
Dr. Mearle Barrett, at right, has drinks with friends from left, Louise from Mala and Angelica from Yugoslavia. - Contributed
METICULOUS, DEDICATED and professional are just some of the words used to describe Dr. Mearle Delores Patricia Barrett, in short a phenomenal woman.
In an interview with Flair at her tranquil Newbury Avenue residence in Kingston she said she was driven all her life to achieve precision, accuracy and perfection. She also remembered her Math teacher, E. Leslie at St. Jago High School in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, who often encouraged her and other students to "aim for the skies. If you fall, you will fall on top of the tree. Do not aim for tree, because if you fall, you know where you will fall." Dr. Barrett says these words have never left her mind.
Born in Chapleton, Clarendon, Dr. Barrett spent most of her formative years in historic Spanish Town. She later moved to Kingston.
Prior to obtaining a place in 1955 at Cathedral High School, later amalgamated with Beckford and Smith to become St. Jago High, she attended Ebeneezer Preparatory School. At that time, the school year began in January, but the exams were held in August, so she entered Cathedral in third form for the last term between September and December. "At the end of December, I did well enough in the exams to move with the class into fourth form. I didn't go to first or second form," she said.
DESCRIBED AS A BOOKWORM
GCE O' Level examinations were introduced while she was in high school and as such she sat subjects in Senior Cambridge and later Higher Schools. Having obtained one principal and three subsidiaries she repeated Higher Schools where she again reaped success gaining four subjects at the principal level, obtaining a distinction in General Paper. While admitting that she was a bookworm, as described by many at school, she added that she also participated in extracurricular
activities.
"I was an avid cricket supporter and even served tea at tea time whenever my school played in the Sunlight Cup. I was also an ardent football fan."
Dr. Barrett said she decided at an early age that she would not participate in body contact sports but would instead take part in individual sports or games that involved mental ability.
"I didn't wish to injure myself, especially my knees. I took pride in the fact that my knees were not supposed to be scarred at any time," she said.
Her passion for precision led her to pursue a B.Sc. in Zoology and Chemistry at the University of the West Indies (UWI) after graduating from St. Jago. She also got a M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry at UWI. Her quest for knowledge took her to the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada where she completed her Ph.D. in Nutrition with emphasis in Biochemistry. In addition, she acquired a Diploma (with distinction) in Management Studies at UWI.
She spoke proudly of being a dedicated public sector employee and noted that most of her scholastic achievements were made possible by various government scholarships. "I never wanted to work in the private sector."
Dr. Barrett's firm stance on serving in the public sector is also boosted by her mother Ouida Barrett, who was a nurse for more than 40 years, and her late father, Delton Barrett, who was a police.
She began her professional career at the Bureau of Standards as a chemist and later moved to the Scientific Research Council. She, however, returned to work at the Bureau as a Scientific Officer and within five years rose through the ranks to the post of Divisional Director of the Standards Division.
She has also served as the Deputy Executive Director, Environmental Management at the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA), now the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), and guided the government in the process of establishing effluent standards for industries and various manufacturing processes.
She has represented the government at various international fora, including the International Organisation for Standardisation ISO Technical Committee 207 meetings and the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP committees and workshops. She is also a recognised expert in the application of international quality and environmental standards, such as, ISO 9000 and ISO 14000.
Her more than 20 years experience in general management, 15 of which she served at the senior management level in the public sector in science-based organisations, have been fulfilling as she had an aptitude for the sciences as a teenager.
Dr. Barrett's contribution to the field of science has not gone unnoticed. On Friday she was scheduled to be honoured by the St. Jago Past Students Association at its Annual Banquet and Awards Ceremony at the Hilton Kingston Hotel.
Contributed