Think phenomenal woman and most people first think of their mothers. In our phenomenal women search this year, we received letters from individuals nominating their mothers. So here are a few of those women who were nominated.
Jennifer Kerr
Jennifer Kerr - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
A native of Westmoreland, Jennifer Kerr migrated to the United States in the late '70s. She went on to graduate from the Highland Park Nursing School in Michigan, and worked as a rehabilitation nurse before being promoted to hospital administrator.
In 1999, she started Diversified Health Care in the basement of her home. From there, the business grew to its current status of occupying its own building, a staff of 32, including physicians, registered nurses, social workers, and administrative staff.
Diversified Health Care is a disability management company that provides medical and vocational case management, geriatric and home health care services.
Kerr has always been interested in contributing to the land of her birth. "My dream was to return to Jamaica and open up a health and wellness spa as an extension of my business here in the US. My plan was to do this when I retired, but I mentioned it to a friend and she said, "why wait until you retire? Do it now".
Things got in motion and Kerr bought Liberty Hill Great House in St Ann and started the renovations. "The next thing I knew, I was in Jamaica signing my life away, but I have no regrets," said Kerr.
Who is the most inspirational person to you and why?
There are many persons, one is my mother, Margaret Kerr. She is very gentle, loving and kind, and has always encouraged me and my siblings to reach for the stars. I admired her strength. She was one of the first female entrepreneurs I was exposed to as a child.
In more recent times, I must say my best friend and business partner Fay Alston. She is the reason I'm in Jamaica today pursing my dream. Fay's unfaltering faith, prayer and praise during difficulties have been an inspiration to me. She always sees the light at the end of the tunnel.
What was one decision you regretted?
Not taking up an offer to go to China as a delegate for the Rehabilitation Nursing Association. It was an opportunity to teach rehab nursing at one of the nursing schools there. I was in an automobile accident and not able to go. It was a missed opportunity to do something good for others in that part of the world.
What songs turn your knees to butter?
I can't even remember one that has ever, not that I am not romantic. But if I were to choose one that came pretty close, it would be Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers. Most people would remember the soundtrack from the movie: Oh, my love, my darling, I hunger for your love ...
Name one exciting thing you would like to do before you die?
Fly a plane. Not a small plane but a jumbo jet. I would love to know what it feels like to have control of this big powerful piece of machinery in my hand.
What's your most embarrassing moment?
Forgetting the name of the person I was to introduce at an awards ceremony. When I got to the podium, I could not find my notes and I did not remember the person's name. I made a joke and then I said, "excuse me, tell me your name, again, I am having a senior moment".
The audience laughed but I was pretty embarrassed.
Dr Barbara Swaby
Dr Barbara Swaby - Contributed
In 1964, Dr Barbara Swaby left Jamaica to study music at the Tusculum College in Tennessee. Today, she believes she is doing what she was meant to do and it has nothing to do with music. "Don't think I was talented enough to be a concert pianist, this is what I am supposed to do." Dr Swaby is a professor of education and president's teaching scholar at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. She is the director of the Graduate Reading Programme and the Graduate Reading Clinics, chair of the reading department at the University of Colorado, having done her masters and doctorate in literacy.
However, a career in teaching may have been inevitable for this Iona High School in Ocho Rios past student whose parents were both principals. When she applied to the University of the West Indies, she was rejected. To that she says, "There are no errors in life, no mistakes. God has a plan and it's perfect."
So, as she continues to teach teachers, she gets a quiet joy from her role. "I enjoy most the ability to inspire someone to be the best that they can be," said Swaby.
Who is the most inspirational person to you and why?
My father, he's the most phenomenal human being on the planet.
What was one decision you regretted?
Not being a better daughter.
Name one exciting thing you would like to do before you die
Mend bridges broken in my life.
What's your most embarrassing moment?
During one of my piano recitals, I fell off the bench.
Isabel Stewart
Isabel Stewart - Denise Reid photo
Isabel Stewart has dedicated her life to education for more than 40 years. She has also been a dancer in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission group for 30 years.
Stewart taught at the Somerton All-Age from the early '50s for 25 years. In 1977, she was one of the pioneer teachers who started out at Glendevon All-Age. She taught there for 11 years until she retired. She held post-retirement positions at Mount Alvernia Preparatory and St James High schools.
Did you know?
Eva Peron: Fought for the rights of Argentina's poor
As Argentina's first lady, Eva started her own foundation that built hundreds of schools and hospitals. She was an advocate for the education of women. She also helped the poor workers of Argentina gain a voice and respect in the country that previously exploited them.
Did you know?
Benazir Bhutto: First woman prime minister of an Islamic State
First female prime minister of Pakistan and symbol of modernity. During her time in power, she built 21,000 primary schools and provided 700,000 new telephone connections.
'... Her journey was not easy. While in the 10th grade, Brown worked picking tobacco as a casual labourer in Clarendon, alternating between the job and going to school.'
James chapter of JCDC in the '90s and has been the recipient of the Golden Torch Award, Sam Sharpe Award and has an Excellence in Teaching Award for her drafted Spanish programme.
Gladys Brown - A real-life Nancy Drew
Gladys Brown - photo by Sacha Walters
Heroes without super powers are always the most interesting. While growing up, Gladys Brown, had them all around her.
A mother who couldn't read but had to raise nine children on her own, two of which (she and a sister) would read anything they could find, even if it meant re-reading the books in the community library. The others were fictional, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and Perry Mason.
From them, she learnt how to be a hero herself. A detective inspector of police and an attorney-at-law, she has taken hold of her dream.
As a lawyer in the legal affairs division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force for five years, her primary roles include reviewing all legal documents pertaining to the force, as well as attending court.
But her journey was not easy. While in the 10th grade, Brown worked picking tobacco as a casual labourer in Clarendon, alternating between the job and going to school. This eventually took a toll, forcing her to drop out. Determined to pursue her education, she did two O'Level subjects.
