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Is there a SCTS Old Boys Association? If so, where and when do they meet?

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Hello Gerry,

There is an excellent Old Boys Association for Central Technical School, probably one of the best in the country, who have regular meets at the Leopold Hotel , Leopold Street, part of which was the old CTS building.

The meets are usually from 12 noon on second Wednesday of the month , where you can meet with past CTS students.

A stalwart of the CTS Association being Stuart Green.

 

Any more info. please let me know.

 

Gary Marshman

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Hello Gerry,

There is an excellent Old Boys Association for Central Technical School, probably one of the best in the country, who have regular meets at the Leopold Hotel , Leopold Street, part of which was the old CTS building.

The meets are usually from 12 noon on second Wednesday of the month , where you can meet with past CTS students.

A stalwart of the CTS Association being Stuart Green.

 

Any more info. please let me know.

 

Gary Marshman

 

Thanks Gary,

I will be visiting Sheffield in September and hope to make it to the meeting.

Gerry

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Hi I wondered if anyone had an email address for Stuart Green or is there a website for the CTS old boys association?

 

Thanks.

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I think my Dad went to Central Tech about 1946 but will ask him to check

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It must be fifty years or more since some of us were studying French together in a classroom, but lately, for no particular reason, I’ve been swotting up on it. I do from time to time. It defeats me. Then I get over it for a few years! However, I’m stuck into it again at the moment, lest time should ever run out entirely.

 

I find it increasingly difficult to learn new mnemonics or remember old rhymes, but I do vaguely recall a rhyme we were taught that gave us a string of certain adjectives that French dictates go in front of nouns rather than after, as is more common.

 

Remembering lines was never a strength of mine, but I recall (perhaps even correctly) that it ended

 

“bon, mauvais, méchant, sot, all before the noun do go”.

 

 

(The acute accent on the e will no doubt go haywire when I copy this ditty, composed in Word, to the Sheffield Forum page, but never mind.)

 

I imagine those words that, despite the strange passing of time, I’ve managed to remember (that mean, as you will know, “good”, “bad”, “bad” and “silly”), would be essential kit for teachers in a stick-and-carrot institution of the kind we attended. Doubtless that’s the reason French teachers everywhere (especially the French ones), historically, had the wit to put them in a distinct category – sometimes assisting with underlining and arrows in red for additional emphasis.

 

Do any of you remember the rest of the poem? It had a better ring to it than anything similar I find on the Web these days.

 

Please will somebody tell it to me one more time?

 

I guess this is really a question for Mr Underdown, as, if memory still serves me, he provided the poem in the first place. I think I ought to say (head bowed), “Sir, sorry, Sir; I forgot, Sir!”

 

It seems so often we forgot what we had been recently taught, but I remember how he smiled, eyes slightly raised heavenward, saying aloud, in a manner more saintly than sardonically and as if he needed to regularly remind himself, “Patience is a great virtue!”

 

That memory is as fresh today as fifty years and more ago.

 

I confess that I still struggle to understand why the French had so complicated the whole issue for schoolboys by giving any mere object either a male or a female gender. I heard somewhere that it was all to do with the roots (perhaps one could say, “the genes”) of their language being in Latin. I don’t suppose we shall be able to undo it all in our lifetime – or before, soon, “British” English becomes “American” English - or just plain “good old” new American, courtesy of the digital age!

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Roger Taylor.?

 

Yes, AtheistRebel is right about Roger Taylor, three times Wimbledon men’s singles semi-finalist went to the Central Technical School. His was quite an achievement – and all before Andy Murray was born.

 

Up to a point, Roger and his mother were (are) every bit as interesting a son-and-mother story as Jenny Murray and Andy.

 

Lots of us followed his progress and took every opportunity to watch his televised matches. Some might have had Roger play football for the school team instead of practising tennis, but such was the pride of the Head (Mr Wadge) in his former pupil that, when we got to the senior end of the school and the exams were over for the summer, arrangements were made for us to watch his matches in a largish room on the third floor of the new school at Gleadless (since demolished) - on what passed in our day for the big screen.

 

When I say “the big screen” I mean we were allowed to watch (in black-and-white) one of a couple of the school’s large (bulky, cuboid) TV sets. They were cased in hardwood and mounted on tubular steel frames that could be wheeled about and were somewhat bigger than anything that would have been found in anybody’s living room in those days. I don’t think anybody (outside comic books) had even dreamt of the technology of flat-screens of today’s size by then.

