Anne Dreydel

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(27 May 1918 – 3 July 2007) was the co-founder of the Oxford English Centre, which later became

St Clare's, Oxford St Clare's is a coeducational independent, international day and boarding college in North Oxford, England offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma, a Preparatory IB programme, English language courses, University Pathways, Gap Year st ...

. In 1958 she was awarded the German state decoration of

Bundesverdienstkreuz The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

which, in 2001, was then upgraded to the Commander's Cross.''

Oxford Mail ''Oxford Mail'' is a daily tabloid newspaper in Oxford, England, owned by Newsquest. It is published six days a week. It is a sister paper to the weekly tabloid ''The Oxford Times''. History The ''Oxford Mail'' was founded in 1928 as a success ...

''. 6 June 2001.
Goodwill work earns award
. Accessed 28 July 2007. In 1981 she was appointed an OBE for her services to education.''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

''. 28 July 2007.
Anne Dreydel
(obituary). Accessed 28 July 2007. At the age of 22, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Dreydel was badly injured by a German bomb that fell on her London home. The explosion killed her stepfather and paralysed her from the waist down. After over a year of recovery she left hospital, but she remained in a wheelchair for the remainder of her life. Dreydel studied English at St. Anne's College in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

from 1943 and studied

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

during her holidays.''

''. 11 July 2007.
Anne Dreydel
(obituary). Accessed 28 July 2007. In 1947 she founded the Oxford-Bonn Universities Committee to develop the twinning of the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine U ...

and their respective cities. The link encouraged students from Germany to study at Oxford during a time when relations between the countries were still strained. Along with

Pamela Morris Pamela Morris (10 November 1906 – 20 October 2002) was an English publisher and teacher who co-founded the publishing firm Boriswood with her husband, John Morris, and their friend Cecil Greenwood and later Oxford English Centre with Anne Dreyd ...

she founded the Oxford English Centre in 1953, which went on to become St Clare's College. She became the sole principal in 1972 and remained in that post until her retirement in 1983. Later she would become the head of the American

International School of Florence The International School of Florence (ISF) is one of the oldest international schools in Europe. It is located in Florence, Italy, and was formerly called the American International School of Florence. The ISF is an independent, coeducational, and ...

and then the director of the Oxford Centre for Learning Skills. Dreydel also helped the disabled by serving on the Committee for the Employment of Disabled People for Oxfordshire and Berkshire.

References

External links

News from St Anne's - Anne Dreydel (1943)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dreydel, Anne 1918 births 2007 deaths Founders of English schools and colleges Heads of schools in England Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford Officers of the Order of the British Empire Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 20th-century philanthropists Heads of schools in Italy