Ninety-one-year-old educator Mrs. Dalton E. Tucker portrayed her characteristic Christian calm and grace as she absorbed a three-hour salutation accorded her on Saturday.

It was a social and cultural event organised by The Class of 1969 of the former Southampton Glebe School where she was principal from 1942 to 1974.

The class began planning to show their appreciation to Mrs. Tucker more than a year ago. That was long before the Government, as a national tribute to her long and continuing contribution to education, formally changed the name of the Glebe School to the Dalton E. Tucker Primary School.

There were some common threads of wit and good humour running through the tributes to Mrs. Tucker in dialogue, song and flowers, most notable being the eloquence, the fluency and genuine appreciation in which speaker after speaker, including former teaching colleagues, commented on her style of teaching, in disciplining, as well as relating to parents and guardians, and in acknowledging their Almighty God.

Roderick (Dill) Webb, one of the three witty masters of ceremonies, speaking on behalf of the organising committee, said they were originally motivated to have a party for themselves, as the class individually was approaching in 2007 the half-century milestone of their lives.

The spirit later hit them to make it a dual celebration, for themselves and to demonstrate gratitude to Mrs. Tucker, for being such an extraordinary lady, mother, educator, principal, disciplinarian and mentor.

Dill said there must be few in existing generations, whose lives she had not touched in one way, when she began teaching Sunday School at age 17, in Bible classes outside of school hours and during holidays, something she continues 73 years later to the present time at church and in seniors' homes.

Her public school career began at St. Mary's Primary School, a little two-room school house on Middle Road in Southampton.

She became the first to teach persons incarcerated in the island's prisons or correctional facilities. She started in the prison located on the site where the Government Administration now stands in Parliament Street, Hamilton. Many have been motivated and actually received their GED diplomas through her continuing involvement.

It seemed, so they said, none was spared the rod of correction, not even her own daughter Adele (Tucker) Thomas, when sent by their class teacher "to the principal's office". Always available there were the Bible, a pointer, a blackboard eraser or whatever was useful for judicious application.

The emcees said the organising committee wanted to put their seal of acknowledgment of the name change by unveiling a portrait of Mrs. Tucker, and presentation of a shield and silver cups for the head boy and head girl. Mrs. Tucker's daughter performed the unveiling, and the trophies were presented by Roger Lambert.

Minister of Education Randy Horton spoke of Government's appreciation for Mrs. Tucker's exemplary contribution as an educator, by naming the school after her.

Mrs. Onley Bean related how she travelled from Dudley Hill, Paget to be under Mrs. Tucker at the Glebe. She reminded the boys of her class they had it easier than the girls, when it came to correction in the principal's office, as the girls had to go out and choose their own oleander stick for the principal's use. Mrs. Bean then rendered a touching solo, Take My Life As It Is, accompanied by Jared Robinson.

Kathy-Ann (DeSilva) Woodley, in presenting a bouquet to Mrs. Tucker on behalf of her classmates, drew laughter when she confessed feeling deprived by not having been sent to the principal's office. The organising committee comprised Jacquelyn K. (Virgil) Basden, Maxine "Nettie" (Richardson) Bean, Randy Bean, Glenn Chase, Jennifer (Brangman) Fields, Roger Lambert, Gladwyn Robinson, Lydia (Arorash) Simmons, Adele (Tucker) Thomas, Julia (Steede) Washington, who offered the opening prayer, Roderick (Dill) Webb and MP Kim Swan, who was particularly acknowledged, as two days before the celebration he was officially sworn in by the Governor as Official Opposition Leader.

Pictures show official portrait of Mrs. Dalton E. Tucker, BA., MBE, after whom the former Southampton Glebe School has been named, and of Mrs. Tucker's daughter Adele pointing after unveiling the portrait on behalf of her Class of 69. Top right, members of the Class of 1969 choir who sang in honour of their Mrs. Tucker. And, below, part of the large audience who had given the 91-year-old-teacher a standing ovation. Top middle, Mrs. Tucker, who her students said she at 91 made that age the new 50, with Opposition Leader Kim Swan embracing his teacher two days before being sworn in in his new office. On the right is Dr. Radall Tankard, acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Minister of Education Randy Horton, and Wendell Smith, deputy principal of the school, acting in the absence abroad of the principal, Gladstone Thompson.