Saltus Grammar School - Yearbook (Hamilton, Bermuda)

Page 11 text:

9 him, by a considerable company of old boys who have passed through the school during his administration and by the scholars now at school. Mr. Booker, instead of proceeding immediately to Oxford during the First World War, like all of the best of his generation, re sponded to the call of duty, and served in France on active service as a subaltern in the Buffs (East Kent Regiment). At the conclusion of the war he went up to Brasenose College, Oxford, and in due course received his degree. After several years of teaching at his old school, St. Andrew ' s, Eastbourne, and at a private school, Mr. Booker decided to seek experience and opportunity on this side of the Atlantic. After serving in Bermuda as a member of the staff of Somers College in Southampton Parish, Mr. Booker joined the staff of the Saltus Grammar School in 1933, and shortly afterwards he was called upon to share with Mr. Freer Cox and Mr. H. J. Hallett the responsibility of the administration of the school, be- cause of the serious illness of the headmaster, Mr. Henry C. Cox. On the resignation through protracted illness of Mr. Cox, Mr. Booker was appointed headmaster with effect from the commence- ment of the Easter term, 1934. W hen seeking a worthy successor to the headmastership which had been filled with such distinction by his two predecessors, it was not difficult for the Trustees to feel assured that Mr. Booker would fill the position with credit and to the advantage of the school. Mr. Booker had already demonstrated that he possessed in good measure a high sense of duty, good learn- ing, enthusiasm, a real love of his chosen profession, a great liking for boys, as well as a fundamental understanding of them. During his administration Mr. Booker ' s enthusiasm and his interest in the school has never flagged. He has worked both in school and out for the improvement and advancement of the school. It was upon Mr. Booker ' s shoulders that the burden fell to carry the school through the difficulties and anxieties of the recent v ar. The Trustees would like to pay their tribute to Mr. Booker for his work in the Imperial Censorship Establishment so willingly undertaken and carried out by him without remuneration and witfiout detriment to the work of the school. The Trustees would also take this opportunity to record their appreciation of Mr. Booker ' s efforts since the cessation of hostilities to make good defects and commence projects for the further advancement and improve- ment of the school which the exigencies of war have inevitably delayed. After fifteen years at the Saltus Grammar School Mr. Booker feels the need for a change and a wish to pursue his vocation in another sphere, and so in furtherance of his plans he has resigned

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8 Kxlay ... in its failure Lo hold on lo things that truly made for its Ik jjiw and ws il-lx ing. . . . 1 he only hope for our getting out of the pn s. Ht dine of iear and suspicion and unrest in the world is the deep s :iriiual conviction among all peoples that there is no salva- tion for mankind excej i by a return to the sense of duty by every human being to God and his fellow men. It would be they of ihcir generation who must try to assure a fine new world when they grew up. He wished them good luck and good fortune wherever they might go. Tribute to R» E. Booker By John W. Cox, C.B.E. It is now more than fifty years since the establishment of Saltus Grammar School. In that length of time the school has had only three headmasters. This has been an important factor in establishing the school on a firm foundation for it has created a sense of stability, continuity and permanence. The school has been even more fortunate in that each of the three headmasters, in accordance with the best traditions of the teaching profession, have always been more concerned over the advancement of the school and the best interests of the pupils than with their own advantage. It is with great regret that the Trustees have received the resignation of Mr. Booker. Their regret will be fully shared by the staff, who have worked with

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10 aiul inU nds Lo proceed lo the Hiiiicd Stales of America in the hope thai he will lind iliere tlie field of endeavour in which he feels he can best use his talents. To Mr. Booker the 1 rustees tender their grateful thanks for the splendid work which he has accomplished in the interests of the Saltus Grammar School, and their appreciation of the services which he has rendered if) this Island Colony, whose interests he has id( n- tifitd with his own while it has been his home. With him will go the best wishes of the School and its affiliates and of a host of friends which he has made during the years that he has been among us. Carol Booker School years are impressionable years and the process of time will show what things are most likely to survive in the storehouse of memory. To the grief of our instructors, we fear, it is not the liard facts of the textbook which feave the most lasting impression, rather it is the impact of personality. To the many generations of Saltus boys who have come and gone during the past fifteen years the Headmaster ' s wife has meant a real, live person, not merely one who has been content to w ork behind the scenes, but a dynamic individual who has entered into the arena of school life. Studies and sports alike have been stimulated by her presence, in the organ- ization of school functions, such as Founder ' s Day, she has worked indefatigably, and all will remember the charm with which she has presided as hostess on the innumerable occasions where a woman ' s presiding genius is indispensable. There are those, too, chiefly among senior boys, who have had the privilege to be entertained at the Headmaster ' s House, there to make a closer contact with the sympathetic charm of the Headmaster ' s wife. To the staff, who perhaps more readily discern the insistent demands upon her time and patience, she has been a friend and helper. Some will remember the tremendous energy, enthusiasm and patience which she gave to the organisation of the Boarding School, functioning with such success until the vicissitudes of war- time led to its dissolution. All have enjoyed her hospitality, her friendly advice and help. To those cut off from the homeland by three thousand miles of ocean, to those particularly, her kindly sympathy and practical help in finding them a home and in find- ing them friends has meant a great deal, the difference between dis- comfort and happiness. Has she found a place in our hearts and memory? I think so.