Three women who have excelled in their chosen professions were singled out for honors by the Business and Professional Women's Association of Bermuda (BPWA), at its 34th Anniversary Banquet and Candle-Lighting Ceremony.

The gala event at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, Paget was highlighted by BPWA's 2010 "Lifetime Achievement Award" being accorded to Dr. Norma Jean Hendrickson. She's a former Secondary School Principal. Mrs. Judith Burgess, the Executive Director of PRIDE Bermuda, was cited as "Woman of the Year"; and Diana Darrell had the honour of being inducted as BPWA's newest member.

Miss Darrell is currently the Reinsurance Reporting and Administrative Manager at the American International Reinsurance Company. A Warwick Academy graduate, she attended the Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong, earning her International Baccalaureate Diploma in 2003.

At Tufts University in Massachusetts she gained a Bachelors degree in International Relations, Economics and German Studies in 2007. BPWA noted that Miss Darrell, whose penchant for experiencing new cultures and interacting with persons with different backgrounds is well known to family and friends, spent the 2005/2006 academic year at the Tubingen University in southwest Germany. She is actively continuing studies in the Chartered Financial Analyst programme.

Mrs. Burgess, a founding member of PRIDE Bermuda, has worked in drug prevention for 25 years. She had been invited to be guest speaker at the banquet. After a sparkling introduction by Ghislaine Lemay, and a similar vote of thanks by Freda Roderick, Mrs. Burgess was walking away from the podium, when she was called back to be greeted with gifts and by the audience singing Happy Birthday, the occasion being in fact her natal day.

However the biggest surprise was yet to come, which was announcement of Judy's citation as "Woman of the Year". And then she was besieged by staff members and friends who were aware all along the line about what was to happen to this activist who works overtime with programmes aimed at reaching both adults and youth through PRIDE Bermuda about the dangers of drug abuse.

She has been married to Lloyd Burgess for 42 years, has four children and seven grandchildren. She is actively involved in her Church and has been the Superintendent of the St. John AME Church School for the past 20 years. She recently obtained her CPS (Certified Prevention Specialist) credential.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening was in the hands of Mrs. Emancia Outerbridge, revealing Dr. Hendrickson was recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. The latter delighted the audience as she smilingly went through the motions of fanning herself as Mrs. Outerbridge eloquently reeled of some of the honourees exemplary contributions to BPWA Bermuda, backed by a screen display of visuals secreted from the Hendrickson archives.

Mrs. Outerbridge cited her Jamaican-born fellow member as "an accomplished professional with a penchant for excellence, having many years of experience as an effective teacher, leader and administrator, and making an outstanding contribution to the development of this society, by living up to the principles of service and achievement through hard work, and dedication to duty and she can be credited for transforming the lives of many.

"She has an impressive record of academic achievement and professional excellence and service to civic organisations.

"She obtained her university education in the United States of America. She attended Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland where she received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. She subsequently earned a Master of Arts degree (MA), a Master of Education degree (M.Ed) and a Doctor of Education degree (Ed.D) from Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.

"Recognised as a dynamic leader in the field of education, she can be credited with success in addressing critical issues and providing educational opportunities for diverse student populations in the education system. Her outstanding performance and service earned her key positions within the system including the teaching of English and modern languages at the Secondary school level; Secondary School Principalship, a position she held for sixteen years serving two Public Secondary schools; and Senior Officer at the Ministry of Education serving as Assistant to the Permanent Secretary, a position she held for six years."

Continuing her citation, Mrs. Outerbridge noted Dr. Hendrickson's contributions as a lifetime member of the Methodist; being a preacher, a past chairman of the Synod of the Wesley Methodist Church of Bermuda and chairman of the Board of Emmanuel Methodist Church, Southampton.

Dr. Hendrickson has been married to architect Harry Hendrickson of Somerset for nearly 50 years, is the mother of three adult sons and the grandmother of six grandsons.