Issue 60 — July 2006
In Memoriam
Wendy Gray – Wendy died from cancer in May at the age of 68. Wendy was the eldest of four children and as a child lived in Observatory Street and attended St. Barnabas School. She worked at Woolworths and Bollins Bakery. In 1958 in St Paul’s Church she married Alan Baker. They lived in various parts of Oxford. When they parted she came back to Jericho, where she lived first in Cardigan Street, and then in Grantham House where she was the organizer of many activities, including outings and bingo. Wendy was a woman of firm opinions and lived life to the full. But her sense of fun revealed itself best with the ‘Jericho Rejects’ entertainment group of which she was a founder member. She will be much missed in Jericho.
Bill Horan – Bill, who lived with his wife Phyllis in Hart Street for over 40 years, died aged 78 in January from stomach cancer. Bill had served in the RAF in Palestine and Aden and came from Dublin to Jericho in the early 1960s to work in the presses at OUP. When the press was closed he worked first as a part-time porter at the Bodleian Library, then at Marks & Spencers. For the past ten years, however, and despite the onset of Alzheimer’s, he continued to work for ten years at Sainsburys where he was very popular with the customers, especially with the children. Bill will also be much missed in Jericho especially in the pubs where he was a keen singer and dancer, and always the life and soul of the party. Our sympathies to Phyllis and their two children, Sean and Jane.
Clyde Morgan – Jericho’s ‘gentle giant’ died in April from a heart attack, aged 52. Clyde was born in Cardigan Street and lived there all his life. He went to St. Barnabas School and then Cherwell School and became an apprentice carpenter at the Radcliffe Infirmary. When he was 18, however, he suffered a terrible accident and it was only due to the love and care of his parents, Doreen and Doug, that he survived. Clyde became one of Jericho’s most familiar and popular figures, with a cheerful greeting for everyone whether in the street or in the pub. He loved playing snooker, Elvis Presley and cowboy films.Our sympathies to Doreen. Jericho will not be the same without Clyde.
Norman Pollock – Norman, who lived in Richmond Road, died aged 85 in October last year after suffering for several years from Alzheimer’s. Born in South Africa he served with the South African forces in Italy and North Africa. During the war he married his wife Joy and then came to Oxford to read geography. He returned to South Africa to teach at the University of Fort Hare in Eastern Cape Province, but later was invited by his former tutor at St. Edmund Hall to return as a lecturer – and remained there until he retired. Norman and Joy had four children: Adrian, Catherine, Jane and Roger. Norman was a talented artist and in 1996 produced the illustrations for the Jericho Sketchbook, the text for which was written by a close friend, the late Christine Cowham. We are grateful to Joy for permission to include it now as part of the Jericho Echo website.
John Roberts – John was born in Marston and as a young man he was a very good footballer. He went off to Morocco, and worked in London for a time. He lived a very colourful life. In 1993, when he was living in Canal Street he was married in St. Barnabas Church. In later years he took to training dogs and although he moved to Marston he remained a regular visitor to Jericho. Our sympathy to Heidi and the children.
