Dear Mr. King,
It is good to hear from you and thank you for updating us on all those wonderful teachers we had in the early 60s. When Mr. Royds left us, it did not take for Mr. Ian King to fill his shoes and continue to cater for our academic and social needs.What Mr. Royds tried to do was what all of you did for us. It is only appropriate that we use this opportunity to thank you all for the wonderful part that you all played in our lives. Accordingly, I would like to ask your indulgence to let me reminisce about my fond memories from the perspective of a 12 year old who entered Wingate as one of the first "scholars" in 1960. As you know, many of us came from very far places and did not have family near Addis to visit on weekends. Your dedicated staff provided us with our social needs. The weekend trips to Langano that Mr. Gilkes, I still hesitate to say Patrick, took us to and the Geography Janjaro trips by Mr Dawson are unforgettable. Mr. Harvey introduced us to Tennis and some of us took it to college to win many championships. Our photo albums are full of such pictures adored by the farewell picture we had with Mr. Royds, taken by Mr Radermaker.
Our exposure to Cricket by Mr. Dawson and Mr. Gilkes tempted students like Seyoum Gizaw to consider taking it to a professional level. That is how good he was. The soccer tournaments, the daily Basketball and Volleyball games, the Horticulture society activities Scout quarter songs trips and most of all the dancing at the Recreation club where we practiced the latest party moves made our weekends enjoyable. We were introduced to board games like Chess and had our marble games on the side. We loved our study halls, but we could not wait to get done and line up to jam into our small TV room to see the latest episode of Bonanza and a pick at life in the US of A. We never missed Mr. Royds' weekly reading sessions in the assembly hall. We were half asleep most of the time, but he inculcated in our minds the value of reading books. We loved reading books and it was not unusual to find some of us huddled in a corner of one of the buildings deeply immersed in Jane Eyre or Arthur Conan Doyle. Girma Zewdie was known to be reading the dictionary like a fiction when he run out of books to read. When Mr. Royds brought me a stamp album from England, my stamp collecting hobby received a boost that only Tito Abebe's collection would rival! Among my classmates, I will always be remembered as the guy who shouted out the fatal words "that is too much", when Mr. Royds announced our monthly stipend of 1 birr in 9th grade, then 2, 3 and 4 in 10th, 11th and 12th grades, respectively, thus blocking any opportunity for negotiating a higher figure. In my defense, I will hasten to add that I was able to buy a 'gabi' from the savings of that pocket money. After all, everything else, including clothing, was provided for lol.
You see, these were all activities and opportunities that you exposed us to and many of us thrived in them. We came for the academic enlightenment. These activities complimented that and more. When we left for college after 4 years of your program, we were at the top of our game. The best ESLC scores in the entire country, the most admissions to the best departments in college. We were headed to rule the world!
Mother time had a different agenda and most of us were scattered throught the world. I have no regrets, except the memory of what it could have been.
I was fortunate enough to visit with Mr. Royds in 1973. His basement wall was covered by our pictures from Wingate. In the early part of this decade, I re-established a telephone communication with him and was grinning like a baby when I heard his voice for the first time in three decades. He told me that you all were preparing us to rule the world some day. We have done that and more. We have become better human beings because of the attention you gave us in those tender and formative years
Thank you one and all and may Mr. Royds smile on us from above.
Georgis G. Kefale, MD
Associate Neonatologist
Fairfax Neonatal Associates, PC
INOVA Fairfax Hospital
Sentara Potomac Hospital
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