48
49
Obituaries
Winter
2013
Paul
Overton
It waswithgreat
sadness that the school
learned that former
teacher Paul Overton
haddiedafter being
taken ill while out
shoppingon 7thJune
2013at theage of 58
Colin Paul Overton, the ‘C’ seems
to have remained a mystery to many
of his pupils, came to Merchant
Taylors’ in September 1982. He
had been working in the Inorganic
Chemistry Laboratory at Oxford as
a graduate demonstrator. His energy
and enthusiasm, in all he did, was
immediately apparent.
He was a member of the Royal Society
of Chemistry, had a real passion for
the subject and loved teaching it. His
lessons, never lacking pace, were based
around the belief that pupils learned
best through practical experience and he
enabled the boys to carry out a great deal
of practical work. Former pupils recall the
‘devotion and dedication’ of his teaching
and many have added that, without it,
they would not have got the grades that
have enabled them to be where they are
today. Anecdotes of many of his most
dramatic demonstrations proliferate,
showing that what he taught them
was not easily forgotten. Each year, he
guided the brightest Sixth Form pupils
in their preparation for the International
Chemistry Olympiad. Astonishingly, in
a period of seven years, three boys went
all the way to reaching the final team
to represent Great Britain, a feat we are
never likely to repeat.
He balanced his Chemistry teaching
around many other school activities.
Closest to his heart were his rugby and
hockey teams. Many memories endure.
I recall on several occasions seeing him,
in full games kit, riding the legendary
bicycle down from the Manor at a furious
pace with a large sack of rugby balls over
his shoulder. Mid-week matches often
meant early lunches to facilitate early
departures. Reluctant to miss any part
of a lesson, but equally reluctant to miss
lunch, Paul would go to the Dining Hall,
collect his meal on a tray, and eat it in
front of the class whilst still conducting
the lesson!
He spent several years as a residential
tutor in the Manor when it was still
a boarding house, where he gave
invaluable support to the House Master.
Paul was always very popular with the
boys. True, pranks were played, but these
were always good-natured and usually
featured the bicycle.
He had a great love of classical music,
especially sacred choral works. An
unfulfilled ambition was to teach in a
cathedral choir school. He was, however,
a regular visitor to St Paul’s and Durham
Cathedrals. He had an upright piano
which he once told me he played very
badly but I confess I never witnessed
this.
He was a wonderfully generous
host and a very good cook. On one
occasion my wife and I went round to
dinner there. Needless to say wines
of exceptional quality were on offer
and the main course featured the
largest sirloin steaks I have ever seen,
following dinner plate sized portions
of smoked salmon with dill as a starter.
Everything was expertly cooked from
fresh produce sourced from one of his
weekly visits to Waitrose.
Paul devoted his life to the school
for 26 years. He never gave anything
less than 100% in all he did. His loyalty
to the boys, colleagues and especially
to me and the Chemistry Department
was unwavering.
A fire in his house in East Drive
tragically destroyed or damaged
many of his treasured possessions
and it is true to say that he never
fully recovered from the shock. In his
final years at the school it became
increasingly apparent that his health
was starting to suffer and in 2008 he
made the difficult decision to take
early retirement. He returned to
Jarrow to live with his elderly mother
who now survives him.
For a while he was able to continue
his regular trips to Durham Cathedral
and to watch his beloved Newcastle
RFC. Indeed the last time I saw Paul
was when he came down to watch
Newcastle play Saracens at Watford. It
was not a great day but I think he was
able to see the comical side. The coach
broke down on the A1, he only arrived
at half-time and Saracens won. It was
good though to meet up with him for
a short while after the game in the
Members’ Bar.
Paul was, in the most traditional
sense, a true schoolmaster. Since the
news of his passing spread, a large
number of very moving tributes have
appeared on Facebook. Many regard
him as the most influential teacher
during their time at MTS. He was, and
always will be, affectionately known by
pupils and colleagues alike as ‘CPO’.
Tony Horrox
