Roy Maycock joined the Royal Latin in 1958, when the school occupied the former site at what is now George Grenville Academy. He was responsible for introducing A Level biology (and later zoology and botany), as he recalled in Issue 6 of Latin Life, 'Two students took on the task of completing the course in just one year but, at the end of the first tem, one left! The one remaining passed with flying colours in 1959.' Science facilies in the 1950s were a far cry from today's Disovery Centre, as Roy recounted, 'There were just two laboratories – one for all of chemistry (and, very occasionally, biology), the other for physics and biology. Sharing meant the sixth form theory lessons (at least for biology) were held in small rooms in Grenville House (now demolished and replaced by modern houses) – that’s where I learned to write upside-down so that students could copy the technical terms. There was no room for a blackboard!'  

Outside of the science department, Roy also directed many school productions, including the legendary Gilbert & Sulivan opera productions of the 1960s, which were a real passion of his in and outside school.

After his retirement Roy remained in close contact with the school, attending many school reunions and Archive Days, as well as taking a keen interest in the development of the new science block, the Discovery Centre, where he also became a regular attendee at the Lillingstone Lecture Series of community science talks when they started in 2015. Roy was also one of the key Old Latin volunteers for the 'Living Memory' project when the school archive was first formally estabished in 2012. Roy really was the embodiment of the phrase, 'Once a Latin, always a Latin'.

We offer condolences to all of Roy's family and friends, and know that he was well respected by students and teachers alike and will be fondy remembered by those who knew him.