David and Joan Manley (LGB, retired teachers 1987)

From fiction to reality

David joined Ecolint, La Grande Boissière in 1979 as a Drama teacher. He often spent late evenings on campus for rehearsals and, as a young divorcee with three kids, some of his colleagues volunteered to help him with his family. Joan, whose name was Kingma at the time, was an English teacher who helped David put the plays together, along with other members of the English Department such as Mrs Knight. David was always welcomed in the English Department staff room and fondly remembers the fondues they shared on campus. 

Joan and David at LGB at the beginning of the 80's.

In 1982, LGB teachers performed The Real Inspector Hound, a one-act play by Tom Stoppard. David and Joan’s characters, as it so happened, had a romantic scene. Joan was supposed to bend him backwards and kiss him, but she ended up dropping him to the floor. David said that he fell (quite literally) in love with her. Their performance also got them a standing ovation. They got married in 1983 and directed other plays together with the Geneva English Drama Society, but their favourite productions were with the Middle School. One of them was a musical and David still smiles when he remembers the Y8 and Y9 yelling “from the top, maestro!” to György Kukorelly, a renowned pianist who was teaching at Ecolint.

Joan and David moved to Houston, Texas in 1987 and had a bit of a shock after the very international Ecolint and Geneva. In 1995, Joan wrote a book called She Flew No Flags. The story is based upon the perilous sea journey she and her family took from their home in India to the United States through Japanese-controlled Pacific waters. Their ship had to travel incognito as they carried enemy Prisoners Of War and injured American troops.

Geneva holds a special place in their heart and they miss the weekend trips to the Jura and nice restaurants. They are now retired and live in San Francisco.

Joan and David with their grand-child.