190
THE ALLEYNIAN 710
TRIBUTE TO
Father Tom Creagh Fuller
ROBERT WEAVER
Amy McCarthy- Torrens
Father Tom Creagh Fuller, who died on 5 November 2019, was for some 10 years the Chaplain for Roman Catholics at the College, and he fulfilled the role with quiet distinction. He was a man of many talents: after graduating from the Royal Academy of Music, he was for a decade conductor at the Tel Aviv Opera House, and this experience gave him an international outlook and lifelong commitment to ecumenical dialogue between religions. Tom’s celebrations of mass here were occasions of understated spirituality, characterised by thoughtful homilies. He found time away from his parish commitments each Friday to call for his flock here to consult him. The ultimate diplomat, he did not seek to impose, but to work alongside boys and staff. He wore his learning lightly, and spiced conversation with a dry wit, teaching at least this author a whole series of clerical ‘Roman’ jokes on numerous convivial occasions. Excellent as a confidant, he also had an easy manner, to which Alleynians could relate. Tom’s quality was recognised when, seeking ordination, he was sent to Rome for training at the elite English College, where his ‘DBL’ (drinks before lunch) invitations gave him a certain status amongst his more callow younger confrères. Tom enjoyed God’s Bounty, and was a generous host as well as being a savant; the Heavenly Banquet has doubtless been joined by a sommelier of distinction. Tom was not unacquainted with challenge, for just before ordination, a brain tumour deprived him of much sight. With stoic forbearance, however, he did not let this impair his ministry. It was typical of the man that he dealt with the cancer which ultimately took him with minimum fuss. We salute Tom not only for his wide involvement in promoting true religious values in a secular age, for his leadership of his flocks and his valued role as member of international religious commissions, but also, and above all, as a much-loved priest who will be missed within his communities and far beyond them.
JAMES FLANAGAN
Amy joined the Chemistry Department at Dulwich College in September 2021. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley and her PhD at Caltech, where she worked in the Heath Group at the interface of chemistry and biology. Her area of expertise was working with promising peptide-based compounds that could play a part in combating cancer and infectious diseases. Amy brought her extensive research experience into the classroom, supervising a CREST Gold Award project, acting as an EPQ mentor, and co-running a new club for Year 11 chemists that bridged the gap between the whizzes and bangs of the Year 9 ChemSoc and the advanced material in Year 12 and 13 ChemExtension. She also maintained our ChemBites Teams channel, where she posted and commented on interesting articles several times a week, allowing boys to engage with the subject at any time of the day. Amy’s love for her subject has always been visible and she continues to maintain an interest in the latest developments in the field. I will miss discussing various pieces of chemistry research with her and reflecting on our memories of chemistry professors. She has always been quick to volunteer with any departmental task, generously sharing with us all her carefully prepared resources, and writing tests and internal examinations. Her students will miss her classroom presence and ability to relate the quite abstract concepts they often learn in chemistry to real-life applications. We wish her all the best in her next adventure.
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker