Neil Todd, the first CEO of ATS and former Head of Falcon College, passed away recently. The following is a tribute to him from ATS.
There was an old joke that said, “Old teachers never die; they only lose their class.” In the case of Neil Todd, that is half true – and that is no joke! The truth is, Neil never lost his class; even during the dark days of his suffering he handled everything with real class – with dignity, with humility, with courage, with composure. Furthermore, the truth is, Neil will never die – his faith sees to that; however, his legacy on the lives of so many people and on the education system of this country (not simply within ATS) will also never die.
Neil was, after all, first and foremost, a scholar and a gentleman – as a teacher born into a teaching family, it might appear he had no choice but he had all the qualities of a scholar. Neil would no doubt have been quick to point out that he was no scholar, claiming not to have any great academic qualifications, yet he had no problem in explaining to the Falcon Board in his interview how it would not be a problem for him with a Diploma in Education to be the Head of a teacher with a Doctorate in Physics. In truth, though, he was more than a scholar, an intelligent man, for one of his greatest qualities was his great wisdom. He always displayed a consistent, calm, clear, commonsense approach to every situation that arose. People at all levels recognised and respected his wisdom.
We can equally and rightfully refer to him as an officer and a gentleman. Neil was the first Chief Executive Officer of ATS, after all. However he was not simply an officer in name but an officer in deed. He always had a real sense of duty and an honest desire to serve. In that regard he acted faithfully, quietly, tirelessly. Secondly, he was an Officer in the sense that he often filled the gap and took the rap for Heads. He put himself in the firing line, without hesitation or complaining. As an Officer he defended but was not afraid to discipline those with whom he served.
Whichever way we may choose to define him, a scholar or an officer, he was a gentleman through and through. This was most evident in his extraordinary humility. At all times he considered others not only better than himself but also before himself. He always spoke of others before he spoke of himself, and whenever he spoke of others he spoke of them in high praise. He treated people of all ages, backgrounds, abilities with equal respect, compassion, understanding, dignity, humour and grace. He was gentle and genuine, generous and genial.
Solomon’s words in Proverbs 15:33 serve to summarise these points well: “The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom; humility comes before honour.” Neil was a man of great wisdom and of deep humility, not least through his sincere fear of the Lord; as a result, he deserves all honour given. The well-known Serenity Prayer to which Neil often referred could also be seen to sum him up perfectly: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” However, the greatest summary of his life and his qualities may well be found in Rudyard Kipling’s well-known poem ‘If’. If ever the words of the poem ‘If’ apply to someone, they apply without question to a certain, beloved Neil Todd.
If you can keep your head while all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired of waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet, don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream and not make dreams your master;
If you can think and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can hear the truth you’ve just spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken
And stoop and build them with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings,
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start at your beginning,
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in it
Except the will which says to them “Hold on”;
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run;
Yours is the earth and everything that’s in it
And which is more, you’ll be a Man, my Son
Neil was always calm and composed, rarely raising his voice, while others were rattled and confused. He dealt with situations honestly and sensitively. He had enough confidence in his ability but remained open to advice and criticism. He was patient and would not force things, while all the time being balanced, gracious. He did things because they were right, not to look good.
He was thoughtful and ambitious without being pushy or demanding. He looked at results for what they were, not for what they represented. He faced opposition with dignity and respect and looked to find a win-win solution. He was prepared to take risks and not blame others if things went wrong. Whatever he did, he did it with total commitment, even when others were not there to witness it. He talked with the President with as much ease as with the child of a groundsman. He had no favourites and held no grudges. He filled not just unforgiving minutes but unrelenting years in education with utmost endeavour.
Neil Todd was not simply a scholar and a gentleman, not simply an officer and a gentleman; he was, absolutely, unquestionably, marvellously, in Kipling’s terms, such a Man. He was a real man, a man’s man (and indeed a woman’s man!), a man we should aspire to be. There is no ‘if’ about it or about him.
In that regard, we sadly miss him; we humbly thank him; we proudly salute him; we definitely remember him; we eagerly honour him
TIM MIDDLETON
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ATS
