Shiplake College, a school Alexander Everett founded, offered a moving tribute to him shortly after his passing…
“Alexander Everett (1921 – 2005) was a great Founder, a man of vision and beginnings. Shiplake College was just one of the three schools that he founded. Everett married in February 1958, and through his wife’s son, they became aware that demand for a traditional public school education outstripped supply. The couple bought Shiplake House, the estate and an island in the river for £17,500 and the College opened on 31st May 1959.
Although Everett struggled with the practicalities of starting a school, he had memories of his own unhappy schooldays and a clear vision, “I wanted to found a school that catered for everybody, a place where everybody will be happy. I wanted to create a system where everybody will have the opportunity to succeed.”
In the fledgling community it was clear that the Everett’s marriage was troubled. Mrs Everett reverted to being Mrs Richardson and Everett left Shiplake with a large Land Rover equipped for an overland journey from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.
In the American mid-west he encountered a circus with a sick elephant. His Land Rover replaced elephant power in erecting the Big Top. Everett remained as ringmaster for several months and the overland journey was forgotten. Briefly he returned to Shiplake before returning to America in 1962, for the rest of his life, first starting a diner in Texas.
While in Texas he became friendly with a senator and persuaded him to start a school for boys. Fort Worth College now has over 1,500 pupils. He had become interested in matters quite spiritual and formed a quasi-religious group based on Ying and Yang and reincarnation. The movement grew and he ran cruises for those interested in his teachings. Eventually he moved to Oregon where he made a lot of money from breeding zoo birds and animals on his 100 acre site.
In his 70s ill health struck Alex. He had cancer and lost the sight of an eye. He died early in 2005. “He was a remarkable man with so much charisma. He even made his life-style sound perfectly reasonable. A founder of three schools and an inspiration to so many people,” said his friend Patrick Dudgeon.”
I don’t agree with his religious point of view, and I’ve never heard of him until now, but he sounds like somebody who accomplished quite a bit during his lifeteime. Thanks for the informative post.