The Tribune

“True holiness does not mean a flight from the world; rather, it lies in the effort to incarnate the Gospel in everyday life, in the family, at school and at work, and in social and political involvement.” - Pope John Paul II

Holiness and heroism are sometimes evidenced in extraordinary acts of courage. They may also be manifested in a lifetime of love, service and generosity exhibited in the struggle and transcendence of daily life and decades. Dame Marjorie Davis came to exemplify holiness and heroism in her remarkable and dutiful life.

She was born on All Souls Day, November 2, 1928, five years short of a century ago, into a British Crown Colony in which racial, gender and class inequality were entrenched, and a few decades before the struggle for majority rule gathered intensity and pace.

Her public career and civic contributions would span the transformation of the colony into a modern sovereign state, including the achievement of independence and its commemoration 50 years later.

The country often lionizes political figures as national heroes. But there are other heroes in fields such as health care, the arts, philanthropy and education. With the death of Dame Marjorie, the country has lost such a hero and a selfless exemplar.

Her parents, Cyrus Ulysses Davis and Hilda (nee Tinker) bequeathed a treasury of gifts: a loving home; a devout faith animated by the Eucharist, devotions and good works; a commitment to education and personal growth; a spirit of community service; a highly disciplined work ethic; and a sense of dignity for herself and others.

The young Marjorie was primarily shaped and formed by a quartet of privileges: the Davis family, the Catholic Church, Government High School and Girl Guides.

She never took them for granted and invested them collectively like a down-payment cum endowment that grew into an ever-expanding surplus of love devotedly used to encourage the gifts and to improve the lives of countless others.

In the Davis family, she was the second child of 12, one of whom died at birth. The family influences included her parent’s families, including Sir Cyrus’s siblings, Monica, Donald Webster after whom DW Davis Junior High School is named, and Winston “Tappy” Davis, all devout Roman Catholics who were devotees of exemplary service.

At the family parish church, St Francis Xavier Cathedral, the Eucharist was both thanksgiving and sustenance for the Davis family and for Marjorie, a daily communicant of many years.

The life of Christ was inspiration and exhortation. Naturally self-effacing, she lived a life of simplicity and humility. She eschewed materialism and pretension. Hers was not an ostentatious, arrogant and showy faith seeking attention, plaudits and acknowledgement. She was often genuinely surprised when honoured.

Originally Anglicans, her parents converted to Roman Catholicism, due in great measure to the influence of Benedictine monks. Sir Cyrus’s contributions to the Church were such that in 1949 he was made Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory by Pope Pius XII.

The example of her parents also inspired Marjorie, who volunteered for various church ministries and groups including the Legion of Mary, which was devoted to visiting the sick and those confined to their homes. She also taught under the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) programme for some years.

Government High School loomed large in the life of The Bahamas and in Marjorie’s personal and professional development. Few students could attend the prestigious institution. Indeed, many young Bahamians were only able to complete junior high school.

She obtained Junior and Senior Cambridge Certificates at the school. After GHS she attended the University of Toronto, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Studies. In 1950 she obtained a Teacher’s Certificate from the Ontario College of Education.

It was rare for a Bahamian to be able to pursue tertiary education in the late 1940s and the 50s. It was even rarer for a woman. She was among the first Bahamian women to attend university.

Over the ensuing decades she demonstrated a profound commitment to education, including personal support for family members and encouragement of new generations of women to pursue university education.

She insisted that education was critical for national development, and a means for the promotion of equality and social justice for black Bahamians, women and those without economic means.

She began her career as an educator in 1950 as a Latin teacher at her high school alma mater, Latin for “nourishing mother”. Over approximately 20 years, she taught several other subjects including: Spanish, Religious Knowledge, Commerce, Mathematics, Accounts/Bookkeeping and Religious Studies.

Marjorie Davis was part of a generation of first-time Bahamian teachers at the school including: Anatol Rodgers, Keva (Eldon) Bethel, Hugh Sands, CV Bethel and Jean Knowles. With various professional avenues closed to them, teaching was a profession in which women of academic ability could excel and advance.

The classroom is where educational theory meets practice. The best teachers know that they are not primarily teaching a subject. Foremost, they are teaching and molding a human being.

A number of former students and colleagues believe that her time as a teacher was among her more memorable and enjoyable years in education.

She developed lifelong friendships, and over 19 years taught many Bahamians who would feature prominently in the country’s development. Vincent Vanderpool Wallace recalls her as an outstanding Latin teacher, who wanted her Catholic students to better appreciate what was being conveyed in the Latin Mass.

Ellen Coakley Serville also remembers Ms. Davis as an excellent teacher, who was calm and patient, especially for those who did not appreciate why they had to take Latin. Ms. Davis encouraged her love of languages.

Another former student, who would later become a Supreme Court Justice, recalls that when they began to work together in Zonta, that “Ms Davis” gently and repeatedly admonished her to call her “Marjorie”.

The student was moved that this traditional woman of deep faith was non-judgemental, did not breezily impute bad motives to others, and understood human weakness. Ms. Davis corrected students firmly but gently and lovingly, sometimes with a wry smile. She was neither harsh nor bellicose or rude.

Ms Davis understood the importance of the holistic development of young people. She became the Girl Guides leader at GHS. Guiding is a fellowship and much more. It is a way of life.

From her youth until her death, Marjorie Davis was deeply committed to the mentoring and development of many generations of Bahamian guides through the Bahamas Girl Guides Association.

She imparted and lived the Girl Guide Law. Its tenets were part of her daily life and were demonstrated in her professional career and decades of volunteerism in myriad organizations.

The tenets: A Guide is loyal and can be trusted. A Guide is helpful. A Guide is polite and considerate. A Guide is friendly and a sister to all Guides. A Guide is kind to animals and respects all living things. A Guide is obedient. A Guide is cheerful and has courage in all difficulties. A Guide makes good use of her time. A Guide takes care of her own possessions and those of other people. A Guide is self-controlled in all she thinks, says and does.

A former Girl Guide now in her 70s, who fondly remembers leaders like Betty Cole and Ms. Davis, observed: “Being a member of Guides helped me to be a better person. We had plenty fun as Guides.

“But I also learned a lot. It made me a better mother and friend. It helped me develop skills and a way of thinking that helped me in my career. And it made me a lifelong volunteer.”

The contributions of Guiding are well known. It also has had a sociological impact. Girls from different socioeconomic backgrounds became guides. And it was a training ground for women leaders in a deeply misogynistic society.

Through her teaching and leadership in Guides, Ms. Davis touched the lives of thousands of Bahamians on a personal level. She was mentor and a guide in both senses, exemplifying her Christian and family values and the precepts of the Association.

In 1970, she was appointed Assistant Commissioner for the Central District. From 1993 to 1998 she served as Chief Commissioner. She was a member of the Association for approximately seven decades.

After being awarded a Commonwealth Bursary to the UK, Ms. Davis studied at the University of Hull in England, where she attained an Advanced Diploma in Education in 1965.

As The Bahamas attained majority rule and was moving toward independence, it urgently needed Bahamian talent in every area of national life, especially education and the public service.

In 1969, two years after majority rule, she completed her Master of Education, with a major in Guidance and Counselling, from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

Marjorie Davis and her generation had a sovereign nation to build, fostering and employing the talents and energy of many who were previously denied opportunity in their own land.

More Next Week: Volunteer and Nation Builder

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