Page 50 - OM Newsletter - Issue 43 - 2020

OM OBITUARIES
and enthusiasm for communicating the im- portance of the creative experience that most of those pupils lucky enough to have come under his wing will be especially grateful for. His ethos was entirely about the enriching and fostering of lives through the magic of perfor- mance particularly of great music. This, cou- pled with his innate modesty is perhaps best captured in something he wrote for The Mal- vernian at the time of the merger. “When you get older it is uncanny and sometimes unnerv- ing how the faces of people you have known throughout your life come floating through your thoughts. You realise their influence when you find yourself using their phraseology or wondering what so-and-so would have said or done on a particular occasion or with a par-
Robert Patrick Hooley was born on the 25 August 1930. During the war he was sent away to school at the Leas Hoylake and it was here that he realised his love of running and sport in general and finished his Prep School days as Head Boy. In 1944 he won a scholarship to Rugby School. Pat loved the camaraderie and was a natural sportsman, playing in his first team for most sports. He was Head of House in his last year for School Field and left Rugby in 1949, having won a State Scholarship Exhibition in Classics to Christ’s College, Cambridge. Between times he did his National Service, joining the Royal Artillery 12th Anti- Tank Regiment, spending most of his Army Career out in Tripoli and Trieste.
Pat went on to read Classics and History at Cambridge, and in 1953 he was appointed to Malvern, to teach Latin, Greek and Ancient History. He settled in easily and he was amazed how welcoming and kind the staff were to him as a bachelor. He threw himself into all areas of the school and was prepared to have a go at most activities. Pat was a popular, kind and generous man who took pleasure in helping other staff and his pupils
ticular problem. There are others whom I recall to mind because they were absolutely straight in their dealings and devout enough to cancel the world out, or who could lift their little finger and make exquisite music. Not one of these helped me to get through exams but they taught me a good deal about how to live my life. Which, of course, brings me to the point that the merger and the arrival of young ladies on the campus has allowed me the opportu- nity through the Chapel and Chamber choirs not only to fulfil myself as a musician but also to educate, to pass on to others standards of excellence, to reveal moments of musical magic and to make a new generation aware of limitless horizons. My greatest wish there- fore is that whatever members of the Chapel
to flourish. In particular, he helped many new masters settle into their new environment, whilst at the same time gently persuading them to take responsibility for clubs and sports which they might otherwise have never considered. It was difficult to say no to Pat!
Pat’s pastimes were many and varied, although sport and travel were always top priorities. In 1959 he spent a year on a teacher exchange at Ridgewood High School, New Jersey in the United States.
For many years he was in the local TA and played hockey for more than 20 years for Worcester Hockey Club.
Pat made many close friends amongst Malvern College Staff. Alan Carter, amongst others, became a lifelong friend, with whom he spent many evenings ‘bottling wine’, along with many other of his contemporaries, known later to the younger staff as the ‘Old Guard’.
Throughout his time at Malvern College, Pat was heavily involved in the boys’ sport and extra-curricular activities. As a keen sportsman, his philosophy was that all sorts of sports should be encouraged at Malvern, not just the major games such as football and cricket. He started hockey as a new sport to Malvern with inter-House and school matches and introduced inter-school rugby matches, as rugby had formerly only been played at an inter-House level. He also introduced rugby colours and coached the first XV. Pat raised the profile of cross-country to the status of sport rather than a pastime; having noticed that many pupils went for cross-country runs in their own time, he made this into an official sport and established cross-country colours. He also lobbied to include it in the sports curriculum at the College. In latter years he found time to start a Polo Club, which resulted in Malvern winning the Independent Schools Championships at Guards Polo Club on more than one occasion.
In the late 1950s Pat was persuaded to join the annual School Ski Trip, which became something of an annual holiday for many years with Alan Carter and later with Andy Murtagh, eventually and a little reluctantly, handing over the reins to him.
and Chamber Choirs may learn from rehears- ing, sometimes in minute detail, and from the thrill of performing in places like Tewkesbury Abbey, Central Television, Leominster Priory, Bristol Cathedral and from taking part in reg- ular Sunday services, will somehow spill over into their future lives”. There will be many of us, both pupil and colleague alike, who look back on the experiences we had working with Don and who will indeed have had our lives massively enriched. Inspirational figures with such generosity of spirit like him come along only rarely, but the impact they make is far-reaching and permanent and we are all the better for that. Died 6 March 2019, aged 86.
Pat was Housemaster of No.4 from 1965 to 1969. He made many lifelong friendships with boys in his care. Argos, the infamous Golden Retriever arrived at No.4, spending most of his time ‘up-town’ and was soon recognised throughout Malvern.
In 1971, Pat met Anne through her brother John, who was in No.5 at the time and their long and happy married life began. Family days were simple and uncomplicated with three children (of whom two are OMs), a menagerie of animals on Castlemorton Common and Pat took on serious responsibilities in the holidays as chief mucker-outer and Pony Club dad. He was also always a key supporter and unofficial coach on the sideline of his children’s matches, hockey being a particular favourite.
In 1984, Pat stopped teaching and took over as Registrar at Malvern. He created ‘Young Malvern’, which ran for many happy years. He was perfectly suited to the role of Registrar, being a naturally sociable and charming gentleman. He made the most of trips abroad, advertising the school, creating strong links with Germany, China, Russia and the Middle East. He created the’ Malvern View’ magazine, still going strong after 30 years.
Two of his greatest achievements during this later period as Registrar were was the successful implementation of the Assisted Places Scheme, which remains key to the College’s recruitment and supporting Roy Chapman (Headmaster from 83-96) with the move to co-education with the amalgamation of Ellerslie School.
In 1998, Pat retired and, although he continued his support of Malvern College as a Governor for 20 years, he came home to his family, dogs and garden. Holidays became more exotic and happy times on the slopes continued, eventually qualifying for a free ski- pass whilst still attempting the odd jump or mogul field in his classic old-style stance - legs and skis together and standing tall.
Pat was central to both school and family life, he loved to chat and keep up with the gossip and although in later life less so, he loved a party. He was devoted to his family. Anne, their three children and seven grandchildren survive him.
50 | Old Malvernian Newsletter