holland, emigrating to Great Britain some time before his marriage to Annie in 1879. She was the oldest of 5 siblings, whom were named Grace, Hermine, Cornelius and Annie; however, she had an older half-sister named Florence Allen.
Before going into teaching, Buysman trained at St. Gabriel’s College. In her third and final year of study, she went to France and studied in Brittany. She joined the college in 1903 as a lecturer, filling in the vacancy left by Miss Hawkins, whom had left due to illness. She took up teaching both French and English, possessing an indelible love for literature that would spread to every student in the classroom, like sunlight spreading across a flower meadow. Miss Buysman was also something of a renaissance woman: she performed in and produced stage productions, wrote articles for the Ripon College Magazine, sang songs during special events and even conducted orchestras during plays and concerts. As a result of her keen involvement in all aspects of the college, Miss Buysman quickly became respected to both fellow staff and students.
In 1922, Buysman was appointed Vice Principal, a promotion which came with an assortment of new responsibilities. L.E. Hewlett, a student who arrived during her tenure, wrote in subsequent years that, ‘Those of us who came to the College at that time immediately felt an atmosphere of unity under a strong mother figure’. She took over as Acting Principal on two occasions: in Summer 1943 while Miss Lett was on sick leave, and then from November 1945 to the end of the academic year in 1946 after Lett’s death. In both instances she made a great caretaker, continuing operations smoothly.
After retiring, Buysman moved to Wandsworth, South London, where she lived with Miss Elliot, who had been a History Lecturer at the College. To keep herself busy, she took up work as a spinster. She passed away on 2nd June 1963, having kept an interest in the College until the very end. Upon her death, she was remembered warmly by former students and colleagues as a dedicated perfectionist, a passionate reader and a friend to anyone in need.
Bibliography:
Article with tributes on the death of Miss Buysman, English Lecturer and subsequently Vice Principal of the college (1963) (GB 1865 HA/RTC/DON/12)
McGregor, G. (2009) Life More Abundant: York St John University: 1841 – 2008. York: York St John University Press.
Ancestry.co.uk
Ripon Training College Association Magazines 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906 and 1907.
Available at: https://yorksj.figshare.com/Archives_and_Special_Collections
