Front(L-R) Pauline Isaacs-Tate, Cheryl Symes Hudson, Millicent Butler,Dorothy Ramsey,
Trivia  Dillon and Ruperta Duncan. Rear.(L-R ) Dawn Walker, Donald Chinshue, Leighton Young, Hugh Nash, Dr. Gerald White-Davis, Rose Davis, Orville Hayles and Duane Coombs

In 1969, a group of enterprising Excelsior alumni who were living and studying in the New York metropolitan area had a get-together. Beyond the sharing of memories and the social reconnection, the group also wanted to tangibly express their gratitude and affection for the institution that played a seminal role in their personal development. This group’s determination to give something back to their alma mater resulted in the formation of Excelsior Alumni Association (USA) Inc.  

Today, what started out as an ad hoc reunion among friends has evolved into a dynamic and structured association with a sterling reputation; and a proud and enviable record of organizational success. Indeed, after almost forty years of unbroken service, the New York based entity has firmly established itself among the most stable, vibrant and oldest such organizations in the Jamaican Diaspora.

                       Front (L-R) Dr.Owen Jones, President Paulette Mullings                                                                                         Bradnock, VP Donald Chinshue, Corresponding Sec. 

                              Ruperta Duncan    Rear (L-R) Dr. Gerald White-Davis, Asst Bus. Mgr.                                                             Charles Ellis, Trivia Dillon, Ian Martin  & Public                                                                                    Relations Officer Duane Coombs

The organization has worked assiduously to fulfill its mission and vision of expanding educational opportunities for the youth of Jamaica, particularly those at Excelsior, as well as other youth in the Association’s host community in the United States.  Over the years the Association has remained in close contact with Excelsior and has provided   generous financial and material support to the school.

The organization provides numerous scholarships to youth, Excelsior alumni and others, who are studying in the United States, and maintains a very strong focus on students currently at Excelsior by providing benefits to them.  In just the past four years for example, Excelsior Alumni Association (USA) provided 150 scholarships to students at Excelsior. Prior to launching its scholarship program, the main area of concentration was helping to stock the Computer Lab with new computers as well as providing other resources to the school.

This is in addition to the financial support the Alumni Association has given to help with the rehabilitation of the physical plant and with the preparation of the school’s sports teams.  When the school’s staff room was torched in a suspected arson some years ago, the NY based organization was quick to rally to the aid of the school, and provided a significant financial contribution to help with the rebuilding.

Recognizing the importance of sports to the development of the students and morale of the alumni fraternity, the Alumni Association has over the years provided tangible assistance to almost all the sports programs and made a significant infusion of funds in the initial construction of the school’s swimming pool. In the early days Dr. Powell would make an almost annual visit to New York to collect funds that were raised for the construction of the Excelsior swimming pool that he considered his pet project.
 

The organization also provides financial support to help defray the cost of sending the school’s track teams to the annual Penn Relays Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Further it has provided funding to help to buy gears and prepare the football teams and the hockey teams. Many alumni in the New York area felt a keen sense of pride as they witnessed what they consider the dawning of a new era of sports excellence when the girls’ and boys’ football team emerged champions, as did the girls' hockey team.

The highlight of the Association’s calendar is its Annual Dinner / Dance and Awards; a function that it has hosted for 37 consecutive years in New York. It is an eagerly anticipated yearly reunion during which alumni from all across the United States and Canada as well as Jamaica, the United Kingdom and Germany converge on New York to pay homage to the Alumni Association, Excelsior and the visionary ideals of its founder Dr. Hon A.W. Powell.

The Dinner / Dance and Award function, to be held this year on October 14, is a fundraiser- cum- alumni reunion which has, over the years, honored those members of the Excelsior fraternity who have brought honor to the alma mater through their service or accomplishments.  Among the recent honorees are the Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverley, cricket legend Ambassador Courtney Walsh, thespians Leonie Forbes and Carl Bradshaw, as well as a slew of others who have made their marks in Jamaica and the United States.

A measure of the group’s vibrancy and stability is the fact that, almost forty years after its inception, many of the founding members of the organization remain active in the day-to- day affairs of the Association, despite the passing of leadership to a younger generation of alumni. Under the astute leadership of President Mrs. Paulette Mullings Bradnock and her able Executive Board, it is a proud tradition, which the group seeks to maintain.

The Excelsior Alumni Association (USA) Inc. remains one of the most respected such groups in North America, and maintains its visibility through its website (www.xlcralumni.com) as well as through service in the community. The Association is a charter member of UJAA (Union of Jamaica Alumni Association), the Alliance of Jamaican High School Alumni Associations based in New York.

This article also appeared as part of the Excelsior 75th Anniversary Supplement in the Jamaica Daily Gleaner, Tuesday, June 27, 2006