She chose the legal profession because of her love for law and order.
She continued her educational pursuits obtaining additional O and A' Level subjects. Her next move was law school. The first attempt was unsuccessful but that did not deter her; she simply pursued a bachelor's degree in English Literature and applied again.
She got in and the rest is history.
Minna Israel
Minna Israel - Contributed
A career banker, Minna Israel has made giant steps across the regional banking sector.
A past student of Clarendon College, she has more than 25 years' experience in the same. She made a strategic career move in January when she resigned from the post of managing director of Scotiabank Bahamas to take up managing director of Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago.
Previously, Israel was deputy CEO of Scotiabank Jamaica where she was responsible for sales management throughout the Jamaican branches. There, she started the Women's Network which, among other objectives, was responsible for identifying and propelling competent women in the bank.
Did you know?
Junko Tabei: First woman to climb Everest.
Tabei was the first ever woman to climb Everest. She reached the summit of the 8,848-metre mountain on May 16, 1975. Since then, she has climbed many mountains all over the world, and is the first woman to have achieved the summits of the highest peaks on all seven continents. She still climbs at least three or four mountains per year and is currently the director of Himalayan Adventure Trust of Japan (HAT-J).
Paula Llewellyn
Paula Llewellyn - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Paula Llewellyn made Jamaican history in March when she became the country's first female director of public prosecutions succeeding Kent Pantry.
"I am humbled having been afforded the opportunity to serve in this position. I have always loved the public service. They pay my salary and therefore, deserve to have the best prosecutorial legal service that I can give," she said in a Gleaner interview conducted the day she was appointed.
Prior to taking up the position of DPP, the legal eagle served as senior deputy of public prosecutions since 1999.
She graduated from the Norman Manley Law School in 1984. Her first post was as clerk in the St. James Resident Magistrate's Court. In 1986, she acted as crown counsel in the Office of the DPP.
The young girl who attended St George's Primary and St Hugh's High School was articulate and persuasive in arguments.
Llewellyn has repeatedly made our list of phenomenal women.
Rosalind Goodman
Rosalind Goodman - photo by Keisha Shakespeare
Rosalind Goodman has an eye for beautiful things, details and design. She is the administrator and landscaper for her husband's company, Marvin Goodman and Associates.
As a youngster, she attended St Andrew High School. She later received a scholarship to a University in Alabama. However, she decided to drop out because she was very curious about travelling to Europe. At the time, her parents could not afford to send her to France, so she went as an au pair in 1957. While she was there, she did a course in French civilisation. By 1959, she got a job in London with a travel agency that allowed her to travel to Spain. In 1964, she returned to Jamaica and did a bachelors degree at the University of the West Indies in Spanish and French.
In 1969, Goodman was asked by the Jewish community to be the principal of their new school, Hillel Academy. During her tenure, she wrote a study handbook that is currently being used at the Jamaica House Basic School. However, soon after, she left Hillel to assist her husband (Marvin) with his architecture business. She has done many landscaping projects across the island, namely: the water feature at the University of Technology (UTech), A.Z. Preston Hall site, Trafalgar House, Devon House East, the chemistry building at the University of West Indies, the entrance at UTech and Goblin Hill Villas.
Who is the most inspirational person to you and why?
Nelson Mandela because he created a miracle in South Africa. I never thought that they could get over racial issues and live in peace.
What was one decision you regretted?
I have learned so much from bad decisions which have made me wiser and more mature, thus, I have no regrets.
What songs turn your knees to butter?
Blue Eyes by Elton John.
Name one exciting thing you would like to do before you die
I would love to go to Israel and Japan to the Buddha gardens.
What's your most embarrassing moment?
None that I can recall.
Deborah Rampaul
Debora Rampaul - Contributed
Deborah Rampaul was living her dream. At 28, she was happily married to her childhood sweetheart and embracing life as a mother to three beautiful children.
Unfortunately, shortly after the birth of her third child, her husband Peter Rampaul, was brutally murdered.
Her dreams were suddenly shattered. She was now a widow with three children all under the age of 10. She had given up her job when her third child was born, so now, she was also unemployed.
Deborah fought against the hard hand she seemed to have been dealt. Her first attempt at running a business failed, because money was stolen from the business and the perpetrator migrated.
Despite how difficult things were, she adopted two other persons into her home, a mother and daughter. To provide for her family, she chose a profession that she was interested in and went for it.
She targeted the pharmaceutical industry, and is now one of Jamaica's most successful medical representatives, winning world-wide recognition. She has been awarded Sales Representative of the Year for Medi-Grace Limited, the Kodak Award from Kodak International, Special Recognition Award for Service, Dedication Beyond the Call of Duty from Genus Pharmacy, the Annual Industry Award from the Pharmaceutical Society of Jamaica, the Sales Award from Mead Johnson (Bristol, Myers Squibb Co) and finally, the Award of Excellence from Medi-Grace Ltd.
Deborah's courage and determination are remarkable. Where others would have given in, she has succeeded as a true inspiration to single mothers.
Who is the most inspirational person to you and why?
My mother and my uncle. My mother was a Spanish Honduran who married a Jamaican man who left her with six children. She and my uncle, Clive Tasse, kept the family together despite their situation.
What was one decision you regretted?
Going into financial business with a partner who stole all my money.
What songs turn your knees to butter?
I love any spiritual songs and romantic songs, especially any by Savage Garden. I also love jazz.
Name one exciting thing you would like to do before you die
Skydiving.
What's your most embarrassing moment?
I was at an important conference looking my best and a male companion came up and hugged me. Unfortunately, I was wearing a hair clip with artificial hair attached to it and it fell out as he hugged me. I wanted the ground to open and swallow me up!
Sarah Newland-Martin
Sarah Newland-Martin - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
Despite having her legs partially amputated as a child, Sarah Newland-Martin is walking tall.
She is the general secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), a non-government organisation. She began as a volunteer swimming instructor in 1965. Her passion for helping others comes from her disability.
"I was born with a deformity. Maxfield Park Children's Home and Mona Rehab became my home," she said. Apart from the YMCA, she has also worked with the Council for the Handicapped and the Caribbean Institute on Mental Retardation.
With some boys not able to read above the primary level, her job is difficult. "The challenge with running a non-governmental organisation (NGO) is that other NGOs are seeking after that same dollar. Plus, we have not recovered fully from two fires and we are struggling financially."
Among her concerns is accommodating the boys in the youth programme. Already with more than 50 participants, there are more than 100 on the waiting list. The struggle is that the boys come to the YMCA, trying to make a change, but then go back to their communities.
She said she knows that all they are looking for is love and are just asking for help.
Dr Olivia McDonald
Dr Olivia McDonald - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
She is soft-spoken, witty and has a charming personality, which may be one of the attributes that made her a successful gynaecologist and obstetrician.
Dr Olivia McDonald is also the executive director of the National Family Planning Board (NFPB). Her life in the medical field began at the University of the West Indies (UWI) where she studied obstetrics and gynaecology. After, she became a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 1975 and in 1989, she became a fellow. After completing her master's degree in 1976, she was appointed as fellow of American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Then in 1991, completed another master's in public at the UWI.
Over the past 20 years, she has dedicated her service to the NFPB. She began as a medical director in 1982 and in 2002, was made executive director. In 2002, she restructured the NFPB, poising it as a more cost-effective institution. The institution has made many strides since, one being a decline in the island's total fertility rate from 4.5 in the 1980s and 2.9 in the 1990s to 2.4 to date.
She is multifaceted. She is a teacher, technical adviser for the Family Health International and she is a seamstress. She designs and sews a lot of her outfits. She loves the kitchen, garden and her animals. She is the wife of former Commissioner of Police Trevor MacMillan and they have one son, Jeremy.
Dr Olive Lewin
Dr Olive Lewin - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
Over 200 folk songs now sung locally were composed by the phenomenal Dr Olive Lewin, founder of the Jamaica Folk Singers, four decades ago.
A musicologist by profession, she has written eight books, numerous articles, and has done audio and videotapes on Jamaican folk music.
As a young girl growing up in Hayes, Clarendon, she was all about music. Today, 81 years later, this is no different. When asked a question, her response often includes a story topped off with dance.
She has gained national and international recognition for her contribution to Jamaican culture. Her professional titles include a Musgrave medal, Order of Jamaica, Commander of the Order of Distinction, Licentiate of the Royal School of Music, Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music, Licentiate of the Trinity College of Music, Fellow Trinity College of Music, Associate of the Royal College of Music.
Dr Lewin, who is among the nominees for the Flair First Global Bank Vision award, is a mother to one and a grandmother to two, is also an expert at the violin and piano.
Claudette Papley
Though Claudette Papley is 52 years old, this does not stop her from hopping onto a truck on a Sunday to bring her produce to the market.
Papley is the mother of seven and has been farming for almost all her life. Her love for farming began when she was a child working in the fields with her father, Kenneth Williams. She grew up in a small community in Portland called Rock Hall with three other siblings. As a young girl, her mother, Catherine Williams, worked as a domestic helper and she had to take care of her younger siblings and do the chores around the house.
At 18 years old, her mother, who was now selling in the market, took her along to learn the trade. She quickly caught on and soon began doing her own thing.
In 1990, she inherited 121/2 acres of land on which she now farms coffee. She also has a backyard garden where she plants everything from peppers, tomatoes, bananas, to yam. And every Sunday morning, she gets on her truck and takes her produce to the Coronation Market.
Besides running her farm and going to the market, she has to juggle being the mother of seven children.
She said that she has no regrets in life. She considers herself to be like the woman at the well in the Bible. "Like the woman at the well, I was searching for something but I found it (true love) when I found Jesus."
She notes that she does not ask for much, but she would like to own a comfortable home and a car before she dies.
Joan French
Joan French - photo by Keisha Shakespeare
Joan French may be considered a superwoman. She has devoted her life to education, fought on behalf of women's rights and headed the gender programme of the United Nations for over 10 years.
Did you know?
Portia Miller Simpson: First female Jamaican prime minister
Portia Simpson Miller is the first female president of the People's National Party and was Jamaica's first female prime minister. She has been in representational politics for 32 years.
French is the former head of UNICEF global gender programme in Burkina Fasco. When she was about 25, she dreamt of working with the United Nations (UN) as an interpreter. But at the time, she only knew two languages and it was not enough to become an interpreter at the UN.
However, she got the opportunity to work with the UN in 1996. Before UNICEF, she taught at the Queen's School for 15 years then went to work at the Caribbean Policy Development Centre in Barbados. It was the then head of the Barbados UNICEF office who encouraged her to apply for the job. Reluctantly, she applied and got the job as the regional adviser for gender for the Latin American Caribbean region and was based in Panama. She spent two years in that capacity before moving to New York as the head of the gender section globally in 1998.
She had a burning desire to get back into the fields so she asked to go to Burkina Faso in 2002. During her time in Burkina Fasco, Unicef's contribution was very progressive. "When I got there, only 38 per cent of children were in primary school. Five years later, the rate went up to 55 per cent." She said that they worked on projects such as irrigation, HIV/AIDS projects and protection issues.
French was also the president of the National Union of Teachers in addition to helping to establish the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and action in 1989. She received several awards from the UN in recognition of her commitment to the advancement of Caribbean women in November 2002. She also received the Knight of the Order in Burkina Fasco in July 2007 and the PanAfrican Organisation of Women award for supporting women and girls rights in 2004.
Who is the most inspirational person to you and why?
I cannot pinpoint any one person. In my early life, it was my mother, then in high school, it was my Spanish teacher; that's why I grew to love Spanish.
What was one decision you regretted?
I try not to have regrets in life. But yes, there are things that I wish I had known more about to be able to make a better decision. Once I fired someone and at times, I wonder if I could not have taken a different approach to the problem.
What songs turn your knees to butter?
All songs by Ernie Smith and Roberta Flack.
Name one exciting thing you would like to do before you die.
I am living a period now in my life where it is a great privilege where I was able to take a year off and sit down and attend to my family, house, answer emails and work on projects during my own time.
What's your most embarrassing moment?
I never let anyone step on my toe; because of that, I am not usually embarrassed by others.
Rev Sophia Azan
Rev Sophia Azan - File
For the past 25 years, Rev Sophia Azan has devoted her life to her church, Bread of Life Ministries, in Linstead, St Catherine.
She and her husband, Emile Twefick Azan, started the church in 1983. "God gave us the vision to give to the land and we did as the Lord told us," said Rev Azan. Also, in 1986, they opened a school, the Bread of Life Christian Academy.
Before she got into ministerial work, she and her husband operated a shoe factory back in the '50s, which they ran simultaneously with a clothing store. In 1966, they opened Azan Furniture Store. But, after her husband died in 1996, she closed the store and went into full-time ministry.
She has been the custos of Rotulorum of St Catherine since May 2003. She is also an honorary member of the Lions and Kiwanis Club. Over the years, Rev Azan has made it a duty to help others. She nurtures and cares for anyone in need.
Her work has not gone unnoticed because in 2007, she received the national award for community service. She also received the Governor General's Award for her work as custos in the same year.
Who is the most inspirational person to you and why?
My Lord. He is the one who made me who I am. Also, my husband and parents were a very inspirational part of my life.
What was one decision you regretted?
I have no regrets.
What songs turn your knees to butter?
Good music, I am not attached to any particular song.
Name one exciting thing you would like to do before you die.
Before I die, I want to see real caring for the poor in Jamaica.
What's your most embarrassing moment?
I can't recall any.
Fay McIntosh
Faye McIntosh -Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
Fay McIntosh has achieved big things at GraceKennedy Ltd.
In 2006, she was appointed chief financial officer, the only female director of four internal directors on the main boards of the GraceKennedy group of companies.
She joined the company in 1978 as an accountant and has also served as finance and administration manager. She said some of the challenges of the job are anticipating the unexpected and meeting and dealing with the opportunities in an ever changing environment. "Our company had a good year and a key challenge is to maintain this strong momentum in growth and performance while guarding against complacency," she said.
For her, working at one of Jamaica's blue chip companies has been a satisfying experience, especially in participating in its growth over the period.
"It has been a privilege to have been able to mentor and help in the development of some of my colleagues in their own growth with the company," she pointed out.
Being a part of the financial industry has always been something she enjoyed. She notes that if she was not in her current post, she would be operating a business of her own.
On a personal note, she is married with three children and juggles her corporate and family lives very well. She attributes her success with the two to her very supportive family, friends and exceptional household help.
Dr Charmaine Scott
Dr Charmaine Scott - Peta-Gaye Clachar/ Staff Photographer
Every Jamaican child who has a heart problem has probably met Dr Charmaine Hope Scott.
As the only paediatric interventional cardiologist in Jamaica, children diagnosed with holes in their heart and other congenital heart defects come to her at the Bustamante Children's Hospital. There, she conducts investigations and summaries for them all to determine whether they need to be placed on a list of children for open-heart surgery.
"We have about 500 children being born with heart disease per year. One child in every 100 is born with heart problems," she said of Jamaica.
Sixty per cent of children with Down's Syndrome have heart problems. It is based on this knowledge that Dr Scott founded Jamaica Down's Syndrome Foundation, last year.
The non-profit organisation offers a support group for parents, teachers and caregivers of children with Down's Syndrome, providing information on all areas of their care and development.
The mother of teenage twin girls is also a member of Chain of Hope (Jamaica), a voluntary organisation that brings foreign heart surgeons to the island to perform open heart surgery.
Dr Hope Scott does this while juggling her private practice, The Children Heart and Paediatric Centre on Windsor Avenue.
Most inspirational person to you and why?
The most inspirational person in my life is my mother. Mrs Ivy Scott is a sprightly 77-year-old. She treats all with equal respect, young, old, rich or poor. A powerful woman of God who wears many caps in the church and community of Spanish Town where she currently resides. She has been the wind beneath my wings. If not for her encouragement every step of the way, I would not be where I am today.
What is The one decision you regretted?
Not saving seriously for retirement when I was younger.
What songs turn your knees to butter?
Sometimes When We Touch and I Will Always Love You.
One exciting thing you would like to do before you die.
Hold my grandchild!
What's your most embarrassing moment?
In the late '80s: A well-groomed rasta man brought a child to see me and I said to him, "Your face looks familiar", and he replied in a quiet unassuming manner, "I am Freddy McGregor".
Did you know?
Mary Anderson: Inventor of windscreen wipersWindshield wipers were invented by a woman. Mary Anderson received a patent for her car-window cleaning device in 1903. Anderson's invention came about during a trip to New York City when the Alabama-born inventor noticed that streetcar drivers had to open the windows of their cars when it rained in order to see. As a solution, she invented a swinging arm device with a rubber blade that was operated by the driver from within the vehicle using a lever.
Gina Tomlinson
Gina Tomlinson - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer
Gina Tomlinson is built for speed. At 5 feet 4 inches in height, the small race car driver likes to take control of the wheel.
Her car, off the racetrack, a black type R Honda Integra with a spoiler, hints that she likes to burn rubber.
"I have zero interest in the mechanics of a car. I just know I like the speed," Tomlinson, 29, said.
In 2007, she copped first-place awards for the Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club's (JMMC) Ladies Dexterities Championship and the Lady Rallysport Championship. She placed third in the JMMC JAE stages Rally Co-Driver Championship. She was also the winner of the Jamspeed Adrenaline Rush competition in the same year. But her awards and trophies tell a much bigger story.
In a typically male-dominated sport, her interest started as a fan. After 10 years, she shifted gears to increase her adrenaline rush to the piston-pumping experience only a driver feels.
It was a rocky ride as she did not do very well in her initial events. But she said it helped rid her of any lingering fears.
A major accident off the track, where she was not driving, left her with two broken legs and a broken wrist. But that was not about to stop her from racing.
"I like to approach it dead on instead of staying away from it," she said.
Currently, she drives in dexterities and sprints. And she explores her other favourite role as co-driver which allows her to exercise her inner control freak.
She's a senior business analyst at the Jamaica Public Service. But when the chequered flag is waved at the end of the day, she most enjoys taking long drives, in a standard shift vehicle, please!
Dr Muriel Veronica Lowe
Dr Muriel Veronica Lowe - Contributed
Dr Muriel Lowe was one of only 10 women included in the first 33 students of University College of the West Indies (now NCU).
A past student of Camperdown High School and St Andrew High School, she graduated from the university in 1956.
"We lived in wooden huts that were used during the last war as an interment camp," explained Dr Lowe, noting that their lecture rooms were no better. She had waited a whole year for the university to open as her father couldn't afford to send her abroad to study.
At the time, the university had only one faculty: medicine. "When I came out of the interview, I overheard a girl telling her friends how she had answered her questions and I went home in tears because I never thought I would have got in. She told them she wanted to do medicine to help suffering of humanity. I told them I always wanted to be independent and do something I enjoyed. When they asked what books we read, she told them some 'big name'. I said Forever Amber that was very hot back then. In the end, I got in and she didn't."
For many years, Lowe was 'the expert', not only in Jamaica, but also in the Caribbean on sarcoidosis. She served at various levels and for many years at the Kingston Public Hospital, the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, the Tuberculosis Hospital (now defunct), the National Chest Hospital, and as lecturer at the University of the West Indies, department of medicine.
Having retired twice from the National Chest Hospital, she is now serving as the registrar of the Medical Council of Jamaica. In 1986, she was awarded the Order of Distinction (officer class) and in 2005, the Distinguished Medical Alumni Award by the UWI Medical Alumni Association.
Who is the most inspirational person to you and why?
My beloved husband, Dr Edwar Valentine, and Nelson Mandela. After being imprisoned for so long, when he was released, he had no wish to get vengeance. My husband was such a marvellous person, he was brilliant.
What was one decision you regretted?
Cannot think of any; I have lived a great life.
Name one exciting thing you would like to do before you die.Nothing comes to mind.
What's your most embarrassing moment? I really can't think of one.
Rita Humphries-Lewin
Rita Humphries-Lewin - Contributed
Rita Humphries-Lewin is one of the first women in the Western Hemisphere to bridge the barrier of becoming a stockbroker back in the early '60s.
She is the founder and chairman of Barita Group of Companies, which includes Barita Investments Ltd, Barita Portfolio Management Limited and the Barita Unit Trusts Management Company Ltd, and more recently, BPM Financial.
Humphries-Lewin is a graduate of the Immaculate Conception High School. After graduating, she was confused about which career path to take. So, when all her friends went on to college, she did not. Instead, she got a job at The Gleaner, much to her parents' displeasure. She did a few other odd jobs until a Canadian stock broking firm, Annette Company, recruited her in 1962. She spent six months in Canada, then moved back to Jamaica while she completed the Canadian Securities Course. In 1967, she became a certified stockbroker.
The company set up an office in Jamaica and she worked with them for 10 years. She left as a trader/research analyst. She tried a other avenues and as such, she went to the small business association. She assisted with the development of Jamaica Industrial Developmental Corporation. After three years, she was encouraged by former colleagues to return to stock brokerage industry.
In 1977, she decided to start the Barita Investments Ltd. "It was a time when Jamaica was going through a financial upheaval. Nothing much was going on and I was hungry for work. It got off to a good start and I have stuck with it," she said.
She was the chairman of the Jamaica Stock Exchange from 1998 to 2000. During her tenure, she established the Central Securities Depository. Also, from 2001 to 2006, she was the chairman of Development Bank of Jamaica. While chairman of the bank, she participated in the development and implementation of the island's Highway 2000 project and the Harmony Cove project (planned luxury resort) in Trelawny. In 1999, she was awarded the Order of Distinction, Commander Class, by the Government of Jamaica for her sterling contribution to the development of the island's financial industry.
She also started the Barita Education Foundation in 2004.
Who is the most inspirational person to you and why?
God has been a driving force in my life.
What was one decision you regretted?
Take my life as a given, don't dwell on things that are passed.
What songs turn your knees to butter?
Killing Me Softly by Roberta Flack.
Name one exciting thing you would like to do before you die
I would like to travel the world.
What's your most embarrassing moment?
Cannot think of one.
Moira Morgan
Moira Morgan - Contributed
Irish born Moira Morgan's first visit to Jamaica was in 1977 to visit her in-laws. In 1998, it became her second home. But Morgan is not here to enjoy the pristine white sand beaches. She is here giving her all for the surrounding divided communities of Tower Hill and Cockburn Pen.
Morgan had decided she wanted to do voluntary work full-time when she retired. "I took early retirement in 1999 because I had multiple sclerosis, and my heart said just go for it. I think deep down, I wanted to do it because God wanted me to."
The result was the birth of United Communities Support (UCS). In 2001, in an attempt to unite the children of Kingston 11 communities, she set up a sports club, then later, an after-school club. The first Unity Summer camp was held the next year. "When we started the summer programme, we had an average of 10 fights per hour. By 2005, if we had one fight, it was a lot." That same year, they started supporting seniors in the communities.
In 2002, The Griffin Charitable Trust Limited was formed in the United Kingdom by Morgan's family members, with other interested parties, to support the work of the forum in Jamaica and other charitable family interests. The Griffin Trust was registered in the UK as an international charity in 2003, and registered in Jamaica in 2005.
