On 27th January, almost 500 mourners gathered in the Olivier Hall at St Edward’s School, Oxford, to say farewell to Fred Tao who has died aged 55. Throughout the congregation were the red ties, socks and trousers of those who knew Fred at KGS and who had come to reflect on the extraordinary impact this immensely generous man had on the lives of so many.

Fred came to KGS as part of a large family that originated in Hong Kong. At school he had two passions: the Christian Union (CU) and the Boat Club, passions he retained throughout his life. He would often lead the weekly meetings of the CU, during which his deeply held faith became clear. For those who knew him, the strongest memories came from the annual camps held in remote fields in southern England. Even as thunderstorms darkened the skies and tents collapsed, Fred provided his trademark enthusiasm for evening hymns, putting more emphasis on volume than tone. More importantly, though, if someone was feeling homesick or was struggling with something, Fred had a knack of spotting it and providing friendship or support.

Fred’s other passion was the KGS Boat Club. Initially taking the position of cox, he went on to row in the eight or the four. Travelling in the school bus to regattas all over the country, he would shorten the journey by providing a steady supply of jokes and Jaffa Cakes to the rest of the squad. Fred was one of the people who generated the camaraderie that turned a sport, rowing, into a club.

After leaving school in 1988, Fred spent two years working as an Associate at St Helen’s Church, Bishopsgate trying to decide whether to train as a minister. He chose a different path and worked at Lloyds of London but, rather than working out insurance premiums, he would prefer to spend his working day planning menus and guest lists for the weekly 30-person dinner parties that he hosted in a shared house in south London. Fred had a knack for creating a community for these guests, going on to meet his future wife, Claire, at such an event.

The themes of steadfast cheerfulness, a knack for maintaining communities by putting others before himself and above all generosity of spirit that marked the early stages of his life only became even more apparent later on. From the City he went into teaching, first at City of London for Boys and then Pangbourne College before taking up his final berth at St Edward’s. Claire was by then also a teacher, eventually rising to become an Executive Head. Fred, though, was content to teach and manage two Geography Departments, putting to good use his generosity of spirit and time much to the benefit of countless pupils and fellow colleagues. Rowing was also a big part of his life at Pangbourne and St Edward’s; his unique methods of organisation and tendency to hand out Percy Pigs proving to be just the sort of thing that the management of J14 squads required.

Indeed, rowing was a major part of his life until the very end. Fred died suddenly on the banks of Port Meadow in Oxford, having volunteered to give up extra time to help a crew that would not otherwise have been able to train.

At his memorial, the family asked guests to wear Henley attire to reflect Fred’s love of rowing and his incredible contribution and dedication to the sport. Each aspect of the uplifting and emotional service spoke to the enormous spirit of a much-missed man.

Ross Simmonds | OK 2014 

St Edward's School, where Fred worked at the time of death, has launched a memorial fund in his name. If you would like to contribute, you can do so here: https://beyondteddies.stedwardsoxford.org/donate/the-fred-tao-memorial-fund