HE memorial service at the Anglican Cathedral in Hamilton celebrating the life of Mrs. Edna Mae Scott, MBE, was a stimulating, spiritually uplifting, cultural event.

Family and friends were joined by hundreds of her former students and colleagues in paying tribute to the legendary teacher.

They eulogised her with extraordinary wit, humour and eloquence, citing anecdotes from the million or more that could have been told about her life and legacy.

Mrs. Scott , died on January 26, just three weeks short of her 100th birthday.

She was born in Jamaica on February 21, 1907, the youngest in a family of 11 children. She came to Bermuda in 1933 to marry Victor Fitzgerald Scott, a fellow Jamaican. He had migrated here in 1930 to be principal of West End School, Somerset, and later, the country's largest school, Central School in Pembroke, which was subsequently renamed after him.

The service was presided over by the Rev. Lanel Guyton, pastor of St. Paul AME Church, Hamilton, where Mrs. Scott was a regular worshipper. Other clergy participating were the Anglican Bishop of Bermuda, Rt. Rev. Ewan Ratteray; Rev. Malcolm Eve, Presiding Elder of Bermuda AME Churches; Rev. Dr. Wilbur Lowe (Larry) Lowe, former pastor of St. Paul; Canon James Francis and Canon Thomas Nisbett.

Mrs. Scott's son Clovis and grandson Charles Scott read the Scriptures. They live in Washington, DC, as does her other son, Dr. Victor F. Scott, the noted Associate Professor of Medicine at the famed Howard University.

Premier Ewart Brown, a close friend of Mrs. Scott, led the tributes. He spoke both as a former Central School student and on behalf of the Government and people of Bermuda. His tribute is carried below.

Rev. Eve, who formerly pastored St. Paul AME, said Mrs. Scott "epitomised Christian womanhood in every aspect of her life. She gave unselfishly of herself to enhance the lives of others, whether it was through her chosen profession or her role as a homemaker, or as a good neighbour or lifelong friend.

"I believe there are those present today who have been nurtured, enriched and inspired by her life and have been challenged to stir up the gift that God has given, to strive to reach one's highest potential so that her epitaph might read that because she helped somebody as she passed along, then her living has not been in vain."

Lady Blackman, a former Independent Senator and teaching colleague at Central School, said Mrs. Scott was one of "those legendary individuals whose array of their own colourful life expressions almost instantly detonates friendly interaction among others who meet them".

She said: "Edna Mae Scott was such a person. She fashioned her attributes with zest, class, and style. Those of us who knew her well saw it in her elegance of dress over the years; in her Caribbean-inculcated flair with language; in her gait when she was in such high spirits that she wanted others to share her happiness; and in the variety of her characteristic facial expressions, so often dramatically staged and that so vividly augmented her verbal presentations.

"The gloved and roses-labelled pall bearers at this celebration of her life show witness to how Edna Mae would do things. She endeared herself to persons she met and with whom she worked. Students knew what the limits and boundaries were ? her directions to them, always unambiguous orally could not be misunderstood.

"There were no double messages especially when her astute ear overheard monotones where music ought to have resonated during her singing lessons. She was warm, considerate and she was generous with her time," said Lady Blackman

Mrs. Scott began her teaching career in Jamaica. She qualified at Shortwood Teachers' Training College, where her exceptional skill in music, especially choral music took root. While at Shortwood she met Bermudians training there, such as the late Cora Scott Gayle, Elmira Tucker Hunt and Rosalind Taylor, who became the wife of Bermuda's first Chief Education Officer, Dr. Kenneth Robinson.

Mrs. Robinson intrigued the congregation with her tribute to her friend, relating how she and Mrs. Scott, upon becoming widows, travelled the five continents of the world in great style.

When Mr. and Mrs. Scott moved from Somerset to Central School, they opened their residence in Middle Town, Pembroke to another teacher, Guyana-born Edward Trenton Richards, who was on staff at the Berkeley Institute. Popularly known as "E.T.", he became a lawyer, politician, was knighted by the Queen and ultimately Bermuda's first Premier.

The obituary noted how Mrs. Scott became the 'matriarchal rock' of her own sons and grandchildren, as well as the families of the three Richards siblings, Senator Bob Richards, Judge Patricia Dangor and educator Angela Barry. Angela eulogised Mrs. Scott on behalf of the family. :

"We thought it would never happen. For someone as young and restless and as bold and beautiful as you, there could never be goodbye and, as long as the world turned, we felt that you would always be in it.

