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Remembering distinguished Jamaicans – Beryl and George Scott

Published:Sunday | March 20, 2022 | 12:07 AM
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(From left) Governor General, Florizel Glasspole, Beryl Scott; founder and president emeritus of the workshop, Mrs Glasspole, Mrs Kathleen Soltau and Mrs Evelyn Samuels, vice-president at the opