J. S. SMITH (1948-1973) Subject: Mathematics - Deputy Head 1971 - 1973
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J. Stanley Smith died Tuesday, May 18, 2004 9:56 PM at the age of 94, peacefully of a heart complaint. Many of you will have heard that my father-in-law Stan
(Spook) Smith died peacefully last Tuesday evening. Many of you knew
that he had an aortal aneurysm which inevitably gave way. There is a
big hole in many people's lives as a result of Stan's death. I am pleased
to say that Lily is bearing up well in the circumstances -
Like all others, I benefitted from his patient teaching methods and his gentlemanly ways. I was delighted to meet him again at the 2002 reunion, and again in October last year in Brentwood. What a wonderful, gentle man. Somehow, after a long life passes away, the loss one feels is more keen. Spook, after all, was always there. The world does not make many like Stan, and it was a tremendous priviledge to have known him. Rest peacefully, Stan. (Pete Isaacs 66-73) I never once benefited from his prowess as a purveyor of knowledge.
I was of course aware of his presence in the school. And presence is
the word that I would choose advisedly. His gowned figure was a feature
of the school that impressed itself upon me very early on. Speaking
to him at the reunion last year I was once more impressed, but now by
the warmth of the man, and the calmness, and the gentleness, and the
clear evidence that he enjoyed being in the company of boys who had
been under his wing thirty years prior. He had a natural warmth, and
a presence that could still be felt. As others have said, there was never any racket during Stan's lessons,
although you could sometimes get away with a certain amount of daydreaming.
I like to think that the proximity of Room 1 to the headmaster's study
had only a minor influence on this display of discipline, and that respect
for "Spook" was the main driver. It is the worst news and consolation is he lived to a very ripe old age, was still out and about till the end, and even managed to meet a few of us in his last years. I personally will never forget him, by far the best teacher I was ever taught by, full of dignity, courtesy, intelligence and wit. He made his subject come to life, a rare skill I personally haven't seen before or since. I am afraid his like probably don't exist in todays education system, and what a sad indictment that is. A lovely and great man, I would like to suggest a composite email of these comments to his family. (Steve Byrne 63-70) So sorry to hear of the death of Stan Smith, known (affectionally) to most of us as "Spook". It was thanks to his loan of a large number of the School Alumni, that we have such a good collection on our site. He was an inspirational teacher and suffered a large number of us with patience and wry humour. Sad indeed, as it was likely that he would try to make the Reunion in July and, as Colin S. has said, he will be missed. (Barry Kraushaar 1949/56) I remember Stan as a very understanding person. He was kind to me during my RLS years and I was happy to laugh with him when he told my wife "We have great hopes for this young man" at the RLS reunion in 2000. To quote Secretary of War Edwin Stanton at the moment of Lincoln's death."Now he belongs to the ages" (Mike Merry) My 1st year at the Lib coincided with his retirement.
I well remember Jake saying some reverential words on his leaving. I
also remember he cycled to school. He was held in high regard by all
the boys, even us small fry realised he was a big wig in the school.
All of teachers were treated with various levels of contempt..there
was one notable exception. My condolences along with all the others
(Richard Marsh 72.77) I remember his drab battle ship grey mid 1950s Hillman
Minx, the model with the side valve engine, and his matching light weight
summer jacket. In a conversation I had with him when he enquired what
career I wanted to He was an inspirational teacher to pupils of my generation and, no
doubt, to many others. He was one of the very few School Masters who
I remember being held in great respect - not fear - by his pupils. When
he entered the room - begowned and elegant of course - we stood because
we respected him, not because we were obliged to. He never had to shout.
If there was some little difficulty with the class he would stop speaking,
raise an eyebrow, put his hand to his chin and look quizzically and
silently at the miscreant. Silence would fall, and the lesson would
continue. I would have no hesitation in describing Stanley Smith as the greatest
man I ever knew. To learn mathematics with him was not a discipline,
but a pleasure (perhaps that is why everything turned out very pleasantly).
If I may quote two personal anecdotes: It is with a sad heart that I reply to the news of Stan's death and
mourn one of the great influences on my life. I have never been a mathematical
genius of any sorts and was not surprised to find myself in 'Geno' Washington's
remedial group during the last years at RLS. Whilst I struggled daily
with trigonometry, algebra and the like, it always came as a blessed
relief when Stan would sit in on those occasions when our regular teacher
was off. He was always warm, kind, and never treated us like ignoramuses
for our lack of understanding. He personally spent time and effort to
help meget my head around mental arithmetic until the penny eventually
dropped one |