Former headmaster and old student of Queen’s College, Clarence Trotz was yesterday honoured during the school’s assembly, in recognition of the sterling contribution he has made towards its development.
Trotz, who will be migrating shortly, bringing an end to his physical association with the school which began in 1945, was presented with a gold tie pin in the shape of the school’s emblem and a plaque outlining his years of service, by the Queen’s College Old Students Association (QCOSA).
At the end of the assembly which was held in the school’s auditorium, Trotz told Stabroek News that the decision to live abroad is heart- breaking for him especially since he has had such a long physical association with the school.
He said that the school in his earlier years of association with it had changed significantly when compared to the present. Two of the major changes he noted were the advent of coeducation and the student population.
He recalled that in 1975, while he was the headmaster he was responsible for making the physical changes to accommodate girls at the institution. He described the transformation as a challenge since he only had about eight months to make the necessary changes.
After leaving school in the early 1950s, Trotz worked as a laboratory assistant at the school and was later granted a scholarship to pursue studies which enabled him to qualify as a physics teacher.
In 1957 he graduated from Cambridge University, England with a degree in Natural Sciences and a Certificate in Education.
From there he went on to serve as master, senior master, deputy headmaster and finally headmaster from 1974 to 1980, during which time he taught mainly physics and mathematics.
This distinguished Physics teacher also taught the subject to students at the University of Guyana and the Government Technical Institute.
In 1980, he was transferred to St. Stanislaus College as headmaster during the controversial rotation of school heads and continued to teach his passion to the students.
Trotz, served as the local assistant examiner for the `A’ Level physics practical and the coordinator of the science and mathematics unit at the Ministry of Education.
He also served as the local assistant examiner at the `A’ Levels for the physics practical at the University of London before retiring in 1988 and migrating to Montserrat where he served as headmaster at a secondary school there and also taught physics.
In the early 90s, he taught physics in the United Kingdom at the secondary level before returning to Guyana in 1997 where he taught the subject at a private secondary school.
Since then many students have been able to benefit from his knowledge as he continued teaching physics privately.
