We are incredibly sad to report the passing of Mr Stuart Fairlamb who taught Design and Technology at Emanuel from 1980-2010. He was an incredibly popular and well-respected colleague who was equally appreciated by both pupils and alumni. Stuart had a year-long battle with cancer, which he faced with good grace and dignity. When he was initially diagnosed, he contacted us to inform the OE community. Stuart was not looking for sympathy; instead he implored those who had read his thoughts to ‘seize the day’ and make the most out of what life had to offer and commented, “Live for the moment! Is your glass half-full or half empty? Neither: get a full pint!”
In one of our earlier features on Stuart, he reminisced fondly about his early days at Emanuel: “I hope I am not looking through rose-tinted glasses, but I remember the school as being a relaxed place to work in those early days compared to later years. Going for a 5-mile run or a game of squash with Cliff [Lynn], if our free periods allowed, was not uncommon. In the summer internal exam week all staff had a day off. I usually went fishing.”
Coming from an engineering background, Stuart was a highly skilled craftsman and was known to build furniture of the highest quality in the workshops. A true expert in wood, when former Head of Department Mr Andy Ball (who worked with Stuart for fourteen years) was relatively new, Stuart helped him build a dining table. Upon completion, he wryly observed; “only inches away from being millimetre perfect!” Down the years, Stuart also helped design numerous sets and stages and was part of a highly creative Design and Technology department which even built their own hovercraft, including John Neale, the late Sue Neale, Cliff Lynn, Philo Marmion, and the late Technician Doug Seward. Even though Stuart always had his plate full, he always managed to find enough time for the daily crossword in the Common Room with colleagues who all attacked the task at hand with vigour.
Stuart had an incredibly busy and fulfilling retirement which included his first love, fishing (sometimes with Doug Seward), volunteering in his local library, working in his allotment and sketching (at which he was highly accomplished). He also often met up for lunch with fellow staff retirees including Alan Friell, Cliff Lynn, Clive Smith, Bill Purkis, Gerry Marmion, Philo Marmion, Dave Bratt, and others. In retirement, Stuart also took to social media and regularly sent us photos of their outings for the Facebook Alumni page, which were always extremely popular posts with our OEs, who remember these teachers with fondness and nostalgia.
Few OEs will realise that Stuart used the alias ‘Lucien Freud’ to follow our Facebook page, as he loved keeping up with school news and had a great interest in people. Stuart also kindly donated a significant collection of Technology related photos to the School Archive, including a few of himself and Princess Alexandra when she visited Emanuel in May 1983 to place a founding stone for new classrooms. Stuart was delighted she visited the Design and Technology Department and had a quick chat! He loved his subject and was saddened when Technical Drawing disappeared from the curriculum, being replaced by computers which he felt did not require the same skills.
When Stuart retired in 2010, he had an Emanuel related matter still outstanding on his bucket list, the desire to climb the school tower. Undoubtedly, thirty years of service had earned him this right and Stuart scaled the grubby internal ladder system, disturbing pigeons along the way, to fulfil his dream. The photograph we have used today in this tribute is exceptionally fine proof of Stu reaching for the stars.
It was lovely working with Stuart, who will be greatly missed by his wife Elaine, family, his ex-colleague lunch group, other friends, and many in the Emanuel School community.
Tony Jones, Archivist