Special to Mid-Ocean News

By Ira Philip

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

(Ivan-don't curse me out. I couldn't avoid being behind the deadline. . This is Final. Maybe I will have to phone you the correct spellings for the picture of the Imam.)

It has been a momentous week to say the least for this writer trying to keep abreast of so many out of the ordinary events from Somerset to St. George's and back again.

We hope our exclusive pictures show some of the highlights engaging our attention. In the main, they revolve around two trailblazers in the medical field. One a black nurse, Lovie Davis who was laid to her final rest; and the other a physician, who spawned a sensational new political era for Bermuda. We need hardly say that was Dr. the Hon. Ewart Brown, the country's new Premier. In his two week campaign to take over the leadership of the ruling Progressive Labour Party from incumbent William Alexander Scott, he electrified Bermuda like no other had done since the 60 odd years that have elapsed when another physician, Dr. E. F. Gordon, later known as MAZUMBO won his seat in the House of Assembly.

The daily Royal Gazette, certainly no friend then of the organized labour movement in Bermuda or admirer of MAZUMBO, its leader, was forced to admit editorially, that Dr. Gordon during the five days since he announced he was a General Election candidate, had whipped up a "whirlwind" which had sucked Bermuda's politicians into a "mental tailspin." We documented that story in our book, "FREEEDOM FIGHTERS, from Monk to Mazumbo."

Dr. Brown has vowed to take his party and Bermuda to what he called "the next level;" and to render the Opposition United Bermuda Party that ruled the country for some thirty years into what he termed "irreversible political oblivion."

We joined the thousand or more Wednesday who occupied every available space in the Centennial Hall of St. Paul AME Church, Hamilton, and at times caused a traffic jam in the streets outside the church paying tribute to Barbara Helen Lavinia Davis Wade. Better known, far and wide as "Lovie," she passed away, October 27, exactly 70 years to the day she was born, October 27, 1936. She had been a breast cancer survivor for 6 years. Neither time nor space would permit us doing justice this week to the many eloquent tributes paid to "Lovie." Probably I will have to write an entire book devoted to her, and her professional and business colleagues, as a companion to the one I wrote, "Heroines in the Medical Field of Bermuda." It was published in May 1994, by Dale Butler of the Bermuda Writers Machine and is available in local book stores.

The long and short about "Lovie" Davis Wade, as we were briefly reminded at her Home Going Service Wednesday, was the fact that in 1958 she became the first black nurse to be hired to work on a public ward at the King Edward V11 Memorial Hospital. The cause of black nurses was the first fight by Trinidadian-born Dr. Gordon assumed after he was invited to settle down in Bermuda in 1924 KEMH, though subsided by Government funds was the guarded citadel of the racist oligarchy controlling Bermuda for generations. Black doctors were not allowed to attend to their patients there. Black girls no matter how highly trained they happened to be, were not allowed to work in the hospital, nor to train there, although white girls were recruited from all over the world to keep the school viable. Ironically the first time black nurses were allowed to darken the doors of KEMH was in 1955 when Dr. Gordon was confined there on his death bed. They were his own daughter enabled to come from England where she had trained, to nurse her father by special dispensation.in a private ward; and Nurse Moira Cann of Somerset who also qualified in the U.K. They rotated nursing Dr. Gordon.

When he passed, the authorities at KEMH were so impressed with the professionalism of the nurses they offered Nurse Cann a fulltime job, which she declined. Because of the racial prejudice at KEMH she had previously committed herself to joining the staff of Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, NY. Dr. Gordon's daughter returned to England.

Meanwhile, Lovie Davis returned to Bermuda after gaining certification as a State Registered Nurse at Lambeth Hospital in London. She applied to KEMH for a job, only to be told by the authorities there she was not sufficiently qualified. So off she went to Montreal, Canada and gained a post-graduate diploma in obstetrical nursing. She returned home, was given a job at KEMH in 1958, and shattered for all times the racial barriers against black nurses.

CAPTION (FOR Lovie Davis cortege) An impressive guard of honour lined both sides of the aisle leading from Centennial Hall for the cortege of he late Barbara "Lovie" Davis Wade. It was made up by members of St. Paul Senior Choir, the Bermuda Business and Professional Women's Club and the Bermuda Nurses Association.

