Howard Moxon (Honorary OC) has died at age 85
Howard was born to William and Mary in Elsecar Yorkshire on 23rd March 1940. His father was a coal miner. He attended Ecclesfield Grammar School and played football for Yorkshire Grammar Schools and also represented the Yorkshire Cricket Federation Youth XI (1958) before leaving in 1959 to go up to Downing College Cambridge to read Geography .He played for three years in the Varsity team and captained Cambridge in his final year to a 5-2 victory over Oxford. Playing that season against a Spurs team of young professionals, one commentator noted that “in a strong test Moxon was not found wanting”. Howard also played cricket for Cambridge and a few years later for Essex Second XI .
After Cambridge and a PGCE, Howard taught at Forest School and it was while at Forest that his footballing blossomed with an appearance for Enfield in the 1967 Amateur Cup Final vs Skelmersdale, at Wembley, in front of 70,000 spectators. He was also capped 12 times for England at Amateur Football,only once on the losing side and represented his country in the Olympic qualifying matches in 1968. Later, as manager of Enfield, he took his team to the Amateur Cup Final again in 1971.Only last year, I met an Enfield supporter at a local match who remembered Howard’s not insignificant contribution as both player and manager to Enfield’s national success at that time.
In 1969 Howard came to School as Head of Geography and four years later became Housemaster of Southgate. Howard quickly made his mark at Highgate with his coaching but also with a demand for high standards in the classroom. Highgate was not the easiest teaching milieu at the time and Howard had firm discipline but was also respected by the pupils, certainly his sporting prowess helped but it was also his engaging personality and it was this winning combination that was transferred with very valuable support from Cilla to the boarding house when they went into Grindal House in 1975.Here they created a really special atmosphere and with continuing support and encouragement from Cilla they made a great team. As Donald Amstad writes ”Howard was a father figure to us all, which was not easy because we were a very disparate bunch, all under one roof. ‘Mr Moxon’ was impartial and fair, he had that middle-England decency, he was tolerant and kind and virtually unflappable”. Howard was in many ways the perfect exemplar for any aspiring new teacher through his demand of academic rigour in the classroom coupled with a calm authoritative air which the pupils, wayward and amenable both respected and liked. As Rob Read wrote ’’You always came away from an evening in their presence feeling somehow uplifted and more cheerful” .House Suppers were a delight and Howard could tread the boards with some aplomb-on one occasion performing in a Barbershop trio with Roy Giles and John Coombs.
From 1984 – 2001 Howard was Head Master at Stanbridge Earls School at Romsey in Hampshire.
Howard was a keen golfer and he had been known to escape to Highgate Golf Club at lunch time to play a few holes with the Club Professional who some 30 years later recalled the occasions with affection. In later life, he represented both England and Great Britain Seniors in competitions in the United States and South Africa. He was captain at Stoneham Golf Club and also the Royal Cinque Ports at Deal.
Howard died peacefully at his home on 1st October surround by his children Julia, Richard and Philippa.