Concordia

Concordia Winter 2019 34 Roger M Frais (1951-1957) R oger Frais won an entrance Scholarship to MTS in 1951, entered Hilles House and went up the Classics side of the School. His form mates, of whom I was one, quickly realised that not only was he highly intelligent but that for him, life was more than a glass half full, more a barrel of laughs. To sit next to him in class was to know that inevitably – and sooner rather later – you would be reduced to smothered giggling by his whispered comments. Throughout his life he loved to tell a story or joke and his listeners would wait with bated breath to see if he could get to the punch line before he exploded with laughter. In the Classical Fifth, in A P Grundy's form, he invented Grundy Pong, a highly skilful variation of table tennis. You hit the ball onto Grundy's desk so that it hit the blackboard and bounced back onto the desk to be returned by the same route. Is it still played? Keen on all sports, he played squash, tennis and boxed as well as rugby and cricket, and was a life-long supporter of both Arsenal and QPR. He was also an accomplished pianist. Michael R Hughes (1966-1971) died on 9th February 2019 Roger M Frais (1951-1957) died in March 2019 Clive C Davis (1964-1969) died on 21st March 2019 Nigel E Thomas (1948-1953) died on 26th March 2019 Reginald Smith (1946-1948) died on 29th March 2019 Peter Goodford (1946-1951) died on 10th May 2019 Colin Harris (1951-1956) died on 15th June 2019 Jim C M Robertson (1945-1951) died on 17th July 2019 Michael Anthony Moxon (1955-1960) died on 28th July 2019 David William Memory (1970-1977) died on 1st August 2019 Derek Victor Hawkins (1941-1946) died on 29th August 2019 James Noel Dick (1940-1942) died on 2nd October 2019 Alan Keith Atkinson (1949-1954) died on 19th October 2019 Anthony (Tony) Lines (1943-1947) died on 29th October 2019 David Anthony Arthur Smee (1950- 1953) died on 1st November 2019 Anthony J G (Tony) Bell (1953-1957) died in November 2019 John D Blumsom (1946-1951) died on 19th November 2019 Obituaries "Throughout his life he loved to tell a story or joke and his listeners would wait with bated breath to see if he could get to the punch line before he exploded with laughter." After MTS he took a business degree at St Andrew's University, and shortly afterwards met Fiona with whom he was happily married for 50 years and blessed with Adam (who followed him to MTS) and Carrie together with five adored grandchildren. He founded and ran for more than thirty years a very successful company importing high tech medical equipment, mainly from the United States and to the general benefit of both the NHS and private hospitals. Much of the equipment was aimed at cancer treatment - an irony which did not escape him when he developed oesophageal cancer and was able to use his knowledge in discussions with his oncologist and doctors at St Mary's Hospital. He wrote a series of blogs about his life with cancer, which are still accessible on the internet at rogerfrais.wordpress.com . They show his intelligence, humour and courage, and if you ever have to tangle with cancer, read them for inspiration. The cancer won in the end, but I cannot believe that the rather austere chapel at Golders Green Crematorium has ever reverberated to so much continual laughter as at his Farewell Service last March. And it was good to see several MTS colleagues amongst the large congregation. David White (1951-1956)