Millicent Knight — a brilliant Jamaican

Saturday, November 07, 2009 11:30 PM

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Millicent Knight - a brilliant Jamaican

Joan williams

Monday, May 11, 2009

"Eat, drink and be merry." Laughing heartily, 98-year-old Millicent Knight, educator extraordinaire and a former headmistress of Westwood High School, declared that this was her formula for a long healthy life.

I had not seen this great Jamaican for over half a century, but when I phoned her at the nursing home where she now lives, I was absolutely surprised at how young and vigorous she sounded. Presumptuously I asked her if she remembered me (I gave her my maiden name). "No", she replied hesitantly, and then added quickly, "Are you related to Collector Marshall?" When I told her he was my late father, she quickly replied, "Oh yes, he did have a rude little daughter who used to swing on the gate." Sheepishly, I admitted to having been the culprit but quickly added that I was now over 60.

All my life I had regarded this great educator with awe as almost everyone in Stanmore, Malvern and the environs. For guess what? I remember it being whispered every time she appeared that she had been the first black girl to attend the prestigious Hampton Girls' School (best known at the time for its elitism and racism). We kids, I am reminded by my brother, even used to speculate that she would have had to powder her skin to get into Hampton!

Everyone spoke about her brilliance, and as a child I used to watch her stroll up the aisle of the Bethlehem Moravian Church to play the piano and I was always enthralled at how this staid and circumspect-looking person became full of life the moment the music got to her!

Millicent Knight, the first child and only girl of seven children, was born in Stanmore in St Elizabeth and went to St Alban's Primary School before attending Hampton. According to her, she cannot remember a day when she did not want to follow in the footsteps of her parents and become a teacher. So brilliant was she that on graduating from Hampton High School in 1930, she immediately went to Bethlehem Training College to teach English and maths to students older than herself.

While there, she did an intermediate BA as an external student then later travelled to the University of Toronto to complete her studies.

After graduation, she again returned to teaching at Bethlehem and was soon promoted to the post of vice principal. Her next move was to St Hilda's Girls' School in Brown's Town, St Ann, before moving on in 1965 to become headmistress of Westwood High School in Stewart Town. Coincidentally, Westwood was established in 1880 to give coloured girls the opportunity to get higher education.

According to Mrs Logan, one of the headmistresses who succeeded her, the academic standards at Westwood improved greatly during Miss Knight's tenure and there was a marked improvement in discipline and religious training. Miss Knight was also lauded for her foresight as she became an avid fundraiser both locally and overseas with a view to improving the accommodation and facilities at the school. Those who succeeded her carried on the programme and used the funds to construct the William Webb auditorium and the Princess Alice Dormitory.

One of her former students, Elara, while sharing the view on the improvement in educational standards, goes further to state that Miss Knight brought maths to life and whereas this had never been a strong subject among girls, they started to excel in the subject under her tutelage. She also remembers Miss Knight as a strong disciplinarian but never unfair or spiteful and someone who had a great sense of humour and a healthy laugh. "In fact, I would say she was always comfortable in her own skin, something not common among black women at that time," she added.

On retiring in 1976 Miss Knight returned to St Elizabeth and her alma mater, where she went to help her friend Gloria Wesley-Gammon then headmistress of Hampton Girls' School. There she taught English and maths for a few years before leaving the teaching profession for good.

Miss Knight laughed as she told me that she and Miss Wesley-Gammon had been schoolmates at Hampton, so the stories of her being the first black girl to go to that school could not have been true. "While it made good folklore," she laughed, "there were in fact a number of black students there by the time I got there!"

After leaving teaching, she became a lay preacher and religious activist at St Alban's, the Anglican Church at Stanmore (where she had always been a member although being active in the Moravian Church), and moved back to her parents' home where she lived with a brother. When he died, she moved to Kingston to live with another brother, and having outlived him, moved into the nursing home where she now resides.

If ever anyone has debunked all my fears about old age, it is Millicent Knight. To begin with, she has a fantastic memory, although she often complains that she forgets some things, and is totally up to date with all that is happening. (I saw no evidence of forgetfulness!) She is an extremely happy and healthy 98-year-old who reads the newspaper from start to finish every day and without glasses.

She admits that she automatically solves mathematical problems if she has nothing to do and adds that she can eat anything and loves spicy food. So her relatives have to keep her supplied with hot sauces since nursing homes catering to the elderly stay far from the spices, she adds laughingly.

She has a telephone in her room and keeps in constant touch with friends and relatives. While she has no serious illnesses, because her legs are weak, she goes around in her wheelchair but can move around in her room on her own.

Spending time with this outstanding Jamaican was extremely inspiring for me and I certainly agree with Elara. Miss Knight is definitely comfortable in her own skin. Fittingly, she was awarded the OD.

Joan Williams is a freelance writer.
greatestj@hotmail.com

If you were to grade Derick Latibeaudiere's performance over his 13 years as Bank of Jamaica governor, what grade would he get?
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