"Why? Because the rule book of convention never seemed to apply to you. First, as the ebullient child in Jamaica, then as the spirited new wife who eventually became the legendary teacher in Bermuda, you were a true original, who refashioned the landscape as you passed through it. Never was this more evident than when you entered your 90s and redefined the concept of 'old age'. You drove for the Red Cross, taking old people in their 60s to their hospital appointments. You walked two miles a day with a swing in your step; you cut a dash in your stylish outfits; you produced perfect cassava pies and fruit cakes and took them on your travels at Christmas; you remained a committed follower of the afternoon soaps; you made your garden bloom.

"You loved to laugh but, when the need arose, you still could mete out correction with your wise but salty tongue. And with the passing of your much-loved E.T. and Madree, you inherited their three children and their assorted progeny, their dramas, their joys ? everything. Aunt Mae, no wonder we never thought this day would come! But it has and we are left without you.

"We try to step back and sum up what your life has been. But we cannot. You occupied too large a space. You bore witness to a full century of constant, traumatic change. Across the years, through all the turmoil, you ? along with your beloved Victor ? held fast to a belief in the transformative power of education. Your mission as a teacher was accomplished in magnificent style but we do not remember you on that grand scale.

"Our thoughts go back to the small things, the moments we shared with you, especially when we were children, the moments that shine like jewels. We remember reciting , trembling as we spoke, in case our efforts did not meet the rigour of your standards.

"We cherish the memory of the time you were describing how a particular person had changed. But you did not say that. You said he ' and we gasped at the splendour of the words. We relive the experience of singing in four-part harmony, as you passed among us, your ear right next to our open mouths.

"We recall praying that we would not sing flat or take a "We recall praying that we would not sing flat or take a breath in the wrong place or scoop up to a note, instead of hitting it clear and clean. We did not know then that we were being exposed to great literature or great music. But we did know we wanted to please you and the only way to do that was to do it right.

"Even when we were at play, we felt your exacting but affectionate presence, as we, wild-haired little girls and scruffy-kneed little boys, raced across the water-logged field of Central School.

"With the mud splattered over us, we all looked the same, no matter where our talents lay, no matter who our parents were. And we were the same to you ? all children to be challenged, all children to be loved. For in the eyes of each of us, you saw that divine spark and your life's work was to make it blaze in our minds and hearts.

"And now you have gone and we, who were those carefree children only yesterday, are a step closer to becoming elders. We feel unequal to the task. The world is a sinister and frightening place. But one thought of you and how you endured and overcame for one hundred years and we are able to shake off our fears.

"We who have experienced the breadth of your generosity and the might of your spirit, we who have been the grateful recipients of your gifts of language and music and love, we have only one option.

"That which you gave to us, we must give to others ? to the young, to the alienated, to the vulnerable, that they too may prosper and find a place of belonging in our world. Only in doing this can we honour you and show, in our works, that your lessons were truly learned."

"In an interview with who sought to highlight active seniors, an inimitable 94-year-old widow responded as follows to the question, 'What do you do to keep active?' with: 'Well, I walk every day, I like to be in my garden, a little TV sometimes . . . a little travel and, oh yes, I volunteer to drive old people to the hospital and to the doctor.'

"Taken aback by the answer, the reporter pressed on: 'But ma'am, you're 94 . . . some people might say you're old yourself.' The reply, in an accent unaffected by geography, was: 'I am not old . . . I have just been on the planet for a very long time.'

"Needless to say, that sprightly 94 year old was Edna Mae Scott. In that exchange her zest for life and living is made clear. That spirit is what unites us today in this celebration of her life.

"Like many of you my sister and I are privileged to call ourselves her students; and that to those of you of my generation. It means being constantly reminded of the importance of dignity and pride, it means never forgetting that you are one of a special class, one who can say, 'Oh yes, she taught me.'

"Allow me for a moment to turn to the personal. As a student at Central, well, let's just say I was something of a handful. Edna Mae Scott literally took me by the hand and determined in her own mind that I was not going to fall by the wayside, that I could learn and that, in fact, I could and would master long division and mathematics generally.

How did she do it? She challenged me . . . she tapped into my naturally competitive spirit and threw down a gauntlet that made determining the area of a carpet the most pressing challenge in my young life.

As I look out to this congregation today, I see CEOs, chartered accountants, principals, doctors, lawyers, senior civil servants, educators and, yes, Premiers who bear the mark of her pursuit of excellence. Through us she speaks to Bermuda of the sacred trust that is the teacher/student relationship.

"Her example proves that physical stature is no match for dedication and a life that commands respect.

"It's interesting that we did not revere her because of her age, although we marvelled at that. We did not sing her praises because she achieved high office after her teaching career ended. We held no parades in her honour nor have we named anything after her. We saluted her at every turn because she genuinely TAUGHT us.

