Gary Schofield, Old Collegian of St Paul’s was back in the classroom this week to deliver a History lesson on War and Peace, to the current students of St Paul’s.
Back on a visit to New Zealand from stateside Gary captivated the students with a romp back into the the recent and distant past. He covered a broad sweep of history from Stone Age warriors to World War I. He presented a convincing argument on how the causes, tactics and consequences of all wars are remarkably similar. He spoke to the class about simulated war games he played when working as a consultant in the Pentagon. These included making the Schlieffen Plan work. With Gary's help Germany could have won World War One !
As a student himself, Gary attended St Paul’s from 1970 to 1974 and was in both Hamilton and Hall house. He lives in the USA and is currently the president of Global Concern, Inc. an organisation providing practical solutions to the perils of global warming. He is also a writer, television producer and artist. As a painter he was commissioned by His Excellency John Wood, New Zealand Ambassador, to paint “The New Zealand Chancery”. Gary also painted the 32 X 8 foot painting of “The Earth from Space” for Defense Systems and Orbital. The painting hangs at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. His portraits include The Prince and Princess of Wales and Sir Edmund Hillary. His will be the sole painting in the Centre of the Arlington Nation Cemetery, the most haloed ground in the US where it will be seen by 4 million visitors a year. Arlington National Cemetery was Robert E. Lee’s estate and is the resting place for John F. Kennedy and US military heroes.
With a degree in Biochemistry, a career in the arts, and a keen interest in history, he has sought to add this richness to all of his work.
Gary's week at the School culminates in a reunion with students of his year groups, on the Friday evening of 12 February.
