Elsie Payne

Dame Elsie Payne (1927–2004) DA was a teacher and following independence she became the first Barbadian-born principal of Queen's College in Bridgetown. She was the first woman knighted in Barbados for her long dedication to education and the nation.

Elsie Payne
Born
Elsie Pilgrim

(1927-05-14)14 May 1927
Bridgetown, Saint Michael Parish, Barbados
Died25 August 2004(2004-08-25) (aged 77)
Bridgetown, Barbados
NationalityBarbadian
Occupationeducator
Years active1952–1985
Known forfirst Barbadian headmistress of Queen's College Barbados and first damehood awarded by the Order of Barbados

Early life

Elsie Pilgrim was born on 14 May 1927 in Bridgetown, Saint Michael Parish, Barbados to S.O. Pilgrim, a shoe merchant in Bridgetown.[1][2] Her ancestry included Charles Pilgrim, who was at one time the headmaster of Combermere School. Pilgrim entered Queen's College at the age of nine and continued to her graduation.[1] In 1946, Pilgrim won the Barbados Government Scholarship,[3] the first time the scholarship had been awarded to a woman. She continued her university studies at Exeter College, then a part of the University of London, earning a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1949. Furthering her education, Pilgrim then enrolled at the University of Cambridge, attaining a PhD in history.[1]

Career

Pilgrim returned to Barbados and began her teaching career at Queen's College in 1952 and the following year married Dr. David O. Payne.[2] She was known as an excellent teacher and in a time when the history of the British West Indies was not typically a part of the curriculum, Payne taught about slavery in the Caribbean.[1] In 1966, Payne was appointed as deputy headmistress of Queen's College.[4] When Barbadian teachers struck in 1969, over a salary and working conditions dispute with the Ministry of Education, Payne became the spokesman for the teachers and the Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union.[5] The nature of the conflict was that teachers who had been appointed to the staff of the newly opened Barbados Community College were offered different salaries and conditions than teachers who were equally qualified and were employed in secondary schools. The dispute became heated, with threats of firing, loss of pension and other benefits from Prime Minister Errol Barrow. Payne and the teachers stood resolute and gained the concessions for which they fought,[6] resulting in an overhaul and reform of Barbados' educational system.[5]

In 1970, Payne became the first Barbadian-born principal of the school[4] and the following year was one of the founders of the Parent-Teacher Association. In addition to her work at Queen's College, Payne served on several national education boards,[1] the Barbados Constitution Review Commission, the Barbados Privy Council,[7] as well as providing lectures at the Centre for Multi-Racial Studies under the auspices of the University of the West Indies and the University of Sussex.[8] Serving on the Council of the University of the West Indies from 1973,[9] she served as the Council Chair in 1987.[10] For her many contributions to education and the nation, Payne was knighted in 1980, becoming the first woman honoured by the Order of St. Andrew.[7][11] She continued leading Queen's College until her retirement in 1985.[7]

Death and legacy

Payne died on 25 August 2004 in Bridgetown, Barbados.[7] The buildings of Queen's College were renamed to honour the four Barbadian-born headmistresses in 2007, including one named after Payne.[12] In addition, the headquarters of the Ministry of Education are named in her honour, as is a roundabout near the Bridgetown Port.[1] In 2016, Payne was honoured as one of Barbados' best public officers and included in a special publication Challenge to Change issued by the Office of Public Sector Reform.[13]

References

Citations
  1. Clarke 2014.
  2. Levy 1971, p. 145.
  3. The Daily Gleaner 1958, p. 16.
  4. Best 2016, p. 25.
  5. Dottin 2013.
  6. Sandiford & Newton 1995, p. 105.
  7. The Virgin Islands Daily News 2004.
  8. The Daily Gleaner 1968, p. 20.
  9. The Daily Gleaner 1973, p. 1.
  10. The Daily Gleaner 1987, p. 3.
  11. Government of Barbados 2010.
  12. Nation News 2007.
  13. The Barbados Advocate 2016.

Bibliography
  • Best, Jennifer, ed. (November 2016). "Dame Elsie Payne, DA: Queen's College most illustrious daughter" (PDF). Challenge to Change Magazine. Bridgetown, Barbados: 50th Anniversary of Independence Celebrations Secretariat, Barbados Government Information Service: 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 January 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Clarke, Sherrylyn (12 February 2014). "Black History Month: Dame Elsie Payne". Fontabelle, Saint Michael, Barbados: Nation News. Archived from the original on 18 May 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Dottin, Bea (9 January 2013). "Stand firm BSTU!". Fontabelle, Saint Michael, Barbados: Nation News. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Levy, Owen Lancelot (1971). Personalities Caribbean (4th ed.). Kingston, Jamaica: Personalities Limited. OCLC 13534938.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Sandiford, Keith A. P.; Newton, Earle H. (1995). Combermere School and the Barbadian Society. Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press. ISBN 978-976-640-014-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "Awards in the Order of Barbados". Barbados Integrated Government Portal. Bridgetown, Barbados: Government of Barbados. 2010. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  • "Fifty public officers hailed as among the best". Fontabelle, Saint Michael, Barbados: The Barbados Advocate. 14 November 2016. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  • "Lectures on migration at Cave Hill". The Daily Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica: Newspaperarchive.com. 22 October 1968. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  • "Prominent Barbados educator dies". HighBeam Research. St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands: The Virgin Islands Daily News. 27 August 2004. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  • "Speaker knocks society's 'ills'". Fontabelle, Saint Michael, Barbados: Nation News. 12 December 2007. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  • "UWI Council Session". The Daily Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica: Newspaperarchive.com. 15 February 1973. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  • "U.W.I. Vice-Chancellor". The Daily Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica: Newspaperarchive.com. 20 July 1987. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  • "Win scholarships in Barbados". The Daily Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica: Newspaperarchive.com. 24 September 1958. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
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