"Her method of instruction transcended the classroom and was not constrained by the absence of books, handouts and photocopiers. She made the world of learning come alive and in so doing never had to demand respect; she commanded it because her example left you with no alternative but to give it.

"The Oxford Dictionary defines a hero as: 'a person admired for nobility, courage, outstanding achievements, etc.' Edna Mae Scott was such a person. In this challenging era of education world-wide, I am determined to tell the story of people like Edna Mae Scott far and wide.

"It is the story of how simple things and a basic approach made all the difference. It is the story of how a woman and her husband came from an island south of us, armed only with a desire to do good and to help young people.

"It is the story of how a woman of stature refused to accept anything but the best from each of her charges.

"It is the story whose final chapter may never be written simply because the main character so impacted the other players that her life although now ended becomes the stuff of legend.

"Form requires that I end my remarks today with some phrase indicating that I speak on behalf of the Government and people of Bermuda . . . and make no mistake, the office I hold demands that I do that and I do.

"But today I speak as an heir to a fortune and in this I am proud to lead the people of this country in recognising this giant whose life may now have ended but whose spirit is manifest in us forever."

KEIDOE C. Jennings Arorash is a fine specimen of a young man. He's a graduate of CedarBridge Academy. At age 19, he is athletically-built, 6ft. 2in. tall and weighs 230 lbs.

Not only is he ambitious, he's industrious. In fact, he is a quiet-spoken gentleman and a budding scholar.

He is enrolled at the University of Waikato's School of Sciences in New Zealand. Classes start on February 26 for his degree course in Conservation and Resource Management.

By holding down two jobs and saving his money, Keidoe was well on the path of working his way to university the hard way, that is by his own grit, at least for the first year; and, hopefully, to get scholarship funding from one or another of the various generous sources in Bermuda, once he was under way.

But misfortune befell him, not once, but twice, depleting his finances and putting him out of work.

In May last year he came off his motorcycle in a freak accident, fracturing his left ankle in two places, and was crippled. He underwent four surgeries in hospital and was just getting back into full circulation when he again suffered misfortune.

While cycling on Bermudiana Road in Hamilton, en route to one of his jobs, another cyclist emerged from Gorham Road and ran into him, hitting that same left leg. He ended up in hospital and underwent a fifth operation early last month.

In order to get a foreign student visa to enter New Zealand, Keidoe must have his fees of $15,455 New Zealand dollars paid up front. All of his other financing and arrangements are firmly in place, including airfare and accommodation.

So would have been the fees, but for those crippling traffic accidents that rendered him unable to 'hustle' on his various jobs, as he had been doing for so many weekends and summer holidays.

He was forced to use money he had saved to pay off his hospital bills. The simple fact of the matter is that because of a technically, of which he was unaware, he was not fully covered by hospital insurance. The whys and wherefores can be explained.

KEIDOE is the second eldest of the five children of Mrs. Quindolyn Jennings, formerly of North Shore, Pembroke. She is a hard-working single mother, employed in the retail business.

Out of consideration for his mother and the rest of the family, Keidoe drew on his savings because he did not want to leave them burdened with his bills while he was in far off New Zealand.

Keidoe's real dilemma is that his applications to Government and private sources so far have drawn a blank. He has been told they are 'out of season' for a school year beginning in a mere three weeks' time.

The New Zealand university school year runs from March through November each year. Summer breaks Down Under fall from November to February when Keidoe plans to return home to work.

With mid-year exams falling in June, this is a major complication for students in Keidoe's position to return to Bermuda to interview for scholarships. And there's the extra expense of travelling from New Zealand to Bermuda.

While at CedarBridge he played on its basketball and volleyball teams, was a volunteer at the Bermuda Zoological Society, Amnesty International and Keep Bermuda Beautiful.

He worked weekends and summers as an electrical apprentice, ran errands, helped in carpentry, landscaping and painting for an architectural firm and construction company, and worked for two summers for an air-conditioning company. His hobbies are spelunking, fixing and modifying bikes, music and travelling. He was a tour guide at the Crystal Caves until crippled in the freak cycle accident that led to the five surgical operations.

Keidoe's friends are urging him to do two things to keep his confidence high. They are: To pray and to keep his bags packed.

They are hoping there are public and private organisations, individuals, fraternal, church or whoever, generous enough to contribute the $10,000 Bermuda dollars he needs, to the emergency fund that has been set up for him by contacting KAIROS Philanthropy, telephone 238-0684, or by email at mstjanephilanthropy.bm