ISJ Fall 2021: Book Review: DAVID SUTCLIFFE Pioneer of International Education; His Life, His Words and His Legacy / Paul Regan

David Sutcliffe, United World College pioneering Headmaster and ‘permanent revolutionary’, devoted his life to international education, but mistrusted its direction and relevance.

Whilst reading this book of dedication to David Sutcliffe, who died in 2019, I was most struck by three short extracts. The first is a joke which David cracked when addressing the annual opening ceremony of the United World College of the Adriatic in 2009. It went as follows:
‘The three most difficult things in life are to climb a fence that is leaning towards you, kiss a girl who is leaning away from you, and remain awake until the very end of an Adriatic College opening ceremony.’
[…]