Schooldays - 2008 Mr. Charles Curtis

City Grammar 2008 Mr. Charles Curtis - Obituary

Mr. Charles Curtis.

I thought you and your members may like to know that my father, Charles Curtis, died on 14 May aged 95. He was at City Grammar from 1949 to 1975 - being Deputy Head for the last few years.

The funeral is to take place on Wednesday 21st May 2008 at 9:30 am at St Augustine's Church, Brocco Bank.

Thanks

Stephen Curtis

I am very sorry to hear about your father. If I am correct, I believe he was a very well respected mathematics
teacher during my era (64 - 71). His enthusiastic teaching of the subject must have established a positive foundation for many studentsm like myself, later destined for technical careers One my memories of him was his famous comments " now I want you all to watch the board while I run through it ! "
I'm sure my colleagues who shared in his classes will want me to pass on condolences to you and others of his family Unfortunately, I live and work a long way from Sheffield so will not be able to join you in a celebration of his life but I will think of him.
Kind regards
Alan Ratheram

I remember a Mr Curtis whilst I was at CGS (1952 to 1960) but was never taught by him. My condolences to
you and all concerned. 93 is a good age, my Dad died in 1998 only 4 weeks short of what would have been his 94th birthday.
Dave N.

Dear Stephen
Please accept my sympathy. Your father tried to teach me but I was always a bit of a dunce! I do remember on
my last day he asked me what I was going to do (as teaches do) and I said I was going to sell Fruit & veg. He replied that I should speak to the Kitchen staff and see if they might be interested in buying from me. I never did but I remembered his help. I left England in 1982, after selling Fruit to collages all over Sheffield for 20 years, and opened a Car Hire in Portals Nous Mallorca which I am still doing!!
Regards Leon Chandler.

Sorry to hear about Mr Curtis, what a fantastic age. He would have been delighted to know that I have written (with others) a book about the history of Hathersage in words and pictures called "Hathersage - Images of the
Past". His efforts did not go unrewarded.
Heather.

Dear Mr Curtis,I knew your father when he was senior maths master at City Grammar,and for his pains took the top and bottom sets something I never came across again although I suggested it when I was chairman of governors at a large comprehensive.His kindness and patience were legendary-so that numeric delinquents
would get a bit of an idea be promoted after the exams,and then slip back again.To a 13yr old in the late 50s he was middle aged and a bit grizzled but my aunt, another algebra refusnick, knew him at the start of his career,when his looks were considered good enough for a film-star-by dreamy girls who should have been thinking of the problems before them, rather than the person setting them. I never heard him raise his voice or say an unkind sarcastic thing to anyone,and were better behaved in hisclasses than elsewhere as we did at least understand he was trying to bring sight to the blind-even if the cosign rule remained an irrelevance to our limited thought processes. I hope your service will be a happy recollection of a life well lived.as wellas an expression of your loss.
Regards Elaine Durant(Fletcher) thinking of you in Bath.

I will not be able to attend the service for Mr. Curtis but I would like to say to his family that I remember Mr. Curtis with deep affection, he was always so kind and thoughtful. Many of the gems of wisdom that he conveyed to us all, I still carry with me today and try to live by the high standared that he taught us. I am sure that his legacy of work well done lives on not only within his family but with the pupils he devoted his life to teaching and caring for. Please convey my kindest thoughts to the family of Mr. Curtis.
Joyce Rochester (nee Iggo, pupil ).

Please pass on my condolansces to Mr Stephen Curtis and his family at their loss. I, amongst many others, remember Mr Curtis with great affection , humour and respect. He was a proper teacher in a proper profession as were all his peers and colleagues at Sheffield City Grammar. A great loss, that calibre of person is no longer around.
Rob (Nick) Nicholson (Dr) City Grammar 1966 to 1973.

adrift in a dinghy with his crew. For his actions with the Pathfinders Mr Robert Mather Etchells, of Parkhead Crescent, Parkhead, was awarded the DSO. He was the blind marker for 56 squadron, staking out targets for other bombers.

I was sorry to read about your father. I certainly remember him as a person although he never actually taught
me. I suspect that I may have gone off to the Science Maths grouping before he really settled in. To know just helps me to focus on who would have been his potential pupils when contacting others of the 1949 to 1953 era. I know that I will not be able to attend the sevice, being temporarily housebound, but my thoughts will be with you all at 9.30am on May 21st.
Michael Bunting.

