Principal of Notre Dame College of Education; Born December 1, 1913; Died July 5, 2008. SISTER Francis Henry, who has died aged 94 after suffering a stroke, was principal of Notre Dame College of Education in Glasgow between 1965 and 1978.

Principal of Notre Dame College of Education;
Born December 1, 1913;
Died July 5, 2008.

SISTER Francis Henry, who has died aged 94 after suffering a stroke, was principal of Notre Dame College of Education in Glasgow between 1965 and 1978.

From being a small single-sex residential Catholic college, Notre Dame had to expand its accommodation and be open to include male students and mature students of both sexes from the Special Recruitment Scheme. The college, which had, since 1895, been based in Dowanhill in the west end of the city, was relocated to a new building in Bearsden but for many years operated on both sites, which caused problems for management, staff and students.

Sister Francis steered the college throughout this time, trying to maintain its spirit as a community with a focus on the welfare of the students.

She was able to motivate and encourage staff to innovate, while leaving them free to develop and deliver new courses in their own way. Her skill in the management of change was exemplified by her awareness of the constant need to support and communicate with the staff who were under such pressure responding to these many and varying demands.

The post-war "bulge" in the birth-rate was followed by an equally difficult time of contraction, leading to redundancies among the staff, student unrest and a lack of posts for newly qualified young teachers. But throughout this very challenging time for anyone in management, Sister Francis's graciousness and empathy were evident despite her natural tendency to be reserved and rather formal.

At the national level, her involvement in key committees on teacher education and school curriculum (Munn Committee) was appreciated and her creative, intelligent and incisive contributions valued. The impact made by the college on Catholic education was recognised in 1978 when Archbishop Winning presented Sister Francis with the cross "pro Ecclesia et Pontifice" from Pope John Paul I. In November 1979, she was honoured by the Queen with a CBE.

During her time as principal, Sister Francis drew deeply on her experience as a member of a supportive local community. She was born and educated in Liverpool, graduating from Liverpool University in 1936 with first-class honours in French. Later qualifications included an MEd from the University of Glasgow.

At age 29, she joined the Institute of Notre Dame, dedicated to education and a life of mission and prayer. In 1978, she was called to serve the wider international community of Notre Dame as a member of its central government group.

The wealth of her experience and her fluency in French enriched the work of this leadership group as they travelled the world in their task of leading the mission of Notre Dame. Even at the end of this period of service, Sister Francis did not retire, but fulfilled her desire to go to southern Africa to help teachers in Notre Dame schools in Soweto, Kroondstad and other places. After a time in Glasgow working with sisters who were developing parenting courses and religious education for people with disability, she returned to Liverpool to work in the archives of Notre Dame, translating the early documents in French.

She suffered a stroke three weeks before she died in the Convent of Notre Dame, Parbold. At her funeral, a large group of sisters, joined by former members of staff with Monsignors Dan Hart and Noel Woods representing the bishops of Scotland, celebrated the life of an outstanding educator and a well-loved sister of Notre Dame.