THERE could hardly have been a more ambitious and industrious young fellow in Bermuda than Quincy (Otto) Outerbridge when he was growing up around Morgan's Road, Warwick.

When he completed his elementary schooling at Paget Glebe and later Ord Road School, he was unable to get into the Berkeley Institute for his high schooling, so he did the next best thing. That was starting the first of a series of correspondence courses from schools in England, Chicago and Los Angeles that put him well on track towards becoming one of the top engineers and award-winning managers in IBM, the giant American business machine corporation.

It seemed that Quincy was a born tinker. He was the second youngest of the seven children of Weston and Lillian Outerbridge of Morgan's Road. One of his first jobs in his early teens was in the sewing machine shop of Cecil Harris in Hamilton. He became expert at repairing and servicing sewing machines, while at the same time he gained a reputation as a skilled motorcycle doctor.

At age 15, he had a life-changing experience at Cobb's Hill Gospel Hall, Warwick. He was converted under the soul-stirring preaching of the now deceased Elder Cockburn Rayner. Another Elder, Neville Tatem, who was then assistant principal of the Berkeley Institute, took a fatherly interest in young Quincy, and treated him as if he was his own son during his Christian walk.

Most importantly, Mr. Tatem and his wife Dorothy took him in as a member of their household. They coached him in mathematics.

Quincy enrolled in the National Technical School of Los Angeles to study radio and television engineering and allied electronics by correspondence. He had previously earned diplomas in academic subjects from England, and psychology and supervisory management from Chicago.

In 1959 when Quincy was aged 26, two momentous events occurred in his life. Firstly, he left Bermuda for Los Angeles for more in-depth, hands-on studies at the National Technical School than its correspondence courses provided.

Secondly, on March 29, he and fellow Bermudian Shirley Harris were married in Los Angeles. Shirley was the daughter of Victor and Ursula Harris of Angle Street, Hamilton. Ursula Harris, now a 95-year-old widow, resides in Crawl.

The marriage of the young couple has endured and they are parents of a daughter, Pamela, and granddaughter Quinley Marie. Three years after Quincy had graduated with flying colours, he was caught up in an intensive drive IBM launched to recruit more black people in its sales and service sectors. IBM sent him to its Typewriter Training Centre in Lexington, Kentucky.

In 1969 IBM promoted him to its plant in Austin, Texas as product service engineer. When the IBM branch manager in Madison, Wisconsin needed a top-flight field service manager, he plucked Quincy out of Austin. All along the line Quincy gained super recognition for his performances - most significant was the corporation's coveted Regional Manager's Award for Excellence in Management. He formally retired in 1992, after running the gamut from repairing and servicing sewing machines (in Bermuda) and typewriters to mastering water-cooled computer systems in Madison used by large companies like Oscar-Meyer, major banks, insurance companies and the Department of Transportation.

Quincy's wife is also retired, after having been employed many years in the business department of the University of Wisconsin and later in the Department of Transportation in Madison. Down through the years, work commitments prevented the Outerbridges from visiting their homeland more than they have done. Usually, it was a significant family matter that brought them home, such as a wedding, an illness or even death.

Such a milestone is the reason why Quincy has been in Bermuda since Christmas. He came for the celebration on December 29, of the 65th wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. T. Neville Tatem, who took him into their home during his early teens. He is staying at the family homestead in Morgan's Road with his sister Marion Burrows. They are the two survivors in a family of seven that included Wilfred, Esther, Louise, Phyllis and Ivan.