Carol Margaret Handley (née Taylor; 17 October 1929 – 21 June 2024) was a British educator who was headmistress of Camden School for Girls (1971–1985) and president of the

Classical Association The Classical Association (CA) is an educational organisation which aims to promote and widen access to the study of Classics, classical subjects in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1903, the Classical Association supports and advances classical ...

(1996–1997). Handley was later a classics tutor at Wolfson College, Cambridge. Handley is known for her longstanding advocacy for Classics education in schools and universities, as well as for her work on teaching and examination materials for the Joint Association of Classical Teachers and for the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

Career

After completing her Classics BA at UCL in 1951, Handley began her teaching career at Queen's Gate School, London in 1952. She moved to Camden School for Girls in 1956 as a Classics teacher becoming the Senior Classics mistress. In 1965 Handley became Deputy Head and then Headmistress in 1971. She retired from Camden School for Girls in 1985. Throughout this time Handley was involved with the Joint Association of Classical Teachers, and was co-founder with David Raeburn and John Sharwood Smith of the JACT Greek summer school in 1968. When the original venue, Dean Close School,

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

, became unavailable in 1986, she was instrumental in finding

Bryanston School Bryanston School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) located next to the village of Bryanston, and near the ...

for the new location of the Greek summer school, working closely with James Morwood, who had succeeded David Raeburn as Director. From 1991 to 2005, Handley was the director of the Reading Greek courses at the Institute of Continuing Education, Cambridge. During this time Handley became president of the

in 1996, and her presidential address in 1997 was published as ''Things That Matter''. Handley was only the fifth woman president since the Classical Association was founded in 1903. She was a Classics tutor at Wolfson College, Cambridge.

Personal life and death

Handley married Eric Handley on 31 July 1952. He was the leading scholar in the rediscovery of the playwright

Menander Menander (; ; c. 342/341 – c. 290 BC) was a Greek scriptwriter and the best-known representative of Athenian Ancient Greek comedy, New Comedy. He wrote 108 comedies and took the prize at the Lenaia festival eight times. His record at the Cit ...

, writing an important commentary on the

Dyskolos ''Dyskolos'' (, , translated as ''The Grouch'', ''The Misanthrope'', ''The Curmudgeon'', ''The Bad-tempered Man'' or ''Old Cantankerous'') is an Ancient Greek comedy by Menander, the only one of his plays, and of the whole New Comedy, that has ...

. He was Professor of Greek at UCL and then was Regius Professor of Greek at Trinity College, Cambridge, until his death in 2013. He was also a fellow of the British Academy. Carol Handley died on 21 June 2024, at the age of 94.

Select publications

*''A Greek Anthology'' (Carol Handley, James Morwood and John Taylor,

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

, 2002) * with Pat Easterling (eds.) ''Greek Scripts: An Illustrated Introduction'' ( Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies 2001) * ''Things That Matter'' (

1997) * with Jeannie Cohen, James Morwood, James Neville ''An Independent Study Guide to Reading Greek'' (Cambridge University Press, various editions) * ''The Future of Greek in Schools'', Didaskalos (1967) v2 n2 p. 12–22

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Handley, Carol 1929 births 2024 deaths British classical scholars British women classical scholars Women heads of schools in the United Kingdom Academics of the Institute of Continuing Education Presidents of the Classical Association