Dorothy “Dot” Edith Connel (1936–2024) 

Class of 1954 

Dorothy “Dot” Connel was born on 30 November 1936 at Craigholm in Burntisland, the first of twins to Edith and Carswell Connel. Her brother Angus (“Gus”) arrived just after midnight, a detail that amused them both throughout their lives. Twins with different birthdays and even in different months. Their bond was immediate and enduring, and Dot often said that growing up with Angus was one of the great constants of her life. 

Dot’s early years were full of movement, curiosity, and a certain fearlessness. She happily described herself as a tomboy, always climbing trees or attempting handstands and sometimes in places she shouldn’t. One such attempt in the dining room ended with a Royal Copenhagen lamp in pieces, a story she retold with a mixture of guilt and pride. 

Her childhood was also shaped by wartime. She remembered the dread of air raid sirens when Leith or Rosyth Docks were targeted, and how her mother tried to soften the fear by dressing the twins in homemade siren suits. Dot in red, Angus in blue, and settling them under the dining table with lemonade and biscuits until it was safe to move. 

The loss of her father in 1943, when she was only six, was a profound moment. But Dot often spoke with gratitude about the wider family who stepped in, and the uncles and aunts who helped raise the twins with affection and stability. 

In 1946, Dot and Angus were sent to boarding school. Angus to The Edinburgh Academy and Dot to St George’s. It was the first time they had been apart, and Dot found it difficult. Her response was characteristically direct: she left St George’s during her first term, took two buses across Edinburgh, and presented herself at the Academy asking to speak to the Rector. She explained that she wanted to transfer so she could be with Angus. When told she would be the only girl, she replied that this didn’t bother her at all. Her mother, who happened to be at the school that day, swiftly returned her to St George’s, but Dot never tired of telling the story.  

Despite her rocky start, Dot settled and thrived. Sport was her passion. Gymnastics, swimming, hockey, tennis, and even cricket, which she played with her close friend Dorothy Dickinson (née Neill). The two remained friends for life. 

Her reference from Headmistress Frances Kennedy captured her well: lively, responsible, quietly capable, and someone others naturally relied on. She became Head Girl of the Senior Boarding House, a role she carried out with the same steady reliability that would define her adult life. 

Dot’s love of sport led her to Dunfermline College of Physical Education (DUMF) in Aberdeen in 1954. She graduated in 1958 and later returned to the College which by then based in Cramond, as a lecturer in the mid1960s. She remained there for the rest of her career. 

Those who trained under her remember a teacher who combined high standards with genuine warmth. She believed in the value of physical education not just for fitness, but for confidence, discipline, and joy. Many former students have spoken of the impact she had on their lives, often in small but lasting ways.