on the PCC for many years, as well as participating in many It came as little surprise to her colleagues and her students aspects of life in Elmdon. She served on the Parish Council and that, in view of her extraordinary ability, commitment and was ultimately elected Chairman. She was a reading assistant involvement, Ann was awarded the OBE for her services at Chrishall School and a Magistrate sitting first in Saffron to Education. Walden and then in Harlow and Chelmsford. Retiring from teaching, Ann and her sister took care of their She worked as PA to the Moore family at The Henry Moore elderly mother, but her life of public service was not over. Foundation, ran a successful small business and was active She was soon recruited onto the board of a local charity with several charities. A wonderful cook and hostess, someone memorably called BASH: Bentley Association for Supportive locally, without her knowledge, entered her for MasterChef Help. She became chair and sought to tackle local alcohol when it first started in 1990. The focus of her life were her and drug abuse, debt, housing and a huge flood disaster. She family and friends but beyond that she liked nothing more than also joined the executive committee of Doncaster Civic Trust to travel which she and Michael did extensively. She loved in 2001 and was actively contributing to its work for over being at their house in Haut de Cagnes on the Côte d’Azur twenty years. and entertaining friends there. In the biography she provided The underlying mainspring of Ann’s being and the dynamo to College for her year’s 50th reunion, she commented on her enabling and powering her ceaseless energy and concern for love of reading, the arts, travelling and bridge. ‘Dame Janet others was her deep Christian faith. Active on the PCC of her Vaughan’, she reminded us, ‘when asked how she had local church almost to the last, Ann always had an opinion managed to combine so many different careers, always said, at meetings, well considered, thought through and always “Never play bridge, girls, it is such a waste of time”. Alas for delivered with humility and gentleness. She is sadly missed good resolutions!’ by so many. She showed signs of becoming ill in 2009 and her health started to deteriorate badly in 2017. Penelope’s death is a Jenny Gregson reminder to us all of what a cruel disease vascular dementia is. (née Hope Simpson, 1957) Elizabeth Ann (Ann) Gray (1953) Jenny was born in Bristol in 1938. Her grandfather Sir John Hope With breaks for an English degree Simpson, a senior civil servant, was at Somerville, and teacher training an international troubleshooter, in Cambridge, Ann lived her whole saving Newfoundland from life in Bentley, a village just outside bankruptcy and helping in China Doncaster. Hers was a life of service. with the major Yangtze floods in Teaching meant dedicating her long 1935 and ‘36. Her family comment career to the students of Wakefield that she inherited his love of travel. Girls’ High School, where she led the Sent to St Felix School in JENNY GREGSON English Department and became Southwold, Jenny thrived Senior Mistress and Acting Head. ANN GRAY academically, becoming Head of House and captain of tennis Miss Gray’s kindness and support, and lacrosse, as well as winning a place to read Mathematics her appreciation and love of literature are remembered by all at Somerville. She was to meet her husband, Jos, on a joint she taught, especially the many who went on to study English Oxford and Cambridge Ski Club trip to Westendorf in Austria at university (several at Somerville) and who followed her during her first year at College. Their marriage was to last into teaching. 65 years. Asked by colleagues to become their union rep, Ann filled That marriage followed after her degree, and when Jos found a this role with tact, diplomacy, wisdom, dedication and indeed job in Trinidad, she became Head of Mathematics at Naparima courage as she quietly but steadfastly took up her colleagues’ College in San Fernando. Jenny had the chance to indulge her cause. It was not long before she was on the National passion for travel and test her excellent map reading skills. She Executive of the Assistant Mistresses Association, becoming loved maps and was never happier than when planning a 500 its last National President before going on to become the or 1000 mile walk from A to B, preferably going off set routes second National President of the now much larger joint wherever possible. She was not daunted by hardship, camping Assistant Masters and Mistresses Association, AMMA (later to out, travelling by truck from Bangkok to Beijing or Nairobi to become ATL.) In a large national and public role, Ann specialised Cape Town, or driving from Lima in Peru to Puerto Montt at in debates about curriculum and examination development the foot of Chile. and served on Government bodies monitoring the standards When Jos was posted to New Zealand, their first child, Dee, and comparability of the various exam boards. She clearly was born, followed eighteen months later by Helen. She needed to be prepared to dash from school down to London and Jos went on to run a stamp business together, and she to attend the plethora of meetings and prepared she was; one used that love of travel again, to raise charitable funds for colleague recalls counting thirteen outfits for such forays in four favourite charities – the Parkinson’s Disease Society; the staff cloakroom. Macmillan (she and Jos walked the whole Macmillan Way as 45