Mary Charles George

O.B.E. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(10 May 1913 — 18 March 2008) was a

Kittitian Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of ...

educator. She taught school in St. Kitts for 43 years before moving to the

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...

, where she taught for another decade. She was the first woman in St. Kitts and Nevis to run for public office. For her contributions to education in the Caribbean, she was honoured with the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

from

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

and granted a life membership in the

Caribbean Union of Teachers The Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT) is a federation of teaching trade unions in the Caribbean. Its affiliated unions are: * Anguilla Teachers Union * Antigua & Barbuda Union of Teachers * Bahamas Educators Managerial Union * Bahamas Union ...

. A hospital in Molyneux, Saint Kitts, and the teaching excellence award of the St. Kitts Teachers’ Union are named in her honour.

Biography

Mary Georgina McGregor Charles was born on 10 May 1913 in Phillips Village,

Christ Church Nichola Town Parish Christ Church Nichola Town is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. Christ Church Nichola Town is the fifth largest parish on Saint Kitts and is located on the east coast of the main island of Saint Kitts. The pari ...

St. Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

, to Henry and Francis Charles. She attended Leach Infant School in Phillips Village and then the Estridge Government School. She passed her Seventh Standard Exam at the age of 12 and enrolled in the pupil-teacher program. This was a system used widely in the

Anglo-Caribbean The Commonwealth Caribbean is the region of the Caribbean with English-speaking countries and territories, which once constituted the Caribbean portion of the British Empire and are now part of the Commonwealth of Nations. The term includes ma ...

which allowed students, usually between the ages of 14 and 17, to further their education at reduced tuition by teaching younger students. At the end of an additional three-years study, and passing an examination, pupil-teachers qualified as uncertified teachers. If they contracted for another three-year pupil-teaching term and passed their examination, the teachers became fully qualified.

Career

After successfully passing three such examinations, Charles obtained, in 1932, a scholarship to enroll in the two-year course offered by

Spring Gardens Teacher Training College Spring Gardens Teacher Training College which initially was named The Female Teachers' Training School was one of the earliest normal schools in the Caribbean region. Located in Antigua it was opened as an informal women's training school in 1840, b ...

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

. Returning to St. Kitts in 1934, she was unable to secure a paid position and worked as an unpaid teacher at Estridge Government School until the following year. At that time, she was hired as an assistant teacher at St. Paul’s Government School. She taught at St. Paul’s until 1945, when she accepted a position as the head teacher in Palmetto Point at the Trinity Government School. After three years, she returned to Estridge Government School as head teacher. She lived in Molineux and rode her bicycle daily to the school, for which she received a transportation allowance. In 1956, she was transferred as head teacher to the Cayon Government School, where she taught for the next 12 years. During this time, she also served as a school inspector. The following year, Charles' sister, Isa Isaac, died leaving five children in need of care. Charles took in the boys and raised them. She returned to Molineux in 1968, and retired from government service two years later. Charles served as a member of the Moravian Provincial Synod meeting, held in Antigua, as part of the St. Kitts delegation in 1969. and briefly taught at the George Moody Stuart Memorial School at the sugar factory, located in Golden Rock,

Basseterre Basseterre (; Saint Kitts Creole: ''Basterre'') is the capital and largest city of Saint Kitts and Nevis with an estimated population of 14,000 in 2018. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south western coast of Saint Kitt ...

. Then in 1971, as the first woman candidate in St. Kitts and Nevis, Charles ran for election on the ticket of the People’s Action Movement. She didn't win and soon moved to the Virgin Islands. Charles taught in

Tortola Tortola () is the largest and most populated island of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It has a surface area of with a total population of 23,908, with 9,400 residents in ...

British Virgin Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = Territorial song , song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" , image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg , map_caption = , mapsize = 290px , image_map2 = Brit ...

, for 18 months and then moved to

Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Saint Croix; nl, Sint-Kruis; french: link=no, Sainte-Croix; Danish and no, Sankt Croix, Taino: ''Ay Ay'' ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorpo ...

, where she continued to teach. In 1975, she married Valdemar Henrique George (1910–2000) and they made their home in

Christiansted Christiansted is the largest town on Saint Croix, one of the main islands composing the United States Virgin Islands, a territory of the United States of America. The town is named after King Christian VI of Denmark. History The town was founded ...

. George retired from teaching after 53 years in 1978 and the following year, she was made a life-time member of the Caribbean Union of Teachers. In recognition of her many years of service to education, George was honoured by

with the

in the New Year’s Honours for 1985. The following year, a hospital in Molyneux was completed which was named in her honour as the Mary Charles Hospital. After her husband's death, George returned to St. Kitts. She died on 18 March 2008 in Molyneux, Saint Kitts. Posthumously, the St. Kitts Teachers’ Union named an award, the "Mary Charles-George Award", in her honour to recognize teaching excellence.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:George, Mary Charles 1913 births 2008 deaths Saint Kitts and Nevis educators Saint Kitts and Nevis people of African descent Saint Kitts and Nevis women in politics Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Christ Church Nichola Town Parish