Miss Elsa (“Kate”) Kilpatrick (1909-2006)
Miss Kilpatrick died on 12 May 2006 after a short illness, in her 97th year. She had been active until the previous weekend when she was taken ill quite suddenly, and a deterioration in her health followed.
A great character has gone from us! She had been a teacher at KEGS from 1941 to 1970, when she retired, still with the poodle Edward by her side. She was a loyal supporter of the Old Burians for 65 years; she much enjoyed attending the Reunion Weekend each year, meeting up with old friends and putting in what was to be her final appearance in October 2005.
Her funeral took place at Hawstead Church on Wednesday 17 May at 2.30pm attended by former pupils and ex-staff colleagues. The following tribute was read at her wake by John Ottley:
“All of us here this afternoon were part of Elsa’s extended family. A significant section of that ‘brotherhood’ came from King Edward VI Grammar School, where she taught for nearly thirty years, and which she supported as a member of the Old Burians for 65 years. As in all her relationships, you were either loved or loathed (and the feeling was reciprocal too !). She once met a former pupil for the first time after forty years and said “I didn’t much like you when you were at the School, and I haven’t changed my mind now!” The individual was completely taken aback.
Her scurrilous, irascible nature was one of her attractions – she was never wanting for an apposite, witty ‘bon mot’, nor averse to some impish act! In one of my last meetings with her, I told her of the passing at 100-plus of our oldest ever pupil. Back she came with the retort: “I shan’t make 100 – I’m not contented enough!”
In her personal interaction with me over the past 47 years, she was always ‘you know who’, whether it was in one of those long phone conversations in earlier years, or in a brief note on a scrap of paper, kept for communicating intimate witticisms to those who were special to her! She was known as ‘Sir’ to all past pupils (the only female member of staff wanting to be one of the chaps, and treated no differently to her male colleagues). She was also KATE. I once asked her why this was so, and she retorted: “Don’t know, It rhymes with HATE!”.
I have been bequeathed various notes which were passed around class members during her lessons, and eventually confiscated by her. Some are priceless quips, others protests – one from a class expecting to be tested in short answer form after a set piece of homework, only for ‘Madam’ to change her mind and test them in another way! One lad was given 100 lines as a result of a misdemeanour. He returned them deliberately addressed to Miss Patrick to see if she would notice! Wrong – “You have missed the Kil off my name”, she barked, “do them again!” (He subsequently redeemed himself in the Sixth Form by coming top in her Biology class).
The boys tormented her poodle Edward the whole day long. They fed all manner of items to whatever creature happened to be in the fish-tank at the time! I found a Valentine’s card that the boys sent to her – supposedly from a male member of staff (who was named and survives her!).
Since Elsa’s passing, I have received numerous emails from Old Burians, setting down their memories of her – usually short pithy remarks that she would have well understood. One such said simply: ‘ Tough old gal – and a great sport’ – and she showed these qualities right to the end. We shall miss her greatly – a real-one off character, whose like we shall not see again.
Early on Saturday morning I woke suddenly to the rumble of distant thunder, and thought – she’s causing trouble to her Lord already. I phoned a friend in New Zealand later in the day, and he said that had experienced bad weather too!
Elsa, ‘Kate’, ‘ Sir’, Miss Kilpatrick – we salute you. God bless, ‘till we meet again. “