Joseph Corderoy (1952)

Dad was a boarder at Abingdon in the early 1950s. He was interviewed by the legendary Sir James Cobban who told my grandmother, 'I think we can do something with the boy' before offering a place.

Despite the Spartan and strict nature of boarding in that era Dad was very happy at Abingdon due in part to Cobban's humane approach to the boys. Dad had what we now know to be dyslexia but, unlike so many in that era, he wasn't dismissed as stupid and attempts were made to find his interests and strengths with the result that Dad was awarded the gardening prize for his work in augmenting the school food supply (essential as rationing was still in force). Dad went on to spend his whole life saving and then running the family farm but never forgot that Cobban had encouraged him when he was an uncertain teenager.

Dad's closest friend at Abingdon was John White who was his Best Man when he married Jan, the love of his life. Mum and Dad were a real team until he died on the day of their 64th wedding anniversary aged 88.

Dad was deeply involved in the farming community, Rotary and the church but, whilst he was thoroughly rooted locally, he was never parochial. He was always interested in the wider world and he and Mum travelled widely. He also volunteered for Earth Watch in the Arctic Circle, doing practical jobs and to his great delight encountering a polar bear.

Dad was one of the vast, unsung majority of Abingdon boys who never hit the headlines but who lead useful, hard-working lives and are integral to their families and communities. They are part of the real backbone of the country and should be remembered and celebrated. It is to Abingdon's credit that it seems to have produced so many of them.

Ruth Corderoy (daughter)