Tribute to Miss Barbara Bowman I first met Miss Bowman in July 1969 when she interviewed me for the WGHS admission. I was 10 years old and to me she looked so stern and scary! When I got to WGHS she showed me a different side to her. On my 11th birthday she sent for me and I was dreading going to her office thinking I was in some kind of trouble. Instead she presented me with baked goodies and a bottle of orange squash and said 'I trust you'll have a nice birthday!' - What a lovely surprise and I never saw her as scary again ever!! She left Ghana in 1972 and I didn’t see her again till 1986 at the 170th anniversary dinner-dance in 1986. For a few years after that I saw her whenever we visited Mrs Howarth (Garnie) in Settle. Sometimes she'd host these visits in her house. After Garnie died we continued to visit Miss Bowman and attended her 90th birthday celebration That was a revelation! As a Quaker missionary she had been all over the world and there were people from China, India, USA and Africa of course. In Settle she was known as the 'Quaker woman' The last few years she wasn't so active or mobile but was always interested in the school. She would send me a christmas card or message to pass on to the 'old girls'. She was then living with Miss Jean Harrison another 'old teacher'. She later sent a message to say she had moved to a nursing home. The last time I visited was last year on her 96th birthday. She was her usual self and was reminiscing about her time in WGHS. 'It was a very interesting time for me. I made lifelong friends there' I asked her if she heard from the other teachers and she said 'they are probably all dead. I am very old you see, I am 96' That was the last time I saw her. This year I could not visit due to the lockdown but I called the home a few days after her birthday and was told she was in her room. She’d had a lovely birthday and was doing well so it was a shock to hear she had slipped away on Monday 11 May 'Bowmie is coming!!' and she'd answer 'Yes I'm coming. Run' Fare thee well Miss Bowman. You will be missed. May angels sing you to your eternal rest. Joana Hackman (74)