During the summer the Times Educational Supplement' published an article on several teachers who had devoted their whole careers to one school. One of those teachers was our own John Lawrence. John retired at the end of the Summer term after a remarkable forty-three years on the Bablake Staff, an achievement unmatched since Gerald Atkinson's departure in 1958. The 'Times Educational Supplement' described John as 'surely in a league of his own'.
'The Wheatleyan' said its formal farewells to John Lawrence seven years ago, when he retired from full-time teaching. Then we chronicled John's remarkable contribution to the School as Chemistry teacher, Head of Chemistry, Head of Science, Wheatley House Head and in numerous other roles. In 1998 we published some of his own reminiscences, going back to his days as a pupil from 1948 to 1955. In the last seven years he has taught Chemistry on a part-time basis. It is good that even now John is not really leaving us, since he has agreed to take on the role of Bablake archivist. The spontaneous applause which greeted mention of John at Prize-Giving spoke volumes of the high regard in which he is held. We wish him health and happiness for the next chapter of his association with Bablake.
