As we give God thanks for the life of his servant Carlton Ira Bruce, O.D., and as we pay tribute o his memory I wish to highlight a few important ways in which his fruitful 91 years of sojourn on planet earth can enrich our lives and those of generations to come. I am grateful to God and to my friend Carlton that he instructed that I should do this comment at his funeral.
Woodburn Miller
In the first place Carlton was a rural boy of humble means The youngest of four children born to William and Mary Bruce, of Black River, St Elizabeth. Through self-motivation and the grace of God he climbed the education ladder and equipped himself to make an invaluable contribution to society. It was this Black River Elementary School boy who passed through Excelsior High School with flying colours, on to the Mico Teachers’ College (which was to become the Mico University College before his death). He did his Bachelor of Arts Degree externally from London University. That took a lot of courage and hard work. He capped this with a Masters Degree in Education done at Toronto University in 1958 and a Diploma in Educational Administration in 1963 from London University.
The record of educators who achieved, lifting themselves, as it were by their own boot straps is very instructive. We must remember that in Carlton’s youth there was only one scholarship per parish to high school and there was no University of the West Indies. Opportunities then were far far less and the hurdles far greater than today when a black family can move into the White House. Carlton told me the story of a school boy in a class he visited in Britain asking him, “What kind of houses you have in Jamaica ?” He replied, “Houses like in Britain, one storey, two storey houses, three storey…” “Ha, the boy exclaimed, he will soon say a hundred storeys”.
Carlton Bruce’s contribution to the education system of Jamaica was monumental. He spent forty four years in the classroom, one year as principal of Mt. St Joseph’s Elementary School, about six years as Second Master at Beckford and Smith High School , now St Jago High, thirty seven years at Kingston College where he worked as geography teacher, vice principal and twice as acting principal. After retirement he worked as Assistant Secretary in charge of the Cambridge Overseas Exams Office from 1983- 1986, giving up only because of failing eyesight.
He was not only an excellent teacher and principal but also an outstanding teacher leader. He was the President of the Assistant Masters and Mistresses Association (AAMM) in 1962-1963. This large association of teachers in secondary schools is one of the five teachers’ organizations which joined together in 1964 to form the Jamaica Teachers’ Association. Mr. Bruce was one of the visionaries who gave up personal prestige and selfish ambitions to unite the teachers of Jamaica. He will be remembered along with stalwarts like A.Wesley Powell as one of the principals in the founding of the J. T.A. with the motto “Unite and Serve”. Other teacher organizations in which he was prominent include the Teachers Mutual Aid Society Limited of which he became vice chairman and which unfortunately predeceased him and the AAMM Cooperative Credit Union which is doing well up to the present and of which he was president, 1962-1963.
The part of the educational system, however, that is most indebted and which has the challenge to perpetuate Carlton Bruce’s memory is the K.C. family. He gave his all to the job at K.C. and was successful in helping to build a truly great institution which has shaped the lives of thousands of young men in a positive way. After his promotion to vice principal in 1966 he was placed in charge of the Melbourne campus in 1967 and ruled here until retirement in 1983. In the same year, 1967, he founded and was principal of the Kingston College Extension School which filled an important gap for a number of years at a time when secondary school places were very scarce.
Carlton Bruce was a firm, no nonsense vice principal. I suspect that there are some gentlemen at this service who are celebrating the canings they received at his hands. I understand students used to say they went for “Bruce’s patties and cane juice,” That was good for body, mind and spirit. Mr. Bruce’s stern discipline was in the context of his passionate caring for the interest of his charges. He kept no grudges, rejoiced at their success and worked assiduously to garner resources to assist students and aid the teaching process. The K.C. family owes him a great debt of gratitude.
The man Carlton Bruce leaves for posterity the memory of a committed professional with a wonderful sense of humour and a love and appreciation of others who displayed high ethical standards. Whenever I visited him in his latter days when he was at the nursing home he would ask repeatedly about persons he admired. For example he would inquire, “When last have you seen Helen Douglas?” and when I replied he would say “That’s a wonderful girl and her mother a wonderful human being”.
Good music was one of the passions of his life. He had a huge collection of the best in classical music. When the loss of sight made it impossible for him to operate his tape machine he said to me one day “Take this box of tapes as I can’t use them any more.” The box which I still have and plan to have them converted to modern technology contains over forty reel tapes. Each contains like eight pieces from composers like Beethoven, Mozart,
Chopin, Hayden, Strauss, Paganini, Shubert …and the list could go on and on. His interest spanned organ music, choirs, piano, orchestras, church music and carols. In the final analysis our departed brother was a deeply spiritual person. He was a committed churchman and served especially when he worked in Spanish Town as a licensed lay reader in the Anglican Church.
It was very sad to see the strong and vibrant Carlton lose his sight and after part of his memory. We admired his fortitude and spirit of independence as we saw him blind navigating his way at home and trying to take care of himself until he was he was taken bodily into a nursing home.
A faithful servant like Carlton Bruce would have devoted family and friends to look after him especially in his twenty or so years of visual impairment. I thank and give thanks for all these persons including the staff at Nightingale Nursing Home.
It is said some people marry for love, some for money and some for a short time. Which group Carlton belongs to I will not say. He was a married man between 1945 and 1952. The blessing is that he produced one daughter, Carlene Grace, who married George Alexander. These two have been towers of strength to him all through and especially during his years of disability. God bless them and the rest of the close family, granddaughter Kamla, great granddaughter Marley, niece and nephew laurel and Robert. The Kingston College family, and all Carlton’s friends, admirers and the beneficiaries of his life’s sacrifices express condolence and pray that you will find comfort in the fact that he has left a noble heritage and that the faith that he embraced assures us that his soul is at peace with the God whose steward he was.
Prepared by. Woodburn D. Miller
Principal K.C. 1980-1986
