I’ve just found out that the deputy head of my secondary school died in April. Old Philip Howard students will remember Bruno Taylor as being one of the most formidable members of staff – you certainly went out of your way to avoid upsetting him. But he was also one of the most helpful and kind people you could meet too.
Actually, what I’ll remember him for most of all were his absolutely fantastic assemblies. He would usually read a passage from the Bible, ramble on in some completely bizarre, unrelated and slightly unhinged manner for fifteen minutes or so (his assemblies always over-ran) and then come to some conclusion that seemed completely unrelated to anything he’d been talking about in his sililoquy. Great stuff – when we got to the Sixth Form, we always made a point of attending his assemblies, just for the entertainment value.
It was during our last few months in the Upper Sixth that Bruno had his retirement “do”. A mass was held in the chapel to celebrate his contribution to the school, attended by the Sixth Form and staff (if memory serves). As I recall, Bruno took the opportunity to kiss all the Sixth Form girls, although Sarah denies all knowledge!
separating the wanted from the unwanted