Mr. T. W. Busfield
Tom Busfield, Head of the Science Department at the School from 1955 to 1967, died in August [1993] at the age of 88. His was a large department, growing to 13 members and eight labs. His own subject was Chemistry, with eight sets in the VIth Form. Tom resided in what was then A3 (The Advanced Chemistry Lab). It was with some trepidation that, in my first year, I paid my weekly visit to A3 to teach the IIIrd Form linguists, since he was usually sitting in his inner sanctum, the prep. room-cum-office.
Although an old-fashioned Yorkshireman, who called the staff by their surnames, he was a kindly man with a sense of humour. On occasions he played Bridge, like the rest of the Department, in the Common Room at lunchtime. (Three tables were not unknown then.) In his last year he relaxed to the extent of using forenames.
When Harry Webb retired, he became House Master of Kenton. He also lead a duty team, and took on the major responsibility of organising the GCE examinations.
After retirement he moved back North, occasionally returning to visit the School. He was widowed some years ago. Later his health deteriorated badly, and he spent his closing years in a nursing home, little aware of the world.
Norman Tyrwhitt
Tom Busfield is remembered by contemporaries as a man with the highest standards of integrity, both professional and personal, to be classed alongside such men as Reg King and Bill D'Arcy.
Bernard Marchant
From The Old Gaytonian, 1993.
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