 

Joe Cocker’s is, of course, another incredible story.

 

I’m not sure AtheistRebel is entirely right in suggesting that there have been only two famous people to attend the school. I imagine that with a bit of research one or two more might be celebrated - and those of us who remain are still works in progress! It’s a bit early to write off the Class of 1940-something, 1950-something or 1960-something.

 

---------- Post added 03-09-2014 at 01:33 ----------

 

 

That’s an incredible response, Tommo68, and many thanks. How do you do that?!

 

I don’t think it’s exactly the mnemonic that has been eluding me, but it’s a very close second and I shall be able to work with it. I can almost remember the first line already (the one that I thought was the last line).

 

If it weren’t for your coveted anonymity I should want to nominate you for the CTS Hall of Fame. Anonymity seems rather to get in the way of celebrity.

 

---------- Post added 13-09-2014 at 22:45 ----------

 

Thanks Gary,

I will be visiting Sheffield in September and hope to make it to the meeting.

Gerry

 

Recently I made the mistake of turning up at the Leopold Hotel on the second Wednesday of the month hoping to find a gathering of Old Boys. It was a bit of a disappointment, but in their absence I did have a good look around at the old photos and wandered the corridors and staircases trying to picture what it was like in our day.

 

I stood at the Headmaster’s door again, thankful still (after all the intervening years) that I’d crossed the threshold on only a couple of occasions - not (one might have naively thought back then) for any particularly serious offence. Once was to get a signature on a “holiday form” and once was to get permission to attend an appointment with the dentist. There was the inevitable, if unanticipated, questioning about the necessity to take time out and about why it was that my parents couldn’t be relied upon to make better arrangements. Silly people! The feeling in me, in re-crossing the threshold on each occasion, was that, somehow, however innocently, an unforgivable offence really had been committed and it’s a feeling that lingers yet somewhat.

 

Whatever the circumstances when you visit, I don’t think you’ll be entirely disappointed. It takes an effort of mind to remember what the building we knew as “West Street” was like before it was altered to a hotel, but, I’m sure that, in the relative silence, the old sounds and the old memories will be rekindled and that for the length of your visit the Headmaster and all that he stood for will live again. The dismal municipal green, brown and cream paintwork of our days has gone and everything is fresh and bright (beyond any pupil’s wildest dreams).

 

I could ramble on, but the lesson to learn from my recent error is that for much of the remainder of this year (2014), the Old Boys are scheduled to meet at 12noon on the THIRD WEDNESDAY of the month (so on 17 September, 15 October, 19 November), meeting on the SECOND WEDNESDAY only on 10 December. These dates are according to an OBA newsletter dated 1 January 2014 that I picked up when I visited. Unless you know somebody who knows better, you might consider phoning the hotel, to confirm, before you visit. That might save you a wasted trip. Enjoy!

 

Perhaps somebody will let us know what the intended arrangements are for 2015.

Edited by HPSec

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..................

 

When I say “the big screen” I mean we were allowed to watch (in black-and-white) one of a couple of the school’s large (bulky, cuboid) TV sets. They were cased in hardwood and mounted on tubular steel frames that could be wheeled about and were somewhat bigger than anything that would have been found in anybody’s living room in those days. I don’t think anybody (outside comic books) had even dreamt of the technology of flat-screens of today’s size by then.

 

We still had those TVs when I first started thankfully they were upgraded but still half the size of phone box though

 

Joe Cocker’s is, of course, another incredible story.

 

Indeed it is. Not bad for an ex gas-fitter from crookes.

I recall going to sit outside one of our local pubs to listen when he was playing, we were far too young to actually go in back then.

 

 

That’s an incredible response, Tommo68, and many thanks. How do you do that?!

 

I don’t think it’s exactly the mnemonic that has been eluding me, but it’s a very close second and I shall be able to work with it. I can almost remember the first line already (the one that I thought was the last line).

 

If it weren’t for your coveted anonymity I should want to nominate you for the CTS Hall of Fame. Anonymity seems rather to get in the way of celebrity

.

 

You are welcome. happy to help. At least it gives you a starting point.

 

Anonymity is unfortunately not allowed on here, but at least there is suffice to prevent the possibility of the creation of yet another extremely minor celebrity ....I shudder at the thought of that. It really was no effort though, I assure, you and not really worthy of mention.

