Mrs Mary Dodds

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Mrs Mary Dodds – a personal appreciation I was very saddened to learn of the death of Mrs Dodds. To me she was one of those people you can never forget, and that for all the right reasons.
The Dodds family arrived at Ottershaw School at the start of my second year. I have very vivid memories of meeting Mrs Dodds for the first time when she took over the running of the school tuck shop in the Mansion where she immediately captivated the hearts of all the boys with her welcoming smile and friendly and warm manner. For us boys this was something very new as up until then we had been part of a rather formal and strict regime. I am sure in that first year the tuck shop sales must have soared as boys took every opportunity to visit when they could on Wednesday afternoons when the tuck shop opened. Due to her engaging manner, and the absence for boys of other family, Mrs Dodds quickly became a sort of mother figure to many, especially the younger boys. Each term I ran out of pocket money because I had visited the tuck shop so often – not because I had an excessively sweet tooth, but perhaps it was to participate in that wonderful warmth and friendliness she gave out to everyone!
The first summer holiday brought tragedy with the death of her son Peter, and my next vivid memory was on returning to school after our holiday and seeing the pain and anguish etched on Mrs Dodds’ face. The younger boys were totally at a loss as to how to approach this situation, especially when she bravely decided to continue her role in the tuck shop. But now the warm smiles seemed to be replaced by a look of worry and torment which despite her valiant efforts, I think she found very hard to disguise. We were quite unable to bring themselves to talk freely with her as we had done and so tended to try and avoid conversation or even eye contact - and I think in hindsight must have seemed so very rude, or at least very insensitive, as we tried desperately to avoid any situation where we might make her pain worse rather than try and act as normal. I fear at that time our misguided silences may well have had just the opposite effect. It is something I mentioned when I wrote to her and Mr Dodds in more recent times. I was amazed to later receive a very warm letter from Mrs Dodds expressing thanks on behalf of Mr Dodds, who by then due to illness was unable to respond himself, but in it saying how surprised she was that I had remembered so much about those days, and especially about her! It was as though she perhaps did not realise just how very much she was loved, admired and respected by everyone at the school.
Of course life did eventually gradually pickup again, but I do recall Mr and Mrs Dodds became far more serious and Mrs Dodds for a very long time seemed rather withdrawn. I recall little of importance over the next two years as things did not seem to change very much apart from my schoolwork and constant visits to see the headmaster when I got into trouble.
However my next vivid memory of Mrs Dodds was in my final year, (I left after O levels), when at the annual sports and parents day, she was chosen to be the first person to test drive a rather dangerous looking “car” around an improvised test track laid out in front of the cricket pavilion. The car which had been constructed by Mr Oettinger was intended to be something boys could learn about vehicle mechanics from and then actually drive. In reality it was no more than an engine and seat mounted on a chassis, rather like an overgrown go-kart with all the rather dangerous running gear exposed and visible. Mrs Dodds took to the challenge with relish and to the delight of all the boys who cheered her on, drove the vehicle around the test track then reversing into tight boxes, and knocking over a few flags on the way! Throughout this she seemed captivated and was laughing loudly as she progressed though the course with the cheers from the boys ever growing in intensity. The beam from her face when she finished was amazing and I remember thinking it was the first time since the tragedy that I had seen her really happy, and that wonderful warm smile had at last returned. And so it was with that very happy memory of her that I left Ottershaw forever.
I note that in all the photos I have seen of Mrs Dodds since my school days, she always exhibited that warm and captivating smile. That is something that will live with me forever and I think we have all have been so very lucky to have known her.

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