Bert Moniz 1954 to 1962

Bert Moniz, a real St Mary’s character, once heard a preacher say ‘What did you do with the dash?’ He was talking about gravestones, two dates separated by a dash. The date you are born and the date you die are irrelevant. But what you do with the dash is hugely relevant.

Bert has done a lot with his dash:

“My education at St Mary’s - old school and new school - was the best of times,” says Bert. “She did me right. My IQ wasn’t the highest or the lowest, but what St Mary’s taught me in large quantities was the art of EQ. And I’m delighted that Matt is writing a social history of the school.”

Bert’s parents wanted him to have a specific career and, after gaining A Levels in Physics and Chemistry in 1962, encouraged him to go to Loughborough College of Advanced Technology (CAT) to study industrial chemistry. It was a sandwich course lasting four years with industrial experience thrown in.

Bert loved Loughborough and the surrounding countryside but found he did not enjoy Chemistry. Instead, he discovered Metallurgy, which was taught as part of the curriculum.

Because Loughborough did not offer full-time Metallurgy, Bert transferred to Birmingham CAT and entered the second year with minimal makeup. It was also a sandwich course.

“By the time my education was complete the CATs had been elevated to university status and offered degrees vs diplomas in technology. My school was renamed Aston University.

“Bert then started work for Stone Manganese Marine, a large marine foundry in Charlton where he was offered one day off a week to complete a two-year masters in corrosion at Sir John Cass College (University of London): “Being used to part-time education, I gobbled up the opportunity,” he says.

Bert then decided to move to Canada because Stone Manganese Marine refused to give him a raise after he completed his Masters and he saw the opportunities going to Oxbridge graduates

Also, Bert’s parents had emigrated to Canada a couple of years earlier and he saw more opportunity for his degree in North America. Once there Bert spied even more opportunity in the United States and so moved there. 

He says: “Armed with metallurgy/corrosion degrees and increasing experience I enjoyed a satisfying career in Canada and the United States at the grass roots level helping the working person fix technical problems in manufacturing plants. The experience also led to several textbooks providing a few useful tools to make American industry tick. Great people, good memories.

“One benefit of a British grammar school education compared with the American system was strong writing and communication skills.

 “What I also got from St Mary’s was great social curiosity. Which I put down to the advice of Adrian Jarvis (English and drama master 1956 to 1966) which were along the lines of: “If all you do at university is prop up the union bar, then you will have gained a valuable education.”

So, that dash has been used well and continues to be used well.

“I also heard, perhaps it was another preacher, that we’re born, we flare, we die. Without St Mary’s, I’m convinced my flare would be a flicker.”