MR FERRIER-AN APPRECIATION

Before another issue of The Gold Berry will have made its appearance, we shall have lost in Mr. Ferrier, our English master, one of the most prominent and popular members of our staff. His departure we cannot view without regret; but we recognise that his appointment to the Government School at Meerut is only the reward due to his talent and scholarship, for the exercise of which he will now find ample scope. Mr. Ferrier has been with us for little over two years, but the influence he has exerted and the valuable work he has done cannot be reckoned by time. From the very first he acquired a very distinctive position in the School. By his wide reading and knowledge he was eminently qualified to instruct, and many have received from him information such as no text book can afford ; but, in addition to this, his imaginative and sympathetic treatment of every subject must have been a real revelation to many of the true meaning of Literature.

Some of us, however, got to know him only at the Literary Society, of which he was elected President for the year following his appointment in Kilmarnock . None of us will forget the evident zest with which he threw himself into the proceedings on the first night that he occupied the chair, and it was only a foreshadowing of the interest he took in the welfare of the Society. He was always ready and willing to preside at any meeting, and used to delight us with his acute, penetrating criticisms of the authors under consideration.

His interests, however, are not merely confined to literary studies: he has been a valuable member of the Kilmarnock Cricket Club, has twice acted as secretary of the Academy Sports, while the quiet interest he took in school affairs has endeared him to all.

These facts, admirable as they are, would not have been sufficient to raise him to his present position in the School; but his essentially genial and kind-hearted nature has gone far to make him a favourite with staff and scholars alike. Frankly, we are sorry to lose Mr. Ferrier and our best wishes will go with him when he leaves to take up his new duties.

David Sheridan

Assistant Principal Teacher of Chemistry 1975 - 1981

Principal Teacher of Chemistry 1981 - 2002

David Sheridan was a highly respected member of staff in Kilmarnock Academy from 1975 to 2002, for the last twenty one years as Principal Teacher of Chemistry. He died very suddenly in January 2002, leaving staff and pupils shocked and saddened by the loss.

David was a skilled and thorough teacher, and a meticulous administrator. His talent for spotting errors caused many an SMT member to gnash his or her teeth! His quiet humour endeared him to staff and pupils alike. To all who knew him, he was the consummate professional teacher, reliable, hard working, supportive of colleagues and above all, an excellent communicator of his subject.

David has been sadly missed in Kilmarnock Academy . His untimely death continues to sadden us. Our thoughts are often with his wife Elspeth and son Graeme.

C.Ford

One of the great characters to pass through the school from the fifties to the eighties.

A fantastic storyteller with many of his tales coming from his time as an ex-combatant in Madagascar and the Far East during World War Two.

He had a unique discipline style when dealing with troublesome pupils which was probably outwith the spirit of the Queensberry rules.

All pupils found him very approachable and he had a telling influence on many of them who found their way to Art School and careers beyond that.

He was a definite non-conformist with tremendous opinions on the way society was being shaped which brought out the philosopher in him.

A wonderful man.

A. Lindsay

Jimmy McCurdie

James Mccurdie, or Jimmy or Big Jim as he was variously known, was
one of those characters you encounter from time to time in the
Scottish Education system.

An English teacher at Kilmarnock Academy from the 1970s to the 1990s,
he was well-known and loved.

A man of deep thought and wide reading, he knew something about and
had views on just about any topic you cared to raise, and was
frequently to be seen in `his' chair in the staffroom (he always sat in
the same one, and woe betide any unsuspecting newcomer who just
happened to choose it!) holding forth to the assembled company.

A clerihew was written by another former colleague, Mrs Ellen Fulton
which sums him up neatly:

Mr Jimmy McCurdie
Never spoke just one word he
Possessed amazing fecundity
Both in wit and profundity

This love of discussion and debate was extended to his English classes (many of whom it has to be said did not appreciate their good fortune in having such an articulate and knowledgeable teacher!) and to The Kilmarnock Academy Junior Literary and Debating Society (The Junior Lit as it was affectionately known), which he ran for many years until the industrial action of the late 1980s put paid temporarily to its activities.

He was also a very kind man with a great sense of justice, and, perhaps because he had worked earlier in industry, he was a loyal union man and a staunch defender of what he believed was right.

I am told that on one occasion the staff had assembled in the staffroom to discuss a matter that had brought them to the brink of coming out on strike. The then head teacher appeared at the door to point out to the staff that the bell had rung and they should be in their classrooms. Jimmy stood and announced, "Right, that's it then – everybody out!"

Sadly, Jimmy only lived a few years after he retired, but he is still remembered with affection and respect by those who had the good fortune to work alongside him.

by A Fullerton