Wednesday, October 21, 2009

By  Vinette K. Pryce

                              (L-R) Honorees Neville Myton, Dr. Maureen Samms-Vaughan,

                                      Owen Blakka Ellis and Dr. Marcia Livingston

Reunion was the order of the Columbus Day weekend when former students of Jamaica’s Excelsior High School toasted five distinguished achievers at their 40th annual dinner dance and awards gala in New York.

Eyes bulged, mouths opened widely, surprise, glee and even dismay pervasively graced the faces of well-dressed patrons to the Excelsior Alumni Association (USA) celebration.

Individual past students traveled from England, Canada, France, and Jamaica to accept and honor the tradition that united their secondary education experience in Jamaica. Party patrons from Florida arrived en mass to make the anticipated and reputed party-perfect “old-school” get-together.

Public relations officer Duane Coombs sold more than 70 tickets -- a whopping seven tables – attributing to the four decades of associated involvement in New York, the allure of the honorees and to Coombs’ relentless pitch for support of his alma mater.

Kudos to Executive Board

                      Paulette Mullings Bradnock, Donald Chin-Shue, Dawn Walker,Lenny Wright

                      and Charles Ellis

                                 (l-r) Noelene Johnson, Pauline Isaacs-Tate, Cheryl Symes-Hudson,

                                  Dr. Owen Jones and Duane Coombs

Executive board members Paulette Mullings Bradnock, Donald Chin-Shue, Dawn Walker, Lenny Wright, Charles Ellis, Cheryl Symes-Hudson, Pauline Isaacs-Tate, Noelene Johnson, Owen Jones and Coombs are stalwarts of the association. They should be commended for their dedication and appealing call to duty.

Individually, in their various capacities, seem to foster unity and a sense of commitment to the institution and association of former students.

Harold and Norman Nembhard were flattered to be remembered.

Kathleen Pennycooke reminisced her shy yet very, neat persona.

Seated with rivals from Moody, Wint, Sherlock, Powell, and Allan, Avril Clemenson represented Curphey House back in the day she attended the school in her neighborhood. At the time, Clemenson lived blocks away and on any given day could walk to assembly before late monitors blocked entranceways.

She opined on a myriad of remembrances related to art classes with Mrs. Swaby, gym with Miss Hermenia Burke and the fear of being reprimanded by the unforgettable Miss Morgan. Un-objectively this was the fun table, where I sat sharing notes with Ian Martin,Fay Hutchinson who made her inaugural appearance at the annual reunion, visiting from Paris, France; the funniest man in Toronto, Blakka Ellis, and others.

Putting aside concerns of high cholesterol, trans-fats consumption and high calorie foods we all imbibed from a menu named after an Excelsior-themed offering. Needless to say, Livingston’s Stewed Oxtail; Samms-Vaughan's Escoveitch Red Snapper; Myton’s Herb Crested Baked Chicken; went well with Ellis’ Rice & Pigeon Peas.

The Antrim Cheese Cake, Hampton Street Home Style Bread Pudding and Mountain View Coffee delighted most. Knowing I should have focused on the Fong Kong Exotic Fresh Fruits, I settled instead for a little Morgan’s Medley of Fresh Vegetables.

There were those who wanted to dance until dawn.

Andrew Clarke offered a musical sampling but deejay Chappie Stateside controlled the beat spinning discs that kept many on the dance-floor until the lights brightened.  Continued......