Keva Bethel

Keva Bethel, CMG (18 August 1935 – 15 February 2011) was a Bahamian educator and the first president of the College of the Bahamas. In 1995, she was honoured as a companion in the Order of St Michael and St George.

Keva Bethel
Born
Keva Marie Eldon

(1935-08-18)18 August 1935
Saint Matthews Parish, Colony of the Bahamas
Died15 February 2011(2011-02-15) (aged 75)
Nassau, The Bahamas
NationalityBahamian
Occupationeducator
Years active1959–98
Known for1st president of the College of the Bahamas

Early life

Keva Marie Eldon was born on 18 August 1935 in Saint Matthews Parish, on New Providence, in The Bahamas, which at the time was a crown colony of the British Empire, to Rowena (née Hill) and Sidney Eldon.[1][2] She attended Queen's College in Nassau, graduating in 1950.[2] Following her only sibling, Michael Eldon abroad, Eldon went to England in 1954. She enrolled in Kirby Lodge School in Little Shelford in preparation for the Cambridge examinations. After two years of study, she entered Girton College, Cambridge studying languages, with a specialization in French and Spanish, graduating in 1959.[3][4]

Career

Returning to Nassau that same year, she began teaching at the Government High School (GHS). In 1962, she married E. Clement Bethel and over the next three years, the couple had two children, Nicolette and Edward, while she completed her master's degree in 1963. In 1966, she was appointed Deputy headmistress of GHS and began involvement in the planning phases for the establishment of the College of the Bahamas. In 1975, when the College was launched, she transferred there as the first Chair of the Humanities Department. Later she served as academic dean, and vice-principal. In 1981, she completed her PhD at the University of Alberta[3][4] and the following year was appointed as Principal of the College of the Bahamas, leading the organization for the next sixteen years. During her tenure, she worked to change the curricula from offering Associate degrees to a fully accredited Bachelor's degree institution and pressed for the reorganization into a university.[2][5] When the College was reorganized in 1995, she became the inaugural president and that same year was honored as a companion in the Order of St Michael and St George.[6] She served as president through 1998, when she retired.[2]

After her retirement, Bethel began writing a book chronicling the history of education in the Bahamas, which she had not completed at the time of her death. During this time, she also served on the National Advisory Council in Education and Government Student Loan Programme.[4]

Death and legacy

Bethel died from ovarian cancer on 15 February 2011 in Nassau, eight days after her brother's death.[7][4] She is remembered for her contributions to development of education and the University of the Bahamas.[8]

References

Citations
  1. Bahamian Birth Records 1935.
  2. Reed 2011.
  3. The Tribune 2011.
  4. Girton College Review 2011, p. 129.
  5. Hanna-Ewers 2013, p. 17.
  6. Hanna-Ewers 2013, p. 18.
  7. Bahamas Press 2011.
  8. Hanna-Ewers 2013, pp. 17-18.

Bibliography
  • Hanna-Ewers, Deanne (2013). Great Women in Bahamian History: Bahamian Women Pioneers. Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4520-5398-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Reed, Frederick (17 February 2011). "Former COB President Dr. Keva Bethel Dies at 75". Nassau, The Bahamas: Bahamas B2B. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "A dedicated brother and sister leave the scene". The Tribune. Nassau, The Bahamas. 16 February 2011.
  • "Bahamian Births 1934–1935: Keva Marie Eldon". FamilySearch. Nassau, The Bahamas: Registrar General. 18 August 1935. FHL digital folder #4934260. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  • "Dr. Keva Marie Bethel, CMG, President Emerita and Scholar in Residence at the College of The Bahamas passed away at Doctor's Hospital". Nassau, The Bahamas: Bahamas Press. 15 February 2011. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  • "Keva Bethel (Eldon) 1935–2011". Girton College Annual Review. Girton, Cambridgeshire, England: Girton College, Cambridge: 129. Summer 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
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