Claudia Gardner, Gleaner Writer
JAMES
WESTERN BUREAU:
WHEN LINCOLN Keith Davies James came into the world 58 years ago, his family saw him as the starlight, the pacesetter.
Today, he has surpassed their expectations with a myriad of achievements, the latest being the 2005 Governor General's Achievement Award for St. James.
"I am very honoured to be considered, seeing that there are so many eligible persons in St James," Mr. James said.
Mr. James is the fourth of nine children born to farmer Clarence James and his wife Iris James. He was born in Claremount in Hanover and grew up in the farming community of Jericho.
"Things got a bit tight in the 1950's so my father went to England and left us behind, hoping to come back. He died five years later, while I was still in all-age school," Mr. James said. "So, there was a lot of strain on my mother who was not a professional by any means. The older children eventually left, and I was left to help my mother to 'grow' the smaller ones."
He said his father's ambition was to get him into Rusea's High School. Those dreams were however dashed with his father's death, so he continued in all-age school.
"I assisted my mother in the field to eke out a living," he said.
After passing his Jamaica Local Examinations, Mr. James acquired a job at the Jericho All-Age School in 1965, as a probationer (pretrained) teacher which would have enabled him to teach for up to six years after which he would have to pursue teacher's college education.
However, after a year, Mr. James headed off to the Caledonia Junior College, which offered emergency teacher training for one term.
"I later applied to Mico Teachers' College," he said. "It was very rough, as I had no one to assist me, (financially) except for an aunt."
Mr. James is married to Jean James who is the principal of the St. James Preparatory School. He is the father of four sons.
He is also a member of the Salter's Hill Baptist Church, and has been a Christian since age 14.
An avid sports fan, in his spare time he watches sports, but also listens to classical music and enjoys meeting people and travelling.
He currently chairs the Retirement Phase II Provident Society, and is also a director of the Jamaica Teachers' Association Credit Union.
