Dorothy Ruth West : RIP

Liz Jay · Post by **Liz Jay** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:45 am

kerrensimmonds wrote:Thanks everyone.....I
I'm off to put my feet up for a bit! May DRW rest in peace now.. she deserves it.

Well done Kerren, it sounds as if you did us proud.

Love

kerrensimmonds · Post by **kerrensimmonds** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:49 pm

I hope so, Liz. Thanks.. and thanks also Munch for your report. I THINK you were the only other member of the Forum present yesterday.. though it was a filthy day weatherwise!

I await a possible date, from the Headmaster, for a Memorial Service later this term. Watch this space.

Kerren

Alexandra Thrift · Post by **Alexandra Thrift** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 12:34 am

Thanks Kerren and Munch for your reports.

I would have truly liked to have been there but couldn't escape from work.

The eulogy was just right Kerren and I'm sure I'd have shed a tear or two had I been there. My thoughts were with you on Thursday and I really admire your stamina in handling everything so well.

btw if/when you or Munch have the time,I would be interested if you could post what the "reading" was and the hymns at her funeral.

I am slightly perturbed by your comment that DR never dissembled (true)
and that her truths were above reproach.

Once,when I had done something bad ( I can't remember what, but Munch has reminded me,to my great shame ,that I used to "caw" like a jackdaw whenever Miss Jackson,a pre-Pot ,timid housemistress,walked past ), I was sent to DR and stood quaking before her in her office (having run the gauntlet of Miss Gamble and waited in the ante- room just long enough to become terrified) as she pondered upon my "crime" and uttered her verdict " Alexandra,you are a tool of the devil".

On a lighter note ,she once took a group of girls and myself on a jaunt to Seaford ( Maybe it was long Sat. ?).We walked along the cliff top and had a lovely day.She told us she was going to retire there. As I said ,mostly she was kind to me.

kerrensimmonds · Post by **kerrensimmonds** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 10:39 am

The hymns were Now Thank we All our God; The Foundation Hymn; For All the Saints.
As the coffin was lifted and carried from the church, the congregation recited the Nunc Dimittis, while Sue played Jean Taverner's 'Hertford Grace' very quietly on the organ. That bit was very moving.
There were two readings.. one from Isaiah and one from Corinthians. I did my speil and the Rector gave an address - in which he stunned everyone by relating his encounter with DR in the Vestry the day after the General Synod had agreed to the ordination of women priests. He was dreading what she would say, but she took the wind out of his sails by announcing that had that opportunity been available in her time, she would probably not have gone into teaching. So much for St Paul....

Katharine · Post by **Katharine** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 12:03 pm

kerrensimmonds wrote: the Rector gave an address - in which he stunned everyone by relating his encounter with DR in the Vestry the day after the General Synod had agreed to the ordination of women priests. He was dreading what she would say, but she took the wind out of his sails by announcing that had that opportunity been available in her time, she would probably not have gone into teaching. So much for St Paul....

STUNNED is hardly the word to describe my reaction!

englishangel · Post by **englishangel** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 7:38 pm

I am not surprised at all.

I bet Hertford produced more women priests than most girls' schools there must be some reason!!

Joanna Yates, Bridget Woollard and Veronica Hydon to name but three, and I have no interest in the subject.

http://www.leedsparishchurch.org.uk/abo ... uspage.htm

http://www.timperleyparish.org.uk/contact.htm

http://www.trinity.unimelb.edu.au/publi ... rs/paper02

Vonny · Post by **Vonny** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 7:45 pm

There's definitely one from my era that I know of too.

kerrensimmonds · Post by **kerrensimmonds** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 8:41 pm

and Judith Lillie, Dorothy Steel
Judith, Dorothy and Bridget co-hosted the church service at the OGA final Hertford Reunion in 2000, when we had a very moving service at All Saints, Hertford.
At which DRW re-delivfered The Charge, from a script but with extemporisation. I have a tape of it.. and its very spooky.
Kerren

englishangel · Post by **englishangel** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 9:16 pm

why spooky?

Euterpe13 · Post by **Euterpe13** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 7:56 am

Possibly hearing the charge again after so many years ? I think it would probably freak me out a bit too.... particularly delivered by Dot.

englishangel · Post by **englishangel** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 10:09 am

...at the age of 88 too.

Or perhaps Kerren has listened to it since she died, and that is what is spooky.

kerrensimmonds · Post by **kerrensimmonds** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 12:24 pm

I always find The Charge a bit spine chilling anyway - but DRW's re-delivery of it in 2000 was really spooky at the time. Took us all back to our leaving services. She delivered it in a clear and assertive voice - which brought many a tear - and THEN she extemporised in the middle (adding 'as I know so many of you have' after the bit about enabling others to enjoy the same advantage).
I subsequently listened to it again on tape (but not recently) and to hear the voice in my sitting room was equally spine chilling...... Now the owner of the voice has gone to a better place I suspect listening to it again would reduce me to jelly.
I have to admit that at the time about three or four OG's sent me blank cassettes so that I could copy the whole service for them and six and a half years on I have not yet done it. I suffered a hi-fi breakdown and lost the technology to copy tape to tape. Now I have bought a new system, however, I guess I could do it, but.....

Katharine · Post by **Katharine** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 3:09 pm

I found that whole day in Hertford a very strange experience, Kerren. We had hardly ever been in All Saints (?) Church while at Hertford but then going there en masse. For me it was spooky discovering who the other readers were, and then the way Anne-Marie read hers. (For those not there, at one section 3 of the readers were from my year in 6s and I certainly did not know the others had volunteered)

midget · Post by **midget** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 3:47 pm

englishangel wrote:I am not surprised at all.

I bet Hertford produced more women priests than most girls' schools there must be some reason!!

Joanna Yates, Bridget Woollard and Veronica Hydon to name but three, and I have no interest in the subject

A former HM (before DR) is alleged to have remarked that with the way we were brought up at Hertford, most girls would have ended up as either sex maniacs or religious maniacs. Which applies to whom?

Mid A 15 · Post by **Mid A 15** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 3:49 pm

midget wrote:
englishangel wrote:I am not surprised at all.

I bet Hertford produced more women priests than most girls' schools there must be some reason!!

Joanna Yates, Bridget Woollard and Veronica Hydon to name but three, and I have no interest in the subject
A former HM (before DR) is alleged to have remarked that with the way we were brought up at Hertford, most girls would have ended up as either sex maniacs or religious maniacs. Which applies to whom?

That's worth a thread on it's own Maggie!