In 2003, they started receiving assistance from Airbridge Charitable Foundation set up by UK customs and police. The assistance from Airbridge allowed the Griffin Trust to send 23 children from the communities to school. However, the day-to-day expenses for the running of the trust are supplemented by her UK pension.
Morgan has even taken members of the community into her home. "When you have a double bed, you'll be surprised how many people you could hold," she said.
Who is the most inspirational person to you and why?
My mother Susan Simes and Father Gregory Ramkissoon, because they dared and did what their hearts led them to do.
What was one decision you regretted?
Not doing what I do earlier.
What songs turn your knees to butter?
Sexual Healing, The Power of Love, Wind Beneath My Wings, Abraham, Martin and John.
Name one exciting thing you would like to do before you die.
Swim with the dolphins.
What's your most embarrassing moment?
Not recognising the UK Deputy Prime Minister Harriet Harmon (and asking who she is) when she shook my hand at a red-carpet function in London.
Sheila Rose Stewart
Sheila Rose Stewart has been in education for a staggering 50 years. Starting out as an assistant teacher, she went through the ranks to become vice principal and then principal of Guys Hill Primary School for 20 years.
While most people relax and take a break once retired, Sheila has kept as involved as she can. "I am a very active retiree. I love to help others, not just children. I give service to the sick and needy both in and out of my community."
Executive member of the AIDS action committee, chairman of the Heart Trust, member of the community council in Jeffrey Town and external assessor for third-year students at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Stewart is one busy lady.
Was balancing work and home life difficult when you had two young daughters?
"It was certainly challenging but I have a wonderful husband of 42 years who helped and despite it being hard, it was so rewarding. I just love children."
Her ethos in life is that hard work breeds success. It certainly has for her.
Who is the most inspirational person to you and why?
The people who I work around.
What was one decision you regretted?
I don't regret anything as I believe we learn from our mistakes. I wish that I had done a course to learn more about dysfunctional and autistic children.
What songs turn your knees to butter?
I Know Not What the Future Holds and The Potter's House.
Name one exciting thing you would like to do before you die.
Travel the world.
What's your most embarrassing moment?
I had a long bridge to cross this morning to get to a school and it was very high and very scary. I nearly had to call someone to get me across as I started to shake as I got to the middle and froze. Luckily, two young men saw me and they helped me across. It was very embarrassing though!
Annette Wong-Lee
Annette Wong-Lee - Contributed
Annette Wong-Lee was not valiant because of a job or for recognition. She was valiant because her life depended on it.
On July 11, 2007, the gas station owner made a split second decision to shoot one of two intruders in her bedroom.
The men entered her home and about 3:00 a.m., she got up to use the bathroom and heard an unusual sound which she thought came from either her 18-year-old daughter or one of her three friends, the only other people in the house at the time. However, she soon discovered they had been joined by strangers.
When the men confronted her and demanded money, Wong-Lee tried to convince them she had none but that they could check her handbag in the other room. All the time she knew her licenced firearm was in that bag.
Held at gunpoint, she was being lead to the next room when one of the intruders spotted the bag. He questioned her aggressively and in that moment she dove and grabbed for it. She shouted that she had no money, and retrieved her purse and pulled it open to show she had no money. But all the time she was getting the firearm.
A struggle ensued. When it was over, she was shot in the ankle and one of the attackers was shot in the chest.
"When I finished fighting those two guys, I didn't even have clothes on. I was naked. I fought with every breath in my body. There was blood on the walls," she said.
Her daughter's attempt to call the police when she heard gunshots was thought to be a prank. The police arrived promptly when Wong-Lee called.
That man later died and the other escaped. The case is still in the hands of the police.
She was the only female who received a Badge of Honour for Gallantry at the 2007 national awards ceremony and she marched up to accept that award with a limp.
Eight months after the incident, her eyes still well up when she talks about it.
The mother of five is very security-conscious and has always been. So it was her eight siblings, her parents and her husband who were able to help her get through that difficult time in her life. She's affectionately referred to as their hero.
Who is the most inspirational person to you and why?
I would say Portia Simpson Miller and Margaret Thatcher for their achievements. But most of all, I would say my father because his attitude is similar to mine.
What was one decision you regretted?
None.
What songs turn your knees to butter?
All love songs, but especially Dance With My Father or You Left Me When I Needed You Most.
Name one exciting thing you would like to do before you die.
Owning my own helicopter and flying around the world with me as the pilot.
Did you know?
Louise Bennet Coverley (Miss Lou): Jamaican poet and activist
She has been described as Jamaica's leading comedienne and an important contributor to her country of 'valid social documents reflecting the way Jamaicans think and feel and live'. Her poems in Jamaican patois have raised the dialect of the Jamaican folk to a level acceptable to and appreciated by all in Jamaica.
Elaine Bryan
Elaine Bryan's face now graces the 42 cent stamp in Atlanta, Georgia. - Contributed
Atlanta-based Jamaican multiaward-winning high school counsellor and realtor just keeps going strong. On Thursday of this week, she will be awarded the 2008 DeKalb County Counsellor of the year at a reception at The William Bradley Centre in atlanta, Georgia.
And just over a month ago, Mrs Bryan, a North-western University alumna, was accepted into the prestigious Leadership Sandy Springs, a nexus for all sectors of the community where business, government, religious and community leaders can come together to learn and grow. She is currently completing her PhD.
Her influence, methodology and special brand of counselling set her apart from her peers and has earned her enviable recognition. He students speak glowingly of her willingness to go the extra mile on their behalf. Her expertise in real estate has earned her a spot on several upcoming episodes of What You Get for the Money which airs on HGTV & Fine Living Channels.
Her other awards include: Judge Glenda Hatchett Educational Mentoring Award; Turner Broadcasting Systems Award for Educational Excellence and Mayor Shirley Franklin Phoenix Award for Outstanding Achievement in Education. She has also received the Atlanta-Jamaica Association Award for Outstanding Community Service in the field of education and the Barbados Association 2005 Trident Award For Excellence. Married to husband Gregory Bryan, her face currently graces the state's 42-cent stamp.
Custos Bishop Carmen Stewart
Rev Carmen Stewart - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
It was in her blood to become a civil servant. Like her father, Custos Bishop Carmen Stewart wanted to serve the public.
Known for her religious contribution, many might not know that her impact spread to education and civil service. She started the Wilbert Stewart Basic School in 1976. In partnership with the HEART Trust NTA, she established the Pentecostal Gospel Temple skills training project. But her phenomenal achievements do not stop there. In 1996, she served as deputy governor general, the first woman to do so.
She holds a master's degree in public health, specialising in health education from the University of California. She served as director of the Bureau of Health Education in the Ministry of Health, and in 1986, she was given the order of distinction for health education and religion.
Bishop Stewart has made a remarkable contribution to religion. She and her late husband Wilbert, formed the Pentecostal Gospel Temple in the 1960s. When he died, she assumed leadership of the church. Bishop Stewart said she never felt in love again to remarry.
Audrey Hinchliffe
Audrey Hinchcliffe - Contributed
She is chief executive officer and chairperson of Manpower and Maintenance Services Limited, one of the leading janitorial grounds and landscaping maintenance companies in Jamaica, among other related services.
In 2002, Manpower received the PSOJ Award for Job Creation.
Before, Hinchliffe had a successful career as a nurse and hospital administrator in the United States before moving to the CARICOM Secreteriat in Guyana, to take up the post of health development officer and later officer in charge of the health section. She has two children.
Info: www.PSOJ.org
Thalia Lyn
Thalia Lyn - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
A businesswoman extraordinaire, she has made the pages of 'Phenomenal Woman' since its inception. The founder of the local fast-food chain Island Grill, Lyn has made her mark in the food industry.
Audrey Marks
Audrey Marks - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
This year, Audrey Marks celebrated 10 years at the helm of Paymaster (Jamaica), an idea of which many were skeptical. The genesis of the idea came from the need to consolidate bill payment in a central location. It revolutionised the way Jamaicans paid bills, allowing them the option of paying, if not all, then most utilities at one stop, at a fee.
Marks is the first female president of the American Chamber of Commerce.
In 2000, she was named Female Entrepreneur of the Year and Observer's Business Leader of the Year.
Lorna Goodison
Lorna Goodison - Contributed
In her early years, Lorna Goodison published her work anonymously. But today, this multi-award winning author and poet's name is proudly boasted on her work.
Her newest book, From Harvey River: A Memoir of My Mother and Her Island, recently won the 2008 British Columbia's National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, and was reviewed by the Washington Post and TheNew York Times newspapers.
Goodison divides her time between Canada where she lives and the United States where she teaches at the University of Michigan.
Sherone Simpson
Sherone Simpson - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
After a brief illness in 2006, fastest woman in the world in the 100 and 200m came back to her true form at the beginning of the 2008 track and field season. Not only is the star athlete a contender on the track, but she has also excelled academically. With a 3.6 GPA, the University of Technology graduate earned upper second class honours in hospitality and tourism management when she matricu-lated last year.
In a time when under-achievements is highlighted, the Olympian is a shining example of balancing academics and sports.
Veronica Campbell Brown
Veronica Campbell-Brown
Veronica Campbell Brown is queen of the track.
The 25-year-old athlete clocked 11.01 seconds to take gold in the 100m final at the 11th IAAF World Athletics Championships in Osaka Japan in August 2007.
At the same championship, she went on to win a silver medal in the 200m final and then anchored the Jamaican team to a silver medal in the 4x100m relay.
Last year, she also wed fellow track and field star and long time partner Omar Brown in a private ceremony. Her performance in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, is not to be forgotten. She struck gold in the 200m, gold in the 4x100m relay and a bronze in the 100m, her most memorable performance to date.
Edith Allwood Anderson
Edith Allwood-Anderson - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
This name is synonymous with a fiery personality and a no-nonsense attitude.
Edith Allwood Anderson, president of the Nurse's Associa-tion of Jamaica, is known for being at the forefront of lobbying for nurses. Her often highly publicised demonstrations are also in aid of improving conditions for patients in public health facilities.
She is also a member of the International Council of Nurses.
A nurse herself, her love for the profession has spanned over 25 years.
Even in one of the most heralded agencies on the planet, Jamaica is well represented.
Paulette Davy (née Stewart) is based at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Marshall Space Flight Centre in Huntsville, Alabama. She won the Women's Equality Day award for outstanding administrative service last year.
Did you know?
Mother Teresa: Known as the 'Saint of the Gutters'.
Winner of Nobel peace prize in 1979, she founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950. For over 40 years, she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned and dying, first throughout India and then in other countries.
And sisters as 'Evangelist Mason'. She blames nothing but her own greed for becoming a drug dealer and before that, a prolific shoplifter.
She was deported twice; once from the United Kingdom and then from the United States. She vowed to kill the drug mule who had pointed her out to US officials but while back in her cell, she began reading the Bible which led to her salvation.
She is still delivering packages, but these days it is not cocaine, but packages donated by Food For the Poor that Evelyn carries to deportees who are unable to support themselves and their dependants.
Recently deported criminals are taken into her Deportee Rehabilitation and Reintegration Programme. For those whose have no family in the island, Mason tries to find them a place at a halfway house, and on some occasions, in her own home.
Justice Marlene Malahoo Forte
Last year, Justice Malahoo Forte was selected as one of only 18 persons worldwide to participate in the Yale World Fellows Programme at Yale University in the United States of America. Judge Malahoo Forte was selected from a competitive group of 500 emerging leaders from over 100 countries.
Judge Malahoo Forte is a judge at the Corporate Area Civil Courts in Kingston and lecturer of criminal practice and procedure at the Norman Manley Law School, Mona Campus, Jamaica. She is a Commonwealth scholar who holds a Masters of Law degree, with merit, from the University of London, King's College; a Bachelor of Laws degree, with honours, from the University of the West Indies, Barbados, and a certificate of legal education from Jamaica's Norman Manley Law School.
