WE can only summarise as spiritually stimulating and intellectually uplifting the many tributes paid to Thomas Neville Tatem, MBE at his funeral service at St. James’ Parish Church, Somerset.He was the educator who passed away on May 3, seven months short of his 100th birthday.

Mr. Tatem spent 32 years teaching mathematics, first and foremost at the Berkeley Institute. For 24 of those years he was deputy principal. In 1967 he became the founding principal of Warwick Secondary School, now known as Spice Valley Middle School.

Leading the tributes were two ex-Berkelyites, Minister of Education Randy Horton and Mrs. Michelle Simmons, currently Berkeley principal.

They were followed by others testifying to his sterling Christian character, among them Gilbert Perry, of Gideons International, Gladwin Packwood, Lloyd Rayner, and Archdeacon Emeritus, Dr. Arnold Hollis.

Mr. Horton recalled the impact Mr. Tatem had on students entering the school for the first time and throughout their stay there. He “stood before the expectant and excited student body as a colossus, tall, imposing, handsome, immaculately attired and in total command of his environment”, he said.

Mr. Tatem had a wonderful life, and he was a glorious example of a truly great Bermudian, Mr. Horton said.

His first impact on students entering the Berkeley for the first time “did for hundreds of Berkeleyites before and after us, marked the beginning of a journey during which Mr. Tatem would have a profound and most positive influence upon our lives, both during our school days and into our adult and professional lives thereafter.

“The name Thomas Neville Tatem would become forever synonymous with the highest standards of teaching, the highest standards of character, the highest standards of service, the highest standards of discipline, and the highest standards of scholarship. In summary, he was the quintessential role model.

“For every generation of Berkeleyites, the name Thomas Neville Tatem, ‘TNT’ (short for dynamite), will be forever associated with strict discipline.

“He demanded the highest standards of his students in this area and would, on occasion, like ignited dynamite, seemingly explode when students misbehaved or otherwise disappointed him.

“Yet, he always discharged his responsibilities as a master disciplinarian with fairness, compassion and understanding; his explosions and subsequent lectures were almost always tempered by gentle lectures, reminders of the importance of good conduct, even the occasional twinkle in his kind eyes.”

Mr. Horton noted that Mr. Tatem, after having served for nearly 35 years distinction at the Berkeley, it was no surprise, therefore, when he was asked to serve as the founding principal of Warwick Secondary School in the late 1960s.

“The Berkeley’s loss would prove to be Warwick Secondary inestimable gain, for the foundation that he laid for the school during those beginning years led to the excellent school that Warwick Secondary became and where I assumed the principalship in 1976.

“My personal debt of gratitude to Mr. Tatem is therefore monumental; he in so many ways paved the way for the successes that I enjoyed as principal of Warwick Secondary School and, dare I say, the successes that I have enjoyed in my professional career thereafter.”

Mr. Horton said it was somewhat ironic that Mr. Tatem was being eulogised as “one who personified the best in the realm of education, just a few days after the release of a report that highlights the weaknesses of our education system.

“But I am encouraged. Reflection upon the sterling achievements and brilliant example of this fine Bermudian reminds us that we have in our midst the resources, human and otherwise that, coupled with commitment, industry and belief in ourselves, will lead to the first-class education system that all of us in the community have a right to expect.”

No finer tribute to Mr. Tatem, said Mr. Horton, could be paid than the renaming of Spice Valley Middle School, formerly Warwick Secondary School, to Thomas Neville Tatem School.

In her tribute, Mrs. Simmons, a graduate of the class of 1968, noted that when Thomas Neville Tatem was born in 1907, the Berkeley Institute had been founded for only ten years.

The records showed he became a member of staff at the school in 1935 and soon became first assistant and then the valued deputy to Berkeley’s first Bermudian principal, Frederick S. Furbert, remaining in that post for the greater part of three decades, through the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s, she said. TNT, as he was affectionately known to many, many generations of Berkeleyites, became synonymous with Berkeley’s history, and gained a reputation for being an outstanding teacher of mathematics. “Thomas Neville Tatem served the Berkeley Institute and his students well. An unassuming, debonair, stately, handsome gentleman, he taught us what it meant to be inspirational, encouraging, faithful, and loyal.

“He was a teacher who demanded high standards, someone who pursued a goal with commitment and dedication, and was of outstanding service to the community. We give thanks to God for him and for the example he has set for all of us. May he rest in God’s eternal peace.

“He was disciplinarian, someone who inspired confidence, was efficient in completing tasks and who was always ready to give assistance.

“He never failed to encourage his students to reach for the stars and to achieve at the highest standard. Meticulous in everything that he did, I was always amazed by his board work and by the injections of Latin in our geometry (or should I call them Euclid!) lessons.

“Who could forget QED, Quod Erat Demonstrandum, which some students who liked to tease would translate as ‘quite easily done’! Or for those who were having difficulty, Pons asinorum, the meaning of which some persons deliberately misinterpret.

“I found out that it really means ‘the angles at the base of an isosceles triangle are equal to one another’. However, I think that Mr. Tatem used it to mean ‘anything found difficult by beginners’. That is the polite way of explaining it!”

As a footnote, this writer, who entered the Berkeley Institute as a Packwood Scholar in 1938, could not resist the temptation to boast that Mr. Tatem and I were both born and bred Somersetians.

Neither could I fail to note that his final resting place in the St. James churchyard is closest to the northwestern wall of the graveyard. It is in view of, and a mere stone’s throw from, the Tatem homestead on the West Side Road.

He was the fourth child and last survivor of five children born to Albert and Lucinda Tatem.

Mr. Tatem is survived by his wife, the former Dorothy Lucille Clarke of Hamilton, whom he married in 1937; and their three children, Albert, married to Bonnie; Lucille, wife of Dr. Beresford Swan, of Southampton; and Dorothy-May, married to Ralph Simons.

There are seven grandsons and 13 great grandchildren. Albert and his sister Dorothy-May and their families live on the outskirts of Toronto, Canada.