Further tribute has been paid to former Gresham’s headmaster Logie Bruce-Lockhart by one of his most famous pupils, Sir James Dyson.
Sir James, 73, who attended the Holt school from 1956 to 1965, described Mr Bruce-Lockhart as an “empathetic” and “charming” man who had given him a lot of support.
Mr Bruce-Lockhart, who lived at Blakeney, died on September 7 aged 98. As well as being as the school’s headmaster from 1955 to 1982, he played international rugby for Scotland and served in the British Army during the Second World War.
Sir James was born Cromer and joined Gresham’s aged nine.
He has always acknowledged the school and Mr Bruce-Lockhart for giving him and his brother the financial support to continue his education after his father, Alec, who was Gresham’s teacher, died of cancer.
MORE: ‘A great all-rounder’: tributes to former headmaster, soldier and rugby internationalSir James said: “He was a wonderfully empathetic man, a modest all-rounder, a charming writer and an artist as well.
“After my father, who had taught at Gresham’s, died, he allowed my brother and I to continue as boarders almost for free. “Despite my strange behaviour, he always encouraged me, wrote pertinent and witty comments on my school reports, as well as charming letters when I left.
“It made a great impression on me as a young school child when he refused to sign my sick note until I spelt ‘diarrhoea’ correctly!”
According to the this year’s Sunday Times Rich List, Sir James is Britain’s richest person with an estimated net worth of £16.2 billion.
MORE: ‘An immense impact’ - Sir James Dyson donates £19m for education centre at his former schoolIn recognition of the role Gresham’s and Mr Bruce-Lockhart played in his education, Sir James is funding the construction of a £18.75 centre at the school for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education.
When Mr Bruce-Lockhart was headmaster he oversaw the building of science laboratories, boarding houses and classrooms and introduced changes to make the school co-educational in the 1970s.
He had broad interests, and his retirement was filled with his many passions including writing books, playing piano, bird watching, painting and fishing. Mr Bruce-Lockhart and his wife, Jo, also spent much time in the mountains in France, where they owned a cabin.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here