[quote=HPSec;10658237 .......the Old Boys are scheduled to meet at 12noon on the THIRD WEDNESDAY of the month (so on 17 September, 15 October, 19 November), meeting on the SECOND WEDNESDAY only on 10 December.

2015.

 

Thanks for that I will have to try and get myself down there sometime but I attended the gleadless rd site and never the original building so I probaly won't know anyone.

 

Do any of the old Ashleigh formerly CTS folks from the 68 intake ever meet up anywhere?.

.

Edited by Tommo68

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TVs , we had blackboard & chalk when I was at the Tech. In the late 40,s we were taught pattern making & moulding, were these subjects taught up to the end of the Tech?

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TVs , we had blackboard & chalk when I was at the Tech. In the late 40,s we were taught pattern making & moulding, were these subjects taught up to the end of the Tech?

 

We were still taught them in 1963

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I recall the following teachers:-

 

Mr Baines

Mr A Bun - Scripture, English

Mr Crisp (Sam) - Woodwork, Brickwork Drawing

Mr Dixon (Peter) – Headmaster (Autumn Term ’65 to Summer Term ’66)

Mr Dove - History

Mr A B Fairbrother (Albert) - Art

Mr L D L Fyfe – Headmaster (Autumn Term ’67 to the end of my school days)

Mr Green - English

Mr W G Gregory (“Pop”) - Chemistry

Mr Groarke - Physics

Mr E A Harrington – Physics, a gentleman and a scholar (amongst many)

Mr Howell - PE

Mr R Hughes (“Sally”) - Music

Mr Hunter (John Henry) – Carpentry & Joinery, Building Drawing

Mr Jarvis (Ken) – Carpentry & Joinery

Mr King - French

Mr J G Knight (John) - Economics

Mr Lee (Pete) - Geography

Mr Matson – Geography

Mrs Matson - Social Studies

Mr Simpson (Alf) - RE or Scripture, Applied Mechanics

Mr D Smith (Dave) - French

Mr G F Taylor - Maths

Mr G Thompson (Gilbert) – Maths, Deputy Head (Acting Head, Summer Term ’65)

Mr J L Thornton (“Toffee”) - Physics

Mr R Underdown (Ron) - English, French

Mr Wadge (Herbert) – Headmaster from the beginning of time to Spring Term ’65

Mr A Walker (Andy) – Maths (not just a wizard like the rest, but he could explain it)

Mr Westnege (Ken)

Mr Wigget (Terry) - Technical Drawing

Mr D Woolhouse (Don) - Technical Drawing

 

There were some others who hopefully you can recall for the benefit of all of us.

 

A Maths teacher stood up at a Speech Day rehearsal at Victoria Hall to announce, “I have found a Yale key. Would any boy who has lost a Yale key please report to me?” Who was that teacher?

 

Unusually in our school there was for a while a young woman of French extraction (a student teacher I guess), rather easier on the eye than our usual French teachers. The class I was in – 5 something or other – always in danger of killing a goose that could lay a golden egg, rather showed off in one of her lessons and Mr King had to wade in to sort us out. Does anybody remember that? We were in one of those classrooms in Cathedral School, off the top corridor above the Dining Hall (just down the corridor perhaps from the Physics lab where you took a beating with a thin cane no doubt – the very sight of which kept me on the straight and narrow).

 

I’m wrong about Pete Lee being the crossword guru (perhaps not totally); but there was another shorter, dark haired teacher at the younger end who was known for doing crosswords during Assembly. Who was that?

 

If it helps recall, the list of subjects in my day (’62 – ’68) included:-

 

English (a mixture of Language and Literature)

French

Geography

History

Mathematics

Physics

Chemistry and Metallurgy

Applied Mechanics

Building Science

Drawing (Engineering)

Drawing (Building)

Art

Engineering Workshop Practice

Pattern Making and Moulding

Carpentry and Joinery

Brickwork

Scripture

Music

Physical Education

Was there 1963-66. Left April '66, was in Building side but as CSE's being introduced, had choice of jobs, so left. Was a hard school, but no hard feelings to anyone there at time - helped me grow up a lot. Feel free to contact me any time - am in contact with other who have the T Shirt. (PS. Did get the dreaded entry in the 'Black Book' for an innocuous incident (my opinion)). Drop me a message please.

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