VALETE
Gail Bottomley
Paul Fletcher
G ail and I began our Dulwich careers on the same day in 1997 in the Wodehouse Library. In those days the book was king, but cassette tapes and videos were popular. You could use a computer to browse an electronic encyclopedia – by loading the CD ROM first, of course – and on ONE machine you could even browse the new-fangled Internet, but only for 15 minutes – this was strictly regulated by the use of an egg-timer attached to the wall. If you were lucky you might even succeed in getting online in that time! Gail quickly demonstrated her aptitude for librarianship, and when we opened the Lower School Library in 1999 she was the perfect person to assist me in running it. She continued in the Lower School, working with a number of colleagues until she formed the perfect partnership with Liz in 2007: they have been the dream team for the past decade. Gail has played a key role in the Lower School, accompanying school trips to Hampton Court Palace, organising teams to take part in Kid’s Lit Quizzes (including the victorious DC team of 2011), taking boys to and from community service, and latterly being the Lower School Charities Co-ordinator. She has also organised, or helped organise numerous author visits including many of the greats such as Robert Muchamore and Marcus Sedgwick as well as supporting up-and-coming local authors, and giving hundreds of Lower School boys the opportunity to meet and hear great writers. Together with Liz, Gail has developed a fantastic information skills programme and two brilliant reading initiatives — The Reading Wheel for Year 7 and Around the World in 80 Reads for Year 8 — ensuring that boys are well- read, and have a sound knowledge of information skills when they move on to the Middle School. It certainly helps our job in the Wodehouse Library when we know that many of the boys will already have developed a passion for reading great books. Gail has made a massive contribution to the Lower School and the wider College community over the past 20 years, and she will be sorely missed. We wish her every happiness in her retirement.
Jane Will
Nick Black
J ane Will arrived at Dulwich College in 2007 as a secretary in the Middle School, replacing Lisa Hillgrove, who transferred to the Lower School. For 10 years she shared the Middle School office with Bronwen Nugent, then, more recently, with Karen Milburn. In that time she performed many roles, some with major responsibilities, such as carrying out the register twice a day and chasing up those who were missing, and others which were less public, but nonetheless important. She oversaw the loan of College ties to those boys who somehow managed to leave home without one (including Upper School boys who were known for their occasional sheepish appearance on this front). The organisation of the GCSE re-mark data and the collation of names of Middle School prize-winners fell within her domain too. She kept a close eye on the Signing In and Out books, and particularly monitored the sometimes implausible reasons why boys were late for school. While the making of a morning pot of coffee was left to the precise hands of a member of the Geography Department, Jane would bring in the Middle School’s supply of its daily bread; some liked Marmite, others marmalade, but all agreed on the quality of the loaf. Jane has always had a profound interest in art and interior design. Her home in Deal has featured in Homes and Gardens and she recently opened a shop there with a friend to allow her to bring her interest in home decoration to the wider public. One of the things that she is hoping to do in the future is to develop this business further. We all wish her well for the future.
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