Martha Steedman, the longest serving headmistress of St Leonards School in St Andrews, has died aged 85.
In 1988, Mrs Steedman, who led the school from 1970-1988, received an OBE in recognition of her great service to education.
The young Martha Hamilton was a pupil at St Denis School in Edinburgh and St Columba’s School in Kilmacolm before attending Roedean in Brighton, where she became head girl.
In 1942 she started a lifelong association with St Andrews when she enrolled to study history at the university.
A diploma of education from Cambridge University followed in 1953 and she then taught in Edinburgh before following her grandfather’s wishes of teaching in a mission school in India.
Her initial two-year post at a school in Kalimpong turned into 11 years in India, the majority as headmistress of the PNG School in Gangtok, the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim.
In addition to leadership of the school, Mrs Steedman faced other challenges as Sikkim bordered Tibet and, when China threatened to invade it in 1965, she prepared her pupils by digging trenches and air-raid practice.
This was acknowledged when she was awarded the Pema-Dorji Medal for services to education by the Chogyal of Sikkim.
In 1966, following her mother’s death, she returned to Edinburgh to care for her father. She completed a diploma in adult education at Edinburgh University and in 1970 became headmistress of St Leonards.
She proceeded to modernise St Leonards and brought great change and success to the school, opening it up, introducing activities, outings, debates and encouraging cultural visits.
Ensuring St Leonards was always at the forefront of girls’ education, Mrs Steedman was a respected educationalist in the UK.
In 1977 she married Edinburgh architect Robert Steedman and became stepmother to Scott, Helena and Sarah.
Always keen to introduce her pupils to foreign travel, she led an expedition to Sikkim where she was an honoured guest.
Upon her retirement in 1988, Mrs Steedman remained one of St Leonards’ most ardent supporters and an active member of the St Leonards Seniors.