Parents were William Quinn and Mary Reilly
She was born Elizabeth Quinn in High Blantyre on 21 August 1931 and known as betty to her peers and friends. Her family later moved to Halfway then to 73 Caledonian Circuit in the 50s. She married Patrick Hilferty in 1957 and had 6 children.
There must be many in the group who remember her from those days. She taught me when I was in room 20, the final classroom in the building before we all went on to further education. I have fond memories of her as an inspirational teacher who set an excellent example based on a mutual understanding with her pupils and who never used any form of corporal punishment to guide us for our future roles.
A couple of other memories of her which have strangely stayed with me...
1. In the cold weather she wore a long unbelted Harris Tweed type coat in the classroom. It was a speckled colour white and black.
2. On another occasion she brought in a Porron Wine Pitcher, presumably a souvenir from Spain. We had great fun trying to drink water from it and getting splashed as a result. (Ed Boyle)
Information provided by her daughter, Terri Nisbet, October 2019
I know that when she left St Brides, she became a stay at home mum when the twins were born. She did go back to work when I was about 2/3hrs old. Not sure where she taught. We then moved to Glenrothes, Fife and she taught in St Pauls. We then moved to Cumbernauld when I was 7/8yrs old. She first taught in St Joesph's, Carbrain, Cumbernauld. She then moved to Sacred Heart, Kildrum, Cumbernauld. She then went on to do her diploma in special education, (She and her friend were the first to do this. You now need a degree to do this qualification). She retired in 1991 as a head teacher in what was then known as profoundly mentally handicapped children, but we don't use that phrase anymore; they are now known as 'special needs' children. Hope this is helpful.
Born 21 August 1931
Married Daniel (Dan) Hilferty 1957
Died 12 September 2019 - RIP
