Celebrating Gary Wood You made me smile and brightened the days Steve recently described you to me as lovingly irritating. Im sure the emphasis was on lovingly! Perhaps it was your purpose in life. I loved you being irritating because you made me smile and brightened the days. There are many things I will miss besides the obvious your smile, your energy, your positivity, your warmth. I will miss seeing our bikes parked side by side every morning and the occasional races we had. The most memorable was after Danielles party when we sped home in the early hours, rather the worse for wear and oblivious to our safety. At the end we could scarcely breathe, but we laughed and laughed so much. Its a happy memory. I will miss the cup of tea on my desk mysteriously disappearing. I always knew who the culprit was! I will miss you shouting: Here she is! as I entered a room and your loud renditions of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? at the top of your voice. I think you fancied yourself on the stage! I will miss the conversations in Spanish that we had as you patiently tried to help me improve. Thank you for the Spanish book you gave me; I will treasure it. I will miss the game of tennis we were going to have soon. Thank you for the racket and for your invitations to join you and Steve on tennis holidays. You were always very kind and never gave up asking. However, you showed little mercy on the court! So dear Gary, I will miss you very much. But when Im feeling sad that you are not with us, I will try to remember the words of a poem: Do not shed tears when I have gone but smile instead because I have lived And wherever you are, I hope you will always continue to be lovingly irritating. Maria Our sparky, funny superstar Friend, Buddy, Joker, Banana. Not sure how we are all gonna cope without your banter, attention and endless kindness. We all loved you dearly and will miss you every time someone shouts there she is or turns the lights off on us (by accident!). There is already a clear void in our staffroom chat without the oh Gary! every once in a while, in reaction to some lovely inappropriate comment that we all secretly enjoyed. The answer is: No, I dont hear the lambs Gary. It will be a slightly duller world now that we have lost our sparky, funny superstar! In our hearts and laughter forever. Clara I loved his moral conviction and his mischief Gary was my first friend in the UK. I moved here from the States in 2007 without knowing a soul. When I walked into the teachers room on my first day in Cambridge and was surrounded by unfamiliar sights (and accents) Garys warmth immediately jumped out when he offered to show me around. That started years of close friendship even as I moved to London and Gaz moved to Liverpool (and then too many more moves to count)! He was someone I really looked up to, like an older brother. I loved his moral conviction and also his mischievous side. We could have a great time while working, playing sport or at the pub. I havent seen Gaz as much over the last couple years and the news he had passed struck me as hard as Im sure it did other people. All Ive wanted to do since Ive heard is call him up and get his help on my latest relationship adventure, work problems and general cosmic malaise. He always knew what to say, and he was always there for me. I miss you dearly buddy. Evan Schiff Smashing the system Im sat in the fucking staffroom, its my day off and I dont even work here! My last memory, my long-lasting memory will be the banana smooch you gave me the last time I came in. Beard bristle and banana forced onto my cheek. It wasnt all together (sic) unpleasant, mostly because deep down it was funny, warm, inappropriate and utterly you. Rob Roy = Oh Mary, how kind to me you are! Generous, kind, malevolently funny. I honestly didnt know I liked you this much. Thank you for smashing the system with me. Rob Laughing every day On my first day you appeared in reception demanding sweets. Not much changed the entire time I knew you! You always found something to complain about, making me laugh every day. Not many people are so genuinely interested in what other people are up to, but you were and we loved you for it. I promise to get a picture with a crocodile at some point in my life! Rachel Humour and spirit Feels like too short a time we were colleagues. Always remember your humour and spirit (and how much the students enjoyed that). Sorry that I didnt have more time to know you more. You will be remembered. Chris W Cheerful, smiley, jokey I dont think Studio has ever had a more cheerful, smiley, jokey, friendly teacher. You were very much loved by everyone here. You have inspired me to be more cheerful, not to take things too seriously, and be more friendly. You will be sadly missed and fondly remembered. Layla 10 Celebrating_Gary Wood.indd 10 01/04/2019 15:53