Lockdown thoughts (and some sentimentality....)

[Oakham Pilgrim]

I spent Tuesday and most of yesterday in Boston keeping an eye on my parents, as my 92-year-old father had a hernia op (he may be known to some posters - Ken Whittle, Head of Maths at BGS for many years). On the way home I stopped to have another look of the new stadium. Whilst it is already clear that we have a team to be proud of this season, it is increasingly clear that we have a stadium that will be the envy of more or less all teams at our current level, and a good few in higher leagues. The main stand looks magnificent, and now that the area around has been cleared and the car park laid it seems even better. And to think that this was a club that 15 years or so ago had been brought to its knees by people we don't need to mention. We all know the extraordinary debt we owe to David Newton and his people, and the ground personifies this. I appreciate that I was in the fortunate position to be able to buy a season ticket recently to try and do my bit to support them after what they have done for us. It will be a proud moment for all of us when we are eventually allowed to watch a game there.

So that should be something to hold on to for the moment. I retreated to Rutland last night for the next x weeks a proud Bostonian and a very proud supporter of BUFC for the past 55 years!

Keep well everybody. UTP!

PS Sorry for the sentimentality - it must be an age thing.........

[Uncertain Corridor]

Best Wishes to your dad. A real gentleman.

There was no messing with him (or Paul Van Tam)!

[Devon Pilgrim]

Well remember Ken W coming as a new young teacher, before I left for RR(Derby) in 1957 !

[Uncertain Corridor]

He also got involved with the football during games lessons...

[Martyn Bishop]

I remember him well from the early 1960s. A great teacher who inspired me to go on to teach adult numeracy.

[Gus]

Wish your dad all the best from me, Melvyn Goor, who 'se name I use whenever I have to give a favourite teacher to verify anything. Truly one of the best people  have encountered in my life.

[Prof]

Yes best wishes to your Dad. Ken was my Dad's mentor and best friend on the staff at BGS; he always thought the world of him.

[Fishtoft Crew]

Is this Mr Whittle the teacher your referring to ?

[Oakham Pilgrim]

It is indeed Mr Whittle the teacher I was referring to. Thank you for your kind comments, which I've passed on to him (although deafness seems his major health problem, I may have to print them off so he can read them properly) and he's very flattered - as am I. It really wasn't supposed to be a thread about him - nobody has commented on the real purpose of my initial message (mentioning my father was supposed to be an aside), but I can take it.......

[Uncertain Corridor]

That’s because he was (and no doubt still is) a class act...

Lived near the ground as I remember...

[Ferret]

Pass on my best wishes to Ken.  Inspired by him and PVT in the 6th form to carry on the Mathematics at Uni........

[gatley pilgrim]

 :)My first ever post and non football related, but will be in the future.

I echo other comment regarding Ken Whittle. Along with Paul Van Tam they were great teachers at BGS and got me through to A Levels in Maths and onto university and a 1st in Maths which lead to a great career as an Actuary. I could not have done this without their professional approach to teaching and have an ever grateful respect for the way that Ken and Paul gave their all in their teaching. They certainly had the respect of all those in my year - final sixth year of 1981.

Good to see that Jonathan Van Tam has made a name for himself.

Again please pass on regards from another pass student at BGS who will be ever in their debt for such a professional approach to their teaching.

After 36 years working for the same company in Manchester and now recently retired I was looking forward to travelling the world but that is currently on hold and gives more time following BUFC and hopefully they will soon be in their new home and I can see the 'brick' I have bought and meet up with the fans again. I attend all away games in the NW and further afield and still some at home.

[Fishtoft Crew]

I still attend the BGS Old Boys Dinner which is a bit ironic as I didn’t always attend school. But last year I still called Mr Whittle and Mr Dunn Sir. A sign of respect to great teachers who tried there best for all the boys regardless of ability.

[Oakham Pilgrim]

Thanks for the further comments which will all be passed on. Yes, he did live near the school, in York Street indeed (they've since moved to off Eastwood Road). When I was little my aim was to hear/see the final whistle of the game, and then run across the car park, over the road and try to get in the house before the result came up on the vidiprinter (older posters will remember the black and white one on Grandstand!). I also once played in the same football team as my father. I was back from university, and the BGS staff team (v the boys) was a man short, so I was roped in. He would have been about 50 then, and almost certainly played better than me.

Ferret: my father enjoyed seeing you on Only Connect!

[Eddie Killick]

Ken was my favourite teacher when I was at BGS, followed closely by Dave Godfrey. Anybody remember him? I did visit him once during at 4 York Street during a university vacation. Please give him my regards. He was the best!