Tributes after former Burton Borough School headteacher, 81, dies
The former headteacher of a school in Shropshire has died at the age of 81.
Harvey Gordon Richard, who held the top job at Burton Borough School in Newport during the 1980s and 90s, died on December 7 at the Beaumaris Court Nursing Home in Newport after a long illness.
He lived in Blenheim Road in Apley, Telford. Today tributes were paid to the 'well respected, practical problem solver'.
Mr Richard grew up near Liverpool, and graduated from Bangor University in 1954 before joining the Education Corps based at MoD Donnington. He was continued his interest in drama at the Little Theatre in Donnington, and it was there that he met his wife Glynand.
They married and moved to Lancashire before later returning to Shropshire, where Mr Richard taught at Shrewsbury Tech.
In 1965 he was appointed Head of English at Phoenix Comprehensive School in Dawley, where he spent 18 years, eventually becoming deputy head before being appointed head teacher at Burton Borough in 1983.
Close friend Chris Broad said: "Here at last he was able to do things his own way and despite the proximity of a grammar school, in the next nine years he developed a comprehensive curriculum, raised expectations and outperformed most of the comprehensives in Telford."
Mr Richard had two daughters, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild. His funeral is today at Telford Crematorium.
Leave your tributes for Harvey Gordon Richard in the comments below:
