The following citation written by Stephen Vasciannie and Patrick Dallas was read by Dr. Ivor Nugent at the KCOBA ( USA ) Banquet on May 13 th , 2006 in New York City .
Click arrow to view highlights from KCOBA NY Annual Ball
"There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and miseries"
-- " Julius Caesar ," (Act IV, Scene iii)
Frances Marie Coke will not object to the use of this Shakespearean passage. As an outstanding teacher of English Literature throughout the decade of the 1970s, she was part of a memorable team that encouraged a universalist approach to learning. Of course, Shakespeare was a dead white man, and, of course, we were all young black nationalists then; but, Frances Coke wanted us to understand that literature, like truth and beauty, transcended narrow, socially imposed boundaries. So, we, the Kingston College students who came under her tutelage, should know about Shakespeare and Keats , W.B. Yeats and Milton , Lyrical Ballads and Eve of St. Agnes , just as we should know about Derek Walcott and V.S. Naipaul , Dennis Scott and Mervyn Morris , Soul on Ice and The Fire Next Time .
Literature - good quality writing that embraces subtlety and style -- was one of the devices used by Frances Coke to help exuberant adolescents and anxious boys make the transition to manhood. She did not have to spell out the meaning of sensitivity, nor the virtues of respect of women, nor the need for discipline and responsibility in our daily lives; rather, by exploring with us the models produced by the masters of the literary genre , Frances Coke reminded us of the commonalities and the diverse elements that combine to make the examined life truly worth living.
If we lost a Manning Cup match at the Stadium and complained too loudly, one of Mrs. Coke 's protégés would be heard to explain in Miltonian tones:
"What though the field be lost?
All is not lost-the unconquerable will .
And courage never to submit or yield" .
If you hesitated in the face of challenges, you might have been reminded to consider a la Hamlet , whether the time was out of joint for you to put things right. If you displayed the signs of excessive time-wasting or wild over-enthusiasm in the pursuit of members on the distaff side, you might have received a quiet Jamaican reminder: "chicken merry, hawk de near." And, if in moments of angst you searched for words to match the blues, you may well have been inclined to remember that it was Frances Coke who introduced you to fluency in sadness: "My Heart aches and a drowsy numbness pains my sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk."
But the uninitiated should not think that Frances Coke 's influence was confined to literature students at Kingston College circa 1970 and thereafter. The contribution to literature at the College was of profound importance, but, if this is possible, it may have been exceeded by an enduring, long-lasting and memorable contribution to the development of the incomparable purple and white Schools' Challenge Quiz tradition. For the record, Kingston College has won the Schools' Challenge Quiz competition more often than any other school in Jamaica , with seven victories to date and countless appearances in the final rounds of the competition. And for the record, Frances Coke , who was affectionately known as Miss Quiz in the early days, was the first coach to guide a Kingston College Quiz Team to victory, an accomplishment in 1974 that set the stage for later victories. And for the record, again, in 1975 and 1977, under her perceptive, diligent and imaginative direction, the Quiz Trophy found its way home: to juxtapose a nonce word from the 1990s on to the 1970s, Frances Coke was the "winningest" Schools' Challenge coach of her time.
There have been many arguments about the secrets of Frances Coke 's success, and it is undeniable that other schools have borrowed Cokian methods - to coin a phrase -- in their quest for glory. Some no longer try to explain the magic, and have been heard simply to say that her success epitomizes the idea that there is indeed a tide in the affairs of men, which taken on the flood, leads on to fortune. Some point to individual characteristics of the quiz men. Thus, they mention the steely nerves and powers of anticipation of Orrett Campbell , Audley Jones , Ian Jackson and Patrick Dallas in the famous buzzer section of the quiz. They point to the quick thinking and "killer instinct" of Ivor Nugent , Donovan "Pip" Shaw , Maurice Bailey , Maurice Haynes and Michael Hewitt . And they highlight the intellectual range of Michael Fitz-Henley , Barrington Salmon, Charlton Collie and Stephen Vasciannie .
Indeed, the analysts even suggest in a complimentary way that quiz men were prepared to adjust to a procrustean bed, stretched to their intellectual limits, as they pushed for the "egony and ecstasy" of victory. But it is, of course, much more than that. The common link in all these winning teams was Frances Coke , and if one had to select a single quality of her coaching for special mention, it would be her dedication to the idea that we should all work as part of a team. Hast thou not heard that the chain is a strong as the weakest link?
The quiz man will tell you, therefore, that in those days, he was part of a coherent whole, with knowledge and camaraderie shared in generous measure. KC quiz teams were not interested in the possibility of defeat, but even when success did not crown the school's efforts, the team members knew that - as Frances Coke herself put it - trips and trophies were only the icing on the cake. The cake itself was the bond of friendship, understanding, responsibility and trust that developed among members of the team. It is this bond, too, that helps to explain why members of the squad for each team have consistently supported quiz activities at Kingston College . Frances Coke was preparing her charges for life, and so, the fact that one made the squad but not the team was of little import: the values were spread well beyond the final four in each year.
When Frances Coke arrived at Kingston College in 1970 as " Miss Phillips ", she was determined that her association with the school would be for one year. She had come to us from the neighbouring Convent of Mercy via the University of the West Indies . There are stories that she was active on campus, designing a winning entrant for the Carnival Costume Queen Show, and participating in the more peaceful aspects of the Walter Rodney demonstrations in Kingston . Her degree in English Literature had equipped her for teaching, so, although she kept her promise to leave the College after a year, she was back within the portals six months later.
This citation therefore honours Frances Coke for a wonderfully successful decade at Kingston College . A decade during which she helped shape the lives of a generation of boys who have gone to achieve many things in different societies, but all of whom regard Mrs. Coke as a touchstone, a moral guide, a quiet philosopher, a friend. The citation could dwell on her literary talents outside the College walls; it could elaborate on her authorship of Marlene , a popular Jamaican radio serial of the 1970s; it could consider My Son's Friend , by the playwright Frances Coke; it could review aspects of The Balm of Dusk Lilies by the poet Frances Coke; it could reflect on the social impact of poems such as Gunshot Trilogy ; it could emphasize Frances Coke's work at the then Jamaica Telephone Company and her headship of the then Institute of Management and Production. It could discuss her sterling and continued work at the Mona School of Business, University of the West Indies , where the Senior Lecturer continues to build intellectual capital. The late Dickie Coke was always keen to mention the talents of his wife, and their daughter, Kimberly "K.C." Coke must sometimes be allowed to enjoy her mother's glory.
But this is about Frances-Marie Coke at Kingston College . Over 30 years ago, a dedicated, soft-spoken, talented woman, with a keen understanding of life, living and growing up, joined the staff, and served the College with distinction. With feeling, affection and respect, the mighty columns at North Street continue to whisper stories about her legacy to the beloved alma mater .
