Keva Marie Bethel, CMG (18 August 1935 – 15 February 2011) was a Bahamian educator and the first president of the

College of the Bahamas A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

Early life

Bethel was born Keva Marie Eldon on 18 August 1935 in Nassau, Bahamas to Rowena (née Hill) and Sidney Eldon. She attended Queen's College in

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

, graduating in 1950. In 1954, she enrolled at Kirby Lodge School in

Little Shelford Little Shelford is a village located to the south of Cambridge, in the county of Cambridgeshire, in eastern England. The River Granta lies between it and the larger village of Great Shelford, and both are served by Shelford railway station, whic ...

, in preparation for the Cambridge examinations. After two years of study, she entered

Girton College, Cambridge Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college in Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college statu ...

studying languages, with a specialisation in French and Spanish, graduating in 1959.

Career

Government High School

Eldon returned to Nassau in 1959 and began teaching at Government High School. She completed her master's degree in 1963 and, in 1966, she was appointed Deputy Headmistress of Government High School 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.

President of the College

In 1981, Bethel completed her PhD at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...

and, the following year, was appointed as Principal of the College of the Bahamas, leading the organisation for the next sixteen years. During her tenure, she worked to change the curricula from offering Associate degrees to an institution fully-accredited to confer

Bachelor's degrees A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

and pressed for the reorganisation of the college into a university. When the College was reorganised in 1995, she became the inaugural president and that same year was made a companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. She served as president through 1998, when she retired.

Retirement

After her retirement, Bethel began writing a book chronicling the history of education in the Bahamas, which was unfinished when she died. During this time, she also served on the National Advisory Council in Education and Government Student Loan Programme. The College of the Bahamas became the University of the Bahamas in 2016.

Personal life

In 1962, she married E. Clement Bethel and the couple had two children, Nicolette and Edward. Her only sibling was Bishop

Michael Eldon Michael Hartley Eldon (8 August 1931 - 7 February 2011) was an Anglican bishop in the 20th century. Born on 8 August 1931 to Sidney and Rowena Eldon, Michael was educated at St Catharine's College, Cambridge; he was ordained in 1955. After curacie ...

, first Bishop of Nassau.

Death and legacy

Bethel died from ovarian cancer on 15 February 2011 in Nassau, eight days after her brother. She is remembered for her contributions to the development of education in the Bahamas and particularly to the University of the Bahamas.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bethel, Keva 1935 births 2011 deaths People from Nassau, Bahamas Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Bahamian educators Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George University of Alberta alumni Women school principals and headteachers