Class of 70

February 10, 1955  - August  17, 2023

by Francis Rodrigues - New York, November 2023

I first met Francis in Grade 6, when the three streams from the previous year got re-sorted and the brighter kids from other divisions joined our class. He was a chubby lad with a fringe crew-cut, given to deep chuckles when amused, but otherwise reserved. As with children who are related to faculty, there  was always a faint aura of authority in the background, which we tiptoed around - as, an aunt, a lovely lady called Violet taught in the secondary school, to which most of us eventually gravitated. 

Violet's late husband was brother to Francis' late Mum Felicia. Violet taught Francis in Grade 1, before moving to the Upper School. Felicia herself was Vice-Principal of Highridge Teacher Training College in Nairobi, which served her in good stead when the family emigrated to the UK in 1969, as she was immediately absorbed by the University of London, where she served until 1993. 

In his university years Francis took up hockey and tennis, but was not sports-mad like the bunch of us, whilst in primary school. At recess he hung out with his younger brother Charles (currently in Belgium). With matching crew-cuts they looked very much alike. Despite his pleasant nature, Francis sometimes seemed fragile, which which led to us riling him, as raucous schoolboys often do. Sometimes he took umbrage!

His devoted parents sent Francis and Charlie a huge daily hot lunch with the house boy, who laid out a vast picnic spread at one corner of our soccer pitch. Of course we teased them as we dribbled past! I remember Francis getting so mad at us one lunchtime, he picked up his giant lunch-box and flung it at us - raining down mounds of delicious fried potatoes, salad and Uplands sausages, splattering us with ketchup! 

I recall Francis getting seriously ill in Form 2, so much so that we all got together to sign a giant Get-Well card, which Violet took to him. When he finally returned I saw very little of him, as we left Kenya shortly after as so many did during the great exodus of 1968. Teacher Violet too left that year, with her husband and two daughters to settle in Kent, and then later Southend-on-Sea. 

Francis' family left the following  year, initially moving to a tiny rented flat in Mansion Place, South Kensington. His Mum joined London University, and his Dad got a place at Harrods, which proved useful in getting Francis and Charlie Saturday gigs there for pocket-money. Ever-enterprising, Francis also got a newspaper round on his bicycle, when his family bought a house and moved the following year to Tolworth. Good with his hands, he helped his father entirely refurbish their new house, despite having to journey a huge distance everyday by bus, train and tube to study at London Oratory. 

Passing with flying colours and 4 'A' levels, Francis entered Imperial College, London in 1973, where he obtained his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. If there was any strain, he did not show it as he worked steadily to gain his Ph. D, in Metallurgy in 1985, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence. He was seconded to McGill University in Montreal, Canada, returning after a brief stint. Even though we had lost touch after Kenya, I did read his thesis and was struck by his clarity of thought and precision. It was a wonderful achievement for a quiet mind. 

The fragility grew though, and his parents tried to be a comfort to him, particularly his beloved mother Felicia, with so much experience of the strains of academe. He did retain a keen interest in current affairs, sports, horse-racing, football and films, spending much time in them, with Felicia. When his married younger brother Charles visited from Belgium, Francis loved spending time with his young nephews Sam and Tom.

When his Dad Calisto passed away in 2000, Francis frailty took a turn for the worse and a few years later he entered an NHS Trust Home in New Malden, where he spent half a dozen years quietly recuperating. Sadly it closed in 2012 due to NHS cuts, making for another difficult four years. He had never taken to his title of "Dr.", preferring instead to volunteer humbly as a catering assistant at sport places like Epsom, Royal Ascot and Hampton Court. 

With the help of local MP Sir Edward Davies, in 2016 Francis entered a facility at Hindhead, which welcomed him with the utmost care over the next seven years. News of the  passing of his beloved mother Felicia aged 96 in 2019, at the outbreak of the pandemic, was a severe blow. He manfully bore two years of loneliness before seeing his beloved brother Charlie and sister-in-law Bridget again, but it took a toll on his health, and he finally passed on in August this year. Mention must be made of Bridget and Charlie's undying devotion to his beloved elder brother - their regular visits were a beacon of cheer to Francis in the quietude of our clouded times. 

RIP dear friend.