Pettit Winners: ‘Never Too Young’

Six Bermuda students demonstrated the true meaning of giving thanks in their entries for the 14th Annual Tom Pettit Essay Competition, Education Minister Dame Jennifer Smith said yesterday [Nov. 23].

Since its inception in 1997 Bermuda’s secondary school students have been asked to answer the question “Why I Am Thankful” in the annual Thanksgiving competition named after the late NBC TV reporter Tom Pettit.

Mr. Pettit and his wife Patricia had moved to Bermuda shortly before the award-winning journalist’s death in 1995. Mrs. Pettit still lives here.

Supported by sponsors including Orbis Investment Management Ltd., Edmund Gibbons Ltd. and the XL Foundation, the competition challenges students to reflect on positive aspects in their lives and, in 500 words or less, write a compelling essay in hopes of winning the first place prize, a $1,000 grant.

Five other finalists receive $500 prize grants for writing excellence with each winner’s school receiving matching grants.

“It is a pleasure to be a part of this14th Annual Tom Pettit Essay Competition Award ceremony,” said Dame Jennifer. “First and foremost, special thanks to Patricia Barry Pettit who, through her passion and dedication over the years, has helped both students and adults to focus on those things for which we should be thankful.

The Education Minister said over the 14 years of its existence, hundreds of Bermuda’s students have submitted essays on the topic of “Why I Am Thankful.”

“Writing these essays is a wonderful outlet for students to creatively express themselves, while simultaneously learning the true meaning of giving thanks,” she said. “In addition, I think we should take note of the fact that during the 14 years of financial awards given by the Tom Pettit Grant Committee; they have given away tens of thousands of dollars to encourage our students.

“[On Thursday] millions of people across the US and around the world will celebrate – Thanksgiving. While we in Bermuda do not formally celebrate this holiday, we have adopted the overall concept of giving thanks.

“The occasion serves as a time to remember how blessed we are in this country.”

Dame Jennifer said student finalists Jasmin Bacabac, Kennedy Anell Middleton, Amber Reid, Jack Ricciardi, Jeret Simmons and Tahirah Smith were all winners for choosing to participate in this year’s essay competition. Jeret Simmons from CedarBridge Academy was the overall winner.

Dame Jennifer With Tom Pettit Essay Contest Winners, Mrs. Pettit, XL Foundation’s Amanda Outerbridge & Edmund Gibbons Co.’s James Gibbons

“Just remember one thing — you are never too young to make a difference,” she said. “The written word, when mastered, is a powerful and beneficial tool. It can make a difference by changing the lives of the reader.

“I am certain that the essays you have written will touch the hearts of those who read them.”

Dame Jennifer also congratulated the finalists’ teachers and parents for inspiring and encouraging them to learn new things and see the world from a different perspective, “perspectives that have been so beautifully articulated in the 2011 Tom Pettit essay submissions.”

Tom Pettit was an award-winning television reporter who was the only broadcaster on the air when Lee Harvey Oswald was killed in Dallas. He died suddenly in 1995 at the age of 64, shortly after he retired and he and his wife had moved to Bermuda.

Mr. Pettit won three Emmys, a Peabody Award and the Polk Memorial Award during a career which stretched from the Eisenhower era to the Clinton Administration.

But his most famous report came from outside the Dallas City Jail on November 24, 1963 — 48 years ago today — when he was the only TV journalist providing live coverage as Dallas police led John F. Kennedy’s assassin out for transfer to the county jail, and he was shot dead by nightclub owner Jack Ruby.

In 1988, on the 25th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, Mr. Pettit recalled standing just six feet away and watching as Mr. Ruby opened fire.

“It was the only time I’ve really experienced doing eyewitness reporting while you’re live on the air,” he said.

Late Bermuda Resident Tom Pettit Interviewed About The Murder Of Lee Harvey Oswald In 1988

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