She is a former head girl of Manning's School in Westmoreland. Before heading to the bench in February 2001, she was also an assistant director of public prosecution. Described as a formidable prosecutor at both the trial and appellate levels, she had a success rate of over 98 per cent.
She has been lobbying for reform of the justice system at all levels and has been sensitising the public on legal issues.
Mercedes Dullum
Many Jamaicans still on the rock may have heard about Mercedes Dullum last year at the Pineapple Ball.
She was honoured by the committee at the fund-raising event for her outstanding work in the medical field. Dr Dullum is a specialist in cardiothoracic surgery and is based at the Cleveland Clinic in Florida.
A former student of Montego Bay High School and later, Georgia Tech University and the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Dr Dullum said her love for medicine developed during her youth because she was always taking care of family members.
She was voted Washington's Top Cardiac Surgeon by Washington magazine and in 2005, she was named Physician of the Year by the South Florida Business Journal.
She has written 21 scientific papers on cardiac surgery. Dr Dullum is a pioneer in the revolutionary 'off-pump' method of minimally invasive cardiac surgery. This means she uses a procedure that does not require cutting open a person's chest and sawing apart the ribs to get to the heart. Instead, a small vertical cut about six centimetres long in the sternum will do the trick.
She credits the schooling she received in Jamaica with her success. "Going to school in Jamaica gives you a great education and you learn hard work, too, and that's what it takes (to be successful)."
Gloria Aikman
Gloria Aikman, now a retired educator, has taken her job as mother and teacher seriously; a past teacher at St. Annie's Primary, Good Shepherd Preparatory School, among others. Even today she does GSAT classes. Her daughter Akousa Aikman nominated her.
Joycelin Morgan
Joycelin Morgan - Contributed
"Her whole life has been about taking care of her family and children", that's how one her children described her. In between all of that, she is a trained nurse, dabbles in homeopathic medicine and is a businesswoman, a part of the Morgan Group of Companies. Her children Nayo, Kai and Aswad Morgan nominated her.
Sandra O'Meally
Sandra O'Meally - Contributed
Sandra O'Meally was nominated by her 15-year-old daughter Deandra Thomas who describes her mother as an exceptional person who has achieved so much in her lifetime. O'Meally works at Caribbean Regional Drug and teaches at UCC and MIND, among others.
Clover Gardner
A giver by nature, this mother, grandmother and great grandmother will give her last dollar if it's needed. The 64-year-old is a seamstress by profession, has seven children, 13 grandchildren and three great grandchildren. She was nominated by granddaughter Tashi Wallace.
Joan Tait
Joan Tait - Contributed
In the eyes of her 10 children, Joan Tait is a phenomenal mother. While not a single parent, her daughter Arlene notes that she raised them like a single mom would. A farmer in Mavis Bank, St Andrew, she has left an indelible mark on her children. "The greatest lesson she has ever taught us is to be honest in everything."
This award recognises outstanding federal employees in professional, administrative and supervisory capacities. The event coincided with the anniversary of the 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.
Hailing from Alexandria, St Ann, the Dinthill Technical High School graduate migrated in 1970 and is a human resource specialist in the Marshall Centre's Training and Incentives Office, part of the office of human capital. Since 2002, she has served as Marshall's incentive awards officer. Her role includes supporting the centre's awards programme, recognising employees with superior accomplishments and those who have made special contributions or worked on special projects.
Prior to her present position, Davy worked as a secretary from 1980 to 1987. She left to focus on raising her children and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration. She returned in 1991. Her next assignment took her to the office of human capital in 1998. Here, her duties included leading a team to remodel Marshall's Self-Study Learning Centre, which offers programmes and resource materials supporting employees' career paths and professional development. She was promoted to incentive awards officer in 2002.
Sonya Binns
Sonya Binns
Some people are squeamish at the sight of blood but not Sonya Binns.
Did you know?
Frida Kahlo: Artist
Frida Kahlo is regarded as one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. Her tragic personal life and struggle has been the subject of numerous biographies and a major film entitled Frida.
In fact, she gives freely of hers. Not only is she the leading female blood donor in Jamaica, but her passion and commitment to 'saving lives' is noteworthy. Binns has totalled a record 59 pints of blood over the last 24 years.
The first time she gave blood was to assist her sister who was having a baby.
Sonya's record-breaking achievement started in earnest after she was employed at the National Blood Transfusion Service (Blood Bank) in 1986. There, she became convinced that the procedure was safe, and this helped to pave the way for her to become one of the most diligent blood donors in Jamaica.
"I give blood every three months, I can't wait for the period to expire so I can give the next pint," she says with enthusiasm. Her voluntary services aside, her paying job is as a phlebotomist (an individual trained to draw blood) for 10 years at Central Medical Labs.
The National Blood Transfusion Services has recognised her efforts on many occasions and she has received awards in appreciation of her support to the Blood Bank.
Barbara Requa
Barbara Requa - Andrew Smith/Photography Editor
As a founding member of the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) and the Jamaica School of Dance, she has made dancing her life's work.
Barbara Requa took a methodology she learned while studying in England and brought it back home to teach dance at her alma mater, St Andrew High School for Girls. She says she has two passions: teaching and dancing, and she was able to mix both at the school. Besides being a dance teacher, she was also a physical education specialist.
But dance is where she excelled, especially in teaching it. She was integral in the development of the CXC syllabus for dance in the Caribbean. Requa has also performed in various productions, the last one being just two years ago. She has also appeared in other productions, showing her range and abilities in the different stage forms.
Despite being officially retired, Requa continues to teach for a semester every year at the School of Dance at the Edna Manley College of Performing Arts. She is also heavily involved in Jamaica's participation in Dance and the Child International, an organisation which promotes the growth and development of dance for children on an international basis. She is also still a member of the NDTC's management committee.
