A WOMAN extraordinaire, a woman of significance, a woman with a heart of gold were phrases used to shower accolades on Gloria Palomino by her alma mater Alpha hailing her as the 2006 Woman of Excellence.
In a ceremony held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel by the Alpha Academy Alumnae Association, Gloria was surrounded by friends and colleagues who agreed that the award bestowed on her was well deserved.
LIFE STORY
The citation chronicled her interesting life story from birth in Newport, Manchester, as one of contrasts, triumph and despair, but one in which she overcame with unshakeable resilience.
"It is a story of a life well-lived, as a mother, businesswoman, social worker and philanthropist," the citation read.
Gloria, the offspring of a Chinese father from Guangdon, China and a mother from Siam (Thailand), learned early in life that she had to earn her keep.
Her parents were strong on discipline and taught her the rudiments of running the family wholesale business which she grasped, especially the management of the red credit book.
Also central to Gloria's development was the contribution of Alpha Academy which provided a home away from home, but which was never short on discipline and adherence to strong religious principles. It helped to provide the foundation that set the tone for her life.
Her quiet countenance certainly belies her chosen career path as an engineer at Diesel Equipment and Service Company. Her strong determination was manifested when she vowed to start her own business after being insulted by her boss.
Her relentless will to acquire the £50 from the then Barclays Bank, met with what Jamaican's would describe as 'barefaced prejudice.' She was told outright that the institution did not lend to Chinese or black people, worse yet, to a woman wanting to start a non-traditional business in 1955.
Out of frustration, Gloria went back to the English banker with her request almost every day for the next four months, until he relented.
That was the start of her road into entrepreneurship. She has also tried her hand as a restaurateur and a coffee farmer.
SAFE HAVEN
A founding member and patron of Woman Inc., the organisation established to create a safe haven for abused women, she was instrumental in initiating a number of projects during her tenure including the establishment of a second chapter of the organisation in Montego Bay.
She sits on numerous boards including: Greening of Jamaica Foundation, Holywell Conservation Trust, Tourism Product Development Company and Kingston Metropolitan Resort Board. She is the recipient of the Order of Distinction and the Badge of Honour for Meritorious Services to the Police in 1976.
