Jenkins | old-azurians

CECIL JENKINS: (1900-1979)

Subject: Chemistry

Cecil Jenkins was born on 27 October 1900 at 4 Hunters Buildings, Southwark, London. He was the son of Edgar Jenkins, an Insurance Superintendent, and his wife Ethel (nee Cradick). Educated at John Ruskin LCC Elementary School Camberwell, Merton LCC School Wandsworth, and Westminster City School, he was awarded an Exhibition Scholarship to St John’s College Cambridge where he graduated BA Natural Sciences in 1923 and MA in 1928.

He began his teaching career at King Edward VI School Southampton, before moving to Worthing Secondary School (as it was then named) in 1925 to teach Chemistry and eventually to become Head of the Chemistry Department.

While at the School he collaborated with E H Foinette in producing the text books “Chemistry for Schools” Parts I and II which were published in 1942 and 1943 respectively. At the time of writing (2017) it is still possible to buy used copies of these books.

As the time for his retirement approached in 1968, J F Gravett, an Old Boy who had returned to the School as a master, wrote of Mr Jenkins as being precise and meticulous in everything he did, even to the correct pronunciation of words, yet he had a very human side and showed understanding when a pupil’s homework had been spoilt by a younger sibling spilling something over it at the family table. These were facets of “Stinks Jenkins’s” character that were familiar to all pupils who passed through his hands, as was the realisation from the start that he was not one to be played up.

His teaching was enthusiastic, a natural result coming from his intense feeling for the subject, and blossomed forth with Sixth-formers when he introduced them to organic chemistry. He did not see the funny side, that caused a schoolboy to smirk, when he led into the topic of aniline dyes with the pronouncement that “dyeing is a noble art”.

Old Azurians will remember him too as a careers master who, given some vague indication of what sort of career one wished to pursue in the future, would instantly decide which subjects should be studied at Advanced Level.

Perhaps the most long-lived of recollections will be of his efforts to obtain places for pupils at St John’s College Cambridge, with which he had maintained a close association after he graduated. The closeness of this association is illustrated too by the fact that in his will the residual part of his estate was left to the College to be applied for the benefit of the College in such manner as the College Council in their absolute discretion saw fit. Part of the bequest was used for the construction in the College grounds of an impressive greenhouse which bears a plaque commemorating the bequest; income from the remainder has been used to fund at least 20 “Benefactor’s Scholars”.

Cecil Jenkins died on 17 January 1979.

Ed: I have copies of photographs of the St John's College greenhouse should any Old Azurian wish to see them purely out of personal interest.