Mrs Mayer who taught mathematics at Elstree for 30 years died on 25 May, just days before she would have celebrated her 80th birthday, following a short illness.  Veronica was born and brought up in Bristol, where she was Head Girl at St George Grammar School and met her husband, before studying Mathematics at Royal Holloway.  She began her teaching career at Eliots Green Grammar School in Northolt.  After a career break to raise her family, she returned to teaching at Northolt High School where she spent two years.

In 1977 she joined Haberdashers and by 1979 she was Acting Head of Department when her predecessor, Miss Sheila Dodson, was promoted to Deputy Headmistress.  For the remaining years she led the department with enthusiasm and shared her passion for Mathematics motivating pupils to enjoy the subject by utilising her technique of visualisation when teaching.  Pupils could often be seen on their feet in the classroom crashing into one another to demonstrate collisions.

Mrs Mayer took an active role in many aspects of the school community, in particular Action Week where the maths department gave an annual performance most memorably their ‘Men in Black’ dance.  She was also a Sixth Form Tutor where her ability to comfort pre-exam nerves helped many A’level pupils.

The following quote comes from a tribute in the 2007 school magazine written by Shelina Alagh:

“Moreover, she has helped those who found Mathematics difficult, to appreciate and understand this subject more and those who had an aptitude for this subject to realise their own ability and stretch their minds. And so from all of us, both staff and teachers alike, we are extremely grateful to Mrs Mayer for being an important part of our lives with her boundless enthusiasm and eagerness, a quality that she has taught us to incorporate in our day-to-day lives.”

In retirement, Mrs Mayer, was on the Board of Trustees of the Thames Learning Trust and a librarian at the local library in Farnham Common where she and her husband had lived for more than 50 years.  Both of them were keen gardeners looking after the garden in Farnham Common and their second home in Dorset.

Their daughter Karen belongs to the Class of 1989 and following the family tradition is now a mathematics teacher in Birmingham.

 

Mrs Judith Curati

School Archivist