Dr. E.F. Gordon’s 130th Birthday Honoured

Dr. E.F. Gordon’s 130th birthday was marked yesterday [March 20] with a historical walk and a celebration at Dr. Gordon Memorial Hall.

A spokesperson said, “The appreciation celebration marking the 130th birthday of E.F. Gordon on the first day of spring – Thursday, March 20th – appropriately concluded with a packed house at the Dr Gordon Memorial Hall of the BIU’s Ottiwell Simmons building. In attendance were P6 students from five primary schools – Elliot, Prospect Victor Scott, West Pembroke, and Northlands – as well as students from Whitney and the Berkeley Institute, along with residents from the community.

“Those residents included President of the BIU Chris Furbert and President of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce Maurico Thomas, Elder Statesman Walter Lister, and family members of the late Dr Gordon, Gerald Brangman and Austin Wilson, all founding members of the Bermuda Workers Association [BWA].

“The celebration began at the grounds of the National Library, which hosted the launch gathering for the ‘walk through history,’ where some 30-40 residents heard from Imagine Bermuda’s Glenn Fubler, who explained how the intersection between the Woman’s Suffrage Movement’s success had fostered momentum in the formation of the Bermuda Workers Association in 1944, the penultimate year of World War II.

“Former Minister of Culture; School Principal, and Gordon biographer Dale Butler explained that the first attempt to create the BWA was unsuccessful in 1940, but that due to the best aspects of Bermudian character – resilience – led to eventual success in 1944. Butler went on to note that petition campaign that began in 1946 was ‘education at its best,’ during which the whole island – 93% had been excluded from the electoral process – was introduced to basic democratic principles and reasonable societal norms, such as abolishing segregation and guaranteeing free schooling.

“The walkers, led by three senior Berkeley Prefects, proceeded to the City Hall carpark, the site of the rallies that accompanied the 1959 Theatre Boycott. Here, the walkers heard that the Boycott’s roots had grown out of renaissance of thought which was nurtured in the 1940s.

“Along the junction of Church and Parliament Streets, walkers learnt that the Sessions House was the site of peaceful protests during the 40s, initiated by the BWA, as residents found their voice.

“Town Crier Ed Christopher pointed out to walkers at the intersection of Church and Court Street that the home of United Dance Productions – Alexandrina Hall – was the site of the BWA’s first formal meeting in July 1944, when Dr Gordon was unanimously elected President.

“At the Recorder Building, Dale Butler offered a one-man dramatic presentation; channeling his 10-year-old self, selling the biweekly newspaper which championed social progress in Bermuda up to the mid ‘70s – ‘Reeeee…corder…get your copy of the Reeee…corder!’

“Walkers then moved around the corner on Victoria, where Rev Nicholas Tweed offered a nutshell of his erudite insights – based on his research – on the institutional part played in the journey of social progress by the AME Church in general and St Paul’s role in particular.

“The walkers subsequently arrived at Dr Gordon’s Memorial Hall, where early attendees had been primed by Chris Furbert and Ronnie Burgess, BIU Sec Gen. The celebration’s concluding session involved Dale Butler providing an overview while encouraging the young people to build on the successful efforts of the older generations.

“Glenn Fubler called for a standing moment of silence in appreciation of the likes of those who contributed to the renaissance of the 1940s, but also to those family members, neighbours, and mentors who have contributed to our particular lives. After recognizing the various groups represented in the Hall, Fubler went on to encourage those in attendance to ‘care for all the gifts that we have received, to be good stewards.’”

#BermudaHistory #BermudaPolitics #DrEFGordon

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