The Salopian no. 157 - Winter 2015

OLD SALOPIAN NEWS 81
Julian Plowright (I 1956-58)
Julian Plowright was born in Youlgreave, Derbyshire and
attended Shrewsbury School for two years from 1956.
The following obituary was published in the Newport
(Rhode Island) Daily News:
Julian had lived in many towns throughout the counties of
England before moving permanently to the U.S. in 1990.
He had visited Newport a few times prior while working
with the BOC ‘Around the World Alone’ yacht race as their
film director. He was a crackerjack electrical engineer and
mechanic, who worked for a number of years at KVH
Industries as an International Sales Manager and then as
Estate Manager with his wife, Clare, at ‘Miramar’ on Bellevue
Avenue and most recently as owner with his wife of the
Newport retail garden shop, ‘mini-SCAPES’.
He was an avid licensed amateur radio operator and
member of the ARRL Radio Club of Newport County.
He just recently passed his second examination, which
gave him an important License Upgrade. This ‘hobby’ was
just one example of Julian’s many interests and talents. He
would delve deeply into all aspects of whatever caught
his attention – he was in constant contemplation of many
subjects – always ‘working out’ something in his very active
and creative brain.
Julian loved people, his family, and all categories of
music. He was a parishioner at St John the Evangelist
and thoroughly enjoyed their choir music and Father
Humphrey’s sermons. He loved his movie nights with Clare
and jaunts to Ft. Adams and Glenn Park with their two fourlegged
kids, Mirabelle and Maximus. He cherished his visits
from his daughter Sophie and his long chats on the phone
with his brother and younger sister, all of whom he adored.
His personal reflection was – “I am not a complex person as
some seem to think, I am a simple man with simple wants
and needs, but always good music, good food, and drink”.
Julian passed away on 19th August 2014, from the effects
of cancer. He was the husband for 23 years of Clare Cooke
Plowright, who survives him. He is also survived by his
daughter, Sophie Calder Plowright, recently of South
Carolina, his brother, Chris Plowright of Ottawa, Canada,
and his sister, Georgina Plowright of England.
Richard Senior (O 1944-49)
Richard was born in June 1931 in Alderley Edge. When he
was two, the family moved to the outskirts of Llandudno.
Richard was sent to what seemed to be the best choice of
prep school in the region, Woodlands, where, sadly, bullying
made him deeply unhappy. In spite of this, he did well
academically and Richard passed on to Shrewsbury, but with
no expectation that his life would be any pleasanter.
Richard‘s first term at Shrewsbury began late: in May 1945,
Hitler’s generals had just capitulated, and the School let
everyone celebrate at home. When term did start, to Richard’s
astonishment, he found life at Shrewsbury fulfilling and
enjoyable; no sign whatsoever of bullying, so he could relax
and enjoy what the School had to offer. Richard looked back
on his four years at Shrewsbury and Oldham’s as among the
happiest of his life.
Except for Maths, which always remained a closed book to
Richard, he enjoyed learning, especially languages. Richard
knew that cricket was not for him, so for the summer he
opted for the ‘tub club’, starting out as cox, and graduating,
as he grew, to being an oarsman. He rowed bow for two
seasons, then bow in the School third eight. He was part of
the School shooting team, was awarded School Colours, then
trumped this by coming sixteenth in the Ashburton Shield at
Bisley. He finally shot his last pheasants at Christmas 2006.
Richard was taken immediately into the School Choir, as he
could sing in tune, sight-read and had a good treble voice;
in the course of time, he was appointed Vice Choregus.
Richard had begun piano studies aged four, and had already
passed Grade Four by the time he arrived at Shrewsbury.
His ongoing piano lessons took place in Alington Hall,
where he could hear the School Brass Band working nearby.
Attracted by the big brass sound, Richard knocked on the
door and tentatively asked if he could join the Band. When
F.W. Allsebrook found that Richard mastered the correct lip
and tongue technique quickly on the tenor horn, produced
a lovely tone and could play anything put in front of him, he
was promoted to playing cornet. By the age of 15, Richard
was the School’s youngest leading cornet, winning the Silver
Bugle title. He also was lead and solo trumpet with the
School Orchestra, culminating in him soloing in Haydn’s
Trumpet Concerto at the End of School Concert in summer
1949. It could be during this same concert that Richard
memorably played the Posthorn Galop, using Allsebrook’s
own real posthorn and wearing hunting pink, though this
item is not listed on the official programme.
Friendship with N.L. Williams in Mosers, who played the
accordion, led to Richard’s fascination with this versatile
but rather neglected instrument, from which he picked up
a thorough grounding in harmony. The accordion offered
Richard a totally new view of music, as it separated the
melody line, played by the right hand on a short keyboard,
from the rest, which is played on a series of buttons with the
other hand, a brilliant training for Richard’s professional life
to come.
J. Barham Johnson, Richard’s piano tutor, wisely realised
that Richard was destined for what was then considered an
unconventional career in music. This came about following
a visit by the legendary pianist Alfred Cortot. Richard, as
the School’s star pianist, was invited to sit in on Cortot’s
rehearsal and at the end was called over to be introduced
to the great man. Inspired, Richard began to cultivate his
own style, in Cortot’s mould. The following term, JBJ heard
Richard sight-reading the Chopin second scherzo in B flat
minor that Richard had heard Cortot perform; JBJ recognised
that Richard had an innate understanding of the music.
Improvisation was officially considered unscholarly, however,