Richard ''Keith'' Ingram (16 February 1929 – 5 January 2007) – known by the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

"Inky" – was a long-serving

headmaster A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the teacher, staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school ...

of the

Dragon School ("Reach for the Sun") , established = 1877 , closed = , type = Preparatory day and boarding school and Pre-Prep school , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Emma Goldsm ...

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, from 1965 until 1989.

Biography

Keith Ingram was the son of John and Marie Ingram of

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

, southwest

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England. He was educated at

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a public school in Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The school was founded in 1829 by King George IV, as the junior department of King's College London an ...

in Wimbledon. In 1948, he left school and taught at a preparatory school in

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earlie ...

for a year. He then attended

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...

, reading Greats. A sporting injury exempted him from

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...

. Ingram was offered a teaching position at the Dragon School for one term in 1953. He remained there for the rest of his career, a total of 36 years, teaching

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

and

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and coaching

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

. In 1965, Ingram was chosen to succeed the previous headmaster Joc Lynam (1902–1978), starting a new and successful era in the history of the school. He was headmaster for 24 years, latterly jointly with Michael Gover ("Guv"; 1924–2005) from 1972. Many of his staff went on to be headmasters elsewhere. He was known for his strong speaking voice. In 1989, he retired as headmaster of the Dragon School. He then worked for the Joint Educational Trust and was also chairman of the governors at

West Hill Park School West Hill Park School is an independent, coeducational, day and boarding school for boys and girls aged 3 years to 13 years. It is situated in Fareham, England close to the Hampshire coast, between Southampton and Portsmouth. History West Hill ...

Titchfield Titchfield is a village in southern Hampshire, by the River Meon. The village has a history stretching back to the 6th century. During the medieval period, the village operated a small port and market. Near to the village are the ruins of Titch ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, southern England, until 1994.

Legacy

The R. K. Ingram Memorial Fund ("Inky's Fund") was launched at the Dragon School in 2009. An Inky & Guv Bursaries and Hardship Fund now exists at the school.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingram, Keith 1929 births 2007 deaths People from Wimbledon, London People educated at King's College School, London Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Heads of schools in England Dragon School