A life less ordinary: Dr Jean McCrindle (1937-2022)
We were sad to learn of the death of Dr Jean McCrindle (MA 1959) last December and were very touched when her daughter – Claire Wells – offered to share the story of Jean’s remarkable life with our alumni community.
My mother, Jean McCrindle, went to St Andrews in 1955 to study History – the first of her family to go to university. She was brought up in London by her mother and wanted to go to St Andrews to be nearer her father, stepmother and twin sisters who lived in Edinburgh. Her father – Alec McCrindle –was a well-known actor who played Jock in the radio show Dick Barton, Special Agent and General Dodonna in Star Wars: A New Hope (IV).
Jean became a member of the Communist Party in 1955 aged 18. There were not many left-wing activists in St Andrews at the time, but both her parents were Communists and her friendship group included many of the key figures in the New Left, including Raphael Samuel and Edward Thompson. She left the Communist Party in 1957 following the Soviet invasion of Hungary.
During her time at St Andrews Jean helped to found the Fife Socialist League with the miner and left-wing activist Laurence Daly, and was also involved in the Aldermaston Marches against the creation and use of nuclear weapons.
Jean told many stories about her political activities, her academic studies and the wonderful parties at St Andrews. She shared a flat with Sheila Morton (later Sheila Holt) who became a life-long friend. Jean and Sheila performed in magic shows with John McGregor (photograph) who later became the Conservative Secretary of State for Transport in 1992. I always thought it was funny that she had been sawn in half at St Andrews by a Tory! She loved her red gown and always talked with deep respect about the quality of education she received at St Andrews.
After university Jean became a Workers’ Education Tutor in Glasgow, where she pioneered and ran courses for housewives. She then left Scotland to teach in Ghana, which had recently gained independence. While in Ghana Jean met my Dad Sam Rohdie – an American – whom she later married on their return to England.
Jean’s career was in teaching and lecturing, notably at the Northern College near Barnsley in South Yorkshire. She was active in the Women’s Liberation Movement and participated in campaigns for equal pay, an end to sex discrimination and the right to free contraception. She wrote a book with Sheila Rowbottom called Dutiful Daughters in 1977 and was on the advisory board of the feminist publisher Virago.
At the time of the 1984–85 miners’ strike Jean helped to set up the first miners’ wives support group and was treasurer of the nationwide Women Against Pit Closures (WAPC) – speaking, fund-raising and campaigning widely. She later completed a doctoral thesis about the WAPC movement.
Jean also stood (unsuccessfully) for Parliament twice as a Labour Party candidate: she contested Sheffield Hallam in 1983 and High Peak in 1987.
In 2016 Jean was diagnosed with dementia. Despite her declining memory, her time at St Andrews always remained vivid to her and she was deeply proud to have been a student there. When the Guardian newspaper published a front-page story about St Andrews overtaking Oxbridge in the university rankings, Mum bought multiple copies of the paper and put them all around her room. She would tell us about it every time we went to visit.
This was part of the reason that my son decided to apply to study at St Andrews. By the time he got his place, Mum’s dementia was too advanced for her to really comprehend, but I know that she would have been so happy to know that he followed in her footsteps and that he loves St Andrews as much as she did.
I remember Jean very well. We started at St Andrews at the same time and we both studied History. I remember that Jean was one of the prettiest of the bejantines but it was her friend Sheila who was elected as Charities Queen for the Charities Festival. I wonder if she is still alive. Jean told me that her father, who played the tough side-kick of Dick Barton, was the gentlest of men and would never dream of hitting anyone! She said that she used to go along with friends to the Studio where the series was recorded and watch them present it. Like Jean, I loved my time at St Andrews and regard that as the happiest period of my life.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful life-story with us! It made me feel even more proud and happy for my everyday work in the classrooms, particularly as woman teaching new generations of women.
I met Jean through and during the miners strike of 1984/85. She was so supportive of the women and accepted us as we were, gently guiding us. Due to the strike I became aware that I had potential, Jean guided me into further education at Northern College and then to University, the first one in my family to achieve this. She was such a kind, quiet, caring woman and I stayed with her in London on occasion. I cannot praise this wonderful woman enough and still miss her today.