THE EDITOR, Sir:
I ATTENDED St. Hilda's Diocesan High School in Brown's Town, St. Ann, from 1965-1972. Mrs. Muriel Lynch Rackham was the headmistress in the latter part of my school life.
Mrs. Rackham who died on June 30 will always be Miss Lynch to me and I am really saddened at her passing. Miss Lynch touched my life in many ways but the story I am about to tell is the one that really stands out in my memory and made all the difference in my life.
I had passed six subjects in the General Certificate of Education (GCE) 'O' Level Exams in 1970, and really wanted to go on to GCE 'A' Level. However, I was from a very poor family and my scholarship covered only five years at high school. I remember sitting on the steps of the school chapel crying my heart out because there did not seem any way for me to go on for the two additional years it would take to prepare for, and take, the "A" Level subjects that would qualify me for admittance to the University of the West Indies.
Miss Lynch came to my rescue. Not only was she instrumental in getting a two-year scholarship that covered my tuition costs, but also, she found the funds to cover my textbooks and other supplies. Had it not been for her caring, I might never have been able to continue my education, go on to the University of the West Indies and become a teacher.
When I applied to the Brown's Town Community College for my first teaching job, Senator Burchell Whiteman who was the principal then, told me he remembered me as a young girl crying my heart out on the steps of the chapel at St. Hilda's D.H.S. When he asked what was the matter, Miss Lynch told him why I was so distraught and said that she was going to do everything in her power to help me. And she did.
In later years, after Miss Lynch retired from St. Hilda's D.H.S, we were faculty members together on the staff of the Brown's Town Community College. Miss Lynch was a caring, compassionate person. I remember her laughter and ready smile. She will always live in my heart as an educator with a heart of compassion.
I am, etc.,
ANNETTE M. GILZENE
annette.gilzene@pepperdine.edu
California USA
Via Go-Jamaica