Thank you for forwarding the sad news of Mr.Curtis's death. It brings back so many memories. As I live in France I can't attend the funeral, but my thoughts will be with the family.
Best regards, Margaret (nee Heppenstall).

Please convey my respects to Mr Curtis. It was lovely of him to remember the old Centreites. I am afraid I am unable to get to the service but would like to express my sad thoughts.
Sincerely Dorothy Wright Rotherham.

I was so sorry to hear of the passing of Mr Curtis. He was my maths teacher to O level and I held him in high regard. Would you please pass on my condolences.
Marilyn Hunter - City Grammar (1964-71)

Mr. Curtis was my math teacher in the 6th form at CGS back at the end of the 50"s. He and Mr. Pat McMahon were real inspirations to me and I went on to do a math degree. I am still teaching math - in a college class in Washington State in the USA. It is sad to hear of these wonderful teachers - of whom we have never seen the like since their day - are all leaving us. Thank you again for the note.
Rosemary Staniforth(Stocks)

Mr Curtis was my form master for one year during my time at Sheffield City Grammar School, 1951 - 1956, and I remember him as a very decent and fair teacher. Please pass on my sincere condolences to his son, Stephen.
Regards - Barry France

I was sad to hear of the death of Mr. Cutis but pleased he reached so great an age. I hope his retirement was happy and healthy as I remember him very well and with great affection. He taught me physics in the junior years and along with Gordon McPherson did much to lay the foundations of a good career - I read medicine and have still not fully retired. He was noted by all for his great courtesy and personal charisma and always civil and considerate to all his pupils which was not a universal characteristic in the school!
He set standards which were high but achievable and was a man of a calibre not often seen.
Please accept my condolences.
Dr Rodney Mitchell 1951 to 1958

I was sorry to hear of the death of Mr Curtis, whom I remember with affection for his infinite patience , which benefitted those of us in the 5B maths set. The only time that he came near to losing his temper was when I got 6% in a geometry exam : he said that I would have earned 10% if only I had used a sharp pencil. Still I passed ' O' level maths and am reasonably numerate, even if geometry remained an arcane subject to me. My thoughts and prayers will be with his family on Wednesday, who were fortunate to be part of his long life and he will remain in the hearts of many of us.
June Fletcher [1957-1964]

Please pass on my condolences to Stephen Curtis. Like Alan Ratherham, I too attended City Grammar School from 1964 to 1971. Mr. Curtis was the first to introduce to me the concepts of algebra and, later, I spent two happy years in the 6th Form being guided by him in Maths and Further Maths. Our small double maths set had a tremendous respect for him and he will be fondly remembered by us for being an excellent teacher.
Regards, Keith Bacon

If you are passing on comments to Stephen re his father then I would like to say he was a great Maths teacher and I can even remember
having a run in with him after taking my GCE trials in 1953. I can still remember as he read out our test results and called us out to the front on the class to receive our papers. In arithmetic which formed just one part of the three in maths (arithmetic, algebra and geometry) I scored 96% and he told me he was very disappointed with my score. I can still remember after the lesson ended going out to see him and asking why I had been singled out whilst obtaining 96%. when he hadn't singled out others who had got much lower scores. He then told me I had made a silly mistake and lost 4 points on a question that I should have got correct and thus stopped me obtaining a 100% mark. I have never forgotten his comment throughout my life I have always tried to strive for the best and even at 71 years of age I now try and impress on my grandchildren to always strive for the best.
Fond memories
David Clarkson

Please pass on my condolences. I remember Mr. Curtis as I was at the school during the last few years, having left in 1974. Unfortunately I will be working on the 21st but will be thinking of the family. I lost my husband last year so can understand their grief.
Carol Hunsley - nee Beal

Mr. Curtis was a 'one in million' teachers and I felt very privilege to be taught by him, I am not sure when I think of my performance that he would have reciprocated this sentiment. However, I did make Sheffield's Maths Advisory Team and the maths team at Bishop Grosseteste University College, so perhaps he would have forgiven me.
Marian Parkes (Stafford)

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