New York Dinner

On 16th October 2015, the first North American dinner took place in New York City. All OMTs and partners who live on the other side of the Atlantic were invited to dinner at the New York Athletic Club.  Despite none of our ‘Canadians’ being with us, we were blessed with fabulous autumn weather and the attendance of OMTs now living in New York, New Jersey, Washington DC and Illinois. Nineteen OMTs, spanning more than forty years at Sandy Lodge, assembled in the Colonial Room on the twelfth floor of the New York Athletic Club, overlooking Central Park. There they ate and drank America’s best and talked of many things including, not only the dismal England performance in Rugby’s World Cup, but also the first few results of the Mets and Cubs games in the playoffs. 

We were very fortunate to have both the Headmaster and our President with us. Jock, in proposing the health of the School, spoke of the growing pace of change in education over the last fifty years. MTS had helped young men prepare for adult life in the 1960s and was today doing an even better job in a much more complex, fast moving world. Simon Everson, in his reply, told us of how this preparation was supported by continuing investment in top class teachers and state-of-the-art facilities such as the brand new £6.7 million Design & Technology Centre. He reported that not only were examination successes up with the very best, but Merchant Taylors’ boys were also excelling on the national and international stage in sports, art and music. It was his job to ensure that the experience of pupils at Sandy Lodge should be nothing less than outstanding. 

Inevitably, dinner concluded with a lusty rendition of the School Song. Informalities continued, business cards were exchanged and it was agreed that the reconnections were very valuable and that North American gatherings were worth repeating every one to two years. 

Attendees: Tony Barrons (1979); Oscar Benjamin (2009); Michael Brock (1981); Richard Brooman (1974); Duncan Edwards (1981) & Sarah; Simon Everson (Headmaster) & Ginny; Satpreet Grewal (2006) & Karishma Grover;  Roger Hannan (1970); Nick Latham (Development Director); Peter Lowes (1985); Hamesh Mehta (1998); Matthew Morgan (1986); Alex Paul (2009); Matthew Stedman (1978); Lord (Jock) Stirrup (1967) (President OMT Society) & Mary. 

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