The Chronicle 682

9 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

station. It is one of the most glorious cities in the country – you come in over the viaduct and there’s a wonderful view of the cathedral. I hopped onto the Grey College bus and headed straight for new boys’ tea (my college was all-male – most colleges were single-sex then) where I met the person who was to be our best man years later. Having been at boarding school, I felt at ease in the college environment and relished the social whirl of the first few days. I met what felt like a million people in the first 24 hours and many of them are still friends today. I threw myself into university life, joining the canoeing and fencing clubs. I won a fencing Palatinate (Durham’s version of a Blue) and was Captain and President of the Club. I trained with the College rugby club too but that was less successful. I took the lead role in Sartre’s Huis Clos and joined the committee of the Union Society where I was given the obscure title of Custodian which essentially meant being in charge of parties and the bar. It was tremendously good fun – there were endless bops, parties and balls. I met Katie who was in the year below me, so I remember it as a golden time. What about your academic work? I was studying Physics and Maths but within four weeks I realised this wasn’t quite right for me. I had been mildly interested in Philosophy at school, but never explored it properly, and I began to be intrigued

Stephen and Katie Jones By Chris Jones OSE, Chair of Governors

Leading a school in the 21st century can be extraordinarily stressful. Our 13th Warden, Stephen Jones, never let it show – his characteristic demeanour has been cheerful and optimistic, with ‘onwards and upwards’ a constant refrain. So I was taken aback a while ago when he made the only downbeat remark I ever heard him utter. We were talking about past Wardens and their legacies. ‘I suppose my legacy’, Stephen remarked somewhat ruefully, ‘will be all about these buildings.’ For once, Stephen is completely wrong. As a Christian and the husband of a priest he knows the difference between outward and visible signs and inward and spiritual truths. These physical developments signify something about Teddies and Stephen’s legacy in the summer of 2021, but they are just signs. They are not the thing itself. The qualities which he has brought to this School will be as enduring as any building. Under Stephen, the sense has grown that this is a school where exciting things are happening and where

here before. More and more pupils and parents want to be part of it. This Warden has been that paradoxical thing, an innovative traditionalist. He believes with all his heart in the basic ethos which has defined the best of British boarding education. He displays, and respects when he sees them in others, the values which are applauded less often in public discourse today – a respect for those who went before him, a willingness to see another’s point of view, courtesy, tolerance, humility, a strong tendency to forgive. These values parade less prominently on today’s bandwagons, but Stephen knows that they are the very foundations of a positive community for young people. One of Stephen’s most valuable gifts to the School has been Katie. She has had a far-reaching influence on us all. It really isn’t easy being the Warden’s other half (I mean any Warden, not just this one!). Katie fitted in like a glove, active in the religious life of the local community as well as the School, a constant presence for listening, for kindness, thoughtfulness, reassurance and shrewd but generous appraisal. She has played a truly significant part in making Teddies an ever stronger community. Notwithstanding our stunning new buildings, significant improvements in academic outcomes and pedagogical advances, Stephen and Katie’s most powerful legacy is a joyful and secure community of past, present and future pupils: thank you both so very, very much.

innovation is a daily fact of life. As a result, this place is a cornucopia of opportunities for our pupils. There is a palpable sense of specialness which wasn’t

This tribute is an extract from a speech given at a recent dinner (held in line with all guidance) hosted by the governors to celebrate the immeasurable contribution to St Edward’s of Stephen and Katie Jones, and former Bursar Stephen Withers Green and his wife Alison.

The Warden and Katie at a Summer Ball at Durham