CAPTION FOR PHENOMENAL WOMEN (2 pics)

Also this week we witnessed the formal launching of the Bermuda Chapter of Phenomenal Women |0xae| Inc. Bermuda is the first international chapter of the U.S. registered, faith-based, non-profit organization. We learnt its purpose is to positively influence women by providing educational seminars and other events that will unite and empower women to become their personal best and to build and strengthen their character. The Chapter was "blessed" at the Sunday morning service at Christ Anglican Church, Devonshire, conducted by the Rector, Canon Francis. Our (group) picture shows members of the Chapter prior to going to lunch in the church hall. The motivating force behind formation of the chapter was Margaret Giloth. Upon returning home after spending nearly 20 years abroad she lost little time getting it registered as a charitable organization with an official certificate and number. Below are members of the BPW Board of Directors, from left to right president Margaret Giloth; Enid Christopher, secretary; Deeanda Bannister, Margaret's sister who is vice-president; Veronica Edwards, Gwyneth Rawlins, public relations officer; Patrice Rochester, treasurer; Ellan Smith, historian. Not seen are Gloria Long-Groves, assistant secretary and Fern Wade, chaplain. -photos by Ira Philip

CAPTIONS FOR PLP PICS:

Top left: This was the scene Devonshire Recreation Club where some 200 delegates and PLP officials prepared for the crucial vote for election of officers. It put in place what the new Party Leader, Dr. the Hon. Ewart Brown called a great team, rearing to go to work , (PLP Execs pic) which he formally introduced the following night at the Party's gala 39th Annual Conference Banquet at Southampton Princess Hotel. With Dr. Brown from the right, are Hon. Paula Cox, the Deputy Leader; new chairman. David Burt; Secretary Lynda Merritt, and Treasurer Sandy Gilbert. Among the guests at the gala were (blakeney pic) from the left, Dennis Wainwright, Eugene Blakeny and Mr. Rubain and their wives. Other guests, (five men) from the left, Iman Muwwbbil, Wayne Brown, Paul Darrell and Saleen Takum and Eldon Dill

Final Tribute to Peter Agar (no pics)

Sunday afternoon we were amongst the large number attending the Memorial Service at the St. George's Seventh-day Adventist Church for Barbadian-born Peter Costain Agar, Sr. The genial Hamilton businessman passed away at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados on September 16, ten days short of his 59th birthday. He qualified as a chef at the Barbados Hotel School, came to Bermuda in 1986 to work at his profession in leading hotels. When he quit the hotel industry he qualified as a male nurse; served in the Bermuda Police Reserves and opened his own business on the corner of Court and Dundonald Street, Hamilton. Among those mourning his passing were his two sons, Antonia and Peter Agar, Jr., and daughter Alante Trott their mothers Sandra and Rhonda and a host of friends including members of the Barbados Association of Bermuda.

PROFILE OF GEORGE GILES THE GREAT UNCLE OF BERMUDA'S BUTTERFIELD CLAN

(A week ago we did a feature on the visit of US Congressman George K. Butterfield to Bermuda, his ancestral home, and birthplace of his father, Dr. George Kenneth Butterfield. Dr. George was one of the 12 children of James Peter Butterfield, a tailor by profession and his wife Ann Harriett Giles Butterfield of St.George's. Young George, born in 1900, migrated to Florida seeking broader horizons at age 16. He enlisted in the US Army, fought as an Artilleryman in World War 1; went to college upon his discharge, receiving a dental degree from Meharry Medical School. At college he met and married his American wife and settled in her hometown, Wilson, North Carolina. He was a political activist and became the first black elected official in his city's council, and the fourth in the whole of North Carolina. The Congressman was born and raised in Wilson; studied law, became a Superior Court Judge and in 2004 was elected to Congress, representing the First District of N.C.

(Rep. Butterfield was fully acquainted with the Butterfield-side of the family and his many cousins in Bermuda, among them Norris Pearman and family who own and operate the People's Pharmacy. He admitted he did not know very much about his grandmother's side of t Giles-side of the family, especially George Giles, after whom his father and himself were named. He seemed interested in knowing more. Thanks to the special issue of the now defunct Bermuda Recorder newspaper published in July 22,1935 we have from my own archives, this profile on George Giles, written by Elton E. Beane in his weekly Recorder column, "So This is New York.")

George Giles Profile

There are many Bermudians abroad who have done well in professional, business and other lines of activity. But it has been our good fortune and pleasure to have met and to have lived in the same neighbourhood with a gentleman who was the most alert, progressive and enterprising Bermuda business man we have ever known or heard of, either in Bermuda or elsewhere.

This person was Mr. George Giles a native of St.George's, and a brother of the late Mrs. Harriett Butterfield of St. Georges.

We will endeavour to give a brief summary of the achievements of this wonderful, dynamic son of Bermuda.

Some forty odd years ago George Giles found his way to the little island town of Ocala, Florida about 120 miles south of Jacksonville. He was an expert carpenter and found plenty of work there. He was quick to observe the possibilities for business in this locality and decided to settle there. With resources accumulated he opened a grocery store. His genial, friendly manner gained for his business a large patronage. It was not long before he added a dry goods department. Business grew by leaps and bounds. Looking around for further opportunities he opened a cotton-gin factory, and soon from miles around, farmers, both coloured and white, were seen driving their mule-drawn wagons laden with cotton to George Giles' cotton factory, there to be ginned, (separating fiber from seeds) baled and made ready for shipment.

Turning his attention to real estate Mr. Giles purchased several houses. He had observed that very few houses occupied by coloured people possessed ceiling to them. He renovated these buildings, making them to look as houses should. He then went around and talked to many of the coloured businessmen of the town, on the subject of forming a real estate company.

It was not long before the Metropolitan Realty Company began business. Houses were bought in various parts of the town, then renovated and rented. In one deal a whole city block of houses was bought and improved. The company prospered.

Mr. Giles next move was to interest the same men in organizing a bank. The Metropolitan Savings Bank of Ocala.

A three storey building was erected with a frontage of seventy feet along each of the two streets. The bank together with stores occupied the main floor; offices were on the second floor and a large assembly or dance floor on the third.

In spite of the deep seated race prejudice in this as in all other Southern communities, Mr. Giles had gained a great deal of respect from the white people because of his leadership and achievements. He went to the officials of Ocala and told them that the coloured bank was an asset to the town, and that the authorities should make it a depository of some of the public funds which could be used to meet the pay checks of large number of coloured employees on the country payroll.

Strange to relate they agreed with his point of view and public funds were placed on deposit in this coloured owned, controlled, and managed bank, George Giles being the President thereof.

The next step of this man of energy, enterprise, and foresight, was to build a brick hotel containing twenty-five rooms on the upper floors, with barber shop and stores on the ground floor. The rooms were well-furnished, being on a par with many of the smaller hotels of Bermuda.

With these various enterprises successfully going, Mr. Giles then launched out into other fields. He sent to Atlanta, Georgia, for six knitting machines. These were installed in a large room that was formerly used as a store. An expert instructor was obtained from the factory to teach the young women hired by Mr. Giles, to operate the machines.

Three months later a brick building measuring 100 by 100 feet was erected and 75 persons were at work therein operating machines, making underwear for men, women and children. About two months later we read in the Crisis Magazine, then edited by Dr. W.E.B. Dubois, that a business firm in New York had placed on order fifty thousand dollars worth of underwear from the Metropolitan Knitting Mills of Ocala, Florida. Mr. Giles himself retained fifty-one percent of the stock of the company, the rest being taken up by his business associates.

In spite of the many great achievements of George Giles, which had made Ocala widely-known throughout Florida and some of the adjoining states, he was still subjected to that ridiculous, unfair, ignorant deep-seated attitude of Southern race prejudice. He had done more to put Ocala on the map than any white man of the town had done, or appeared to have the energy or ability or ability to do.

When Mr. Giles wanted to attend a movie, he was obliged to enter a little door that led to seats in the gallery along with the lowliest little urchin, simply because he was coloured. To meet this discrimination against his people, Mr. Giles erected a movie theatre of about 200 capacity for the use of the coloured people.

Although forced to admit the wonderful ability of George Giles, many of the white people were loath to believe that he was a coloured man.

Some of the white women employers told their coloured servants that no coloured man had as much brains as he did; that he came from Bermuda and the white people there were dark like he was.

In our many conversations he had often remarked that there were quite a number of enterprises that could be started and carried on in Bermuda, chief of which was the development of a canning industry of vegetables, fruit and fish.

He always asserted he did not believe in keeping money lying in the bank, but instead to put it out to work.

His personal holdings of real estate property were larger than that of any other coloured man in Ocala.

There is no Bermudian, white or coloured whose activiti4es in the business world has placed him n prominent leadership in such varied enterprises.

During the height of his career Mr. Giles was foremost in every line of business he entered. He was proprietor of a grocery and dry goods store, owner of a cotton-gin factory, possessor of large real estate holdings; proprietor of a hotel; President of the Metropolitan Realty Investment Company of Ocala; President of the Metropolitan Savings Bank of Ocala; President of the Metropolitan Knitting Mills of Ocala; and a leader in all civic and business movements for the advancement and betterment of his people.

When George Giles died about eight years ago, (written in 1935) coloured people in general, and those of Ocala in particular lost a business leader of stature, and a brilliant exponent of what people of his race can accomplish. He left a wife, Mrs. Ruth Mozon Giles, a native of North Carolina, whose aid, advice and loyalty helped him greatly in achieving success, and two sons and a daughter.

It is our hope that someday some of our own young people in Bermuda may be moved by a spirit of ambitious enterprises to take the lead in launching and developing some industrial business movement, that will go far towards removing the fear of unemployment from our people in the homeland.

George Giles is a shining example worthy of emulation to anyone, who aspires to achievement in the world of business, trade, and commerce.

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