Retired Bermuda College faculty were honoured for their service to the school and the wider community during a recent luncheon.

A statement said 40 retirees attended at the Coco Reef resort, and ten were bestowed with titles of Professor Emeritus or Emerita.

Retired psychology professors Paul Shepherd and Jeremiah Faries, history professor Jolene Bean, hospitality professor Leo Betschart, art faculty Charles Zuill and Edwin ME Smith, chemistry professor Gloria Frederick, English faculty Angela Barry and Sharon Virgil, and Barbara O’Shaughnessy, who taught business and hospitality at the college, were honoured at the ceremony.

David Sam, the president of the college, said: “The Professor Emeritus, or Emerita, designation is one of the highest honours the college can bestow.

“It recognises not only years of dedicated service, but the lasting influence these individuals have had on our students, our institution and Bermuda as a whole.”

The college named economist Craig Simmons and chef Frederick Ming Professors Emeritus during the school’s 50th-anniversary gala last April, and recognised retired hospitality faculty Patricia Robinson as Professor Emerita in October.

Dr Sam added: “These honourees helped shape generations of students and set standards of excellence that continue to guide the college today — their influence will be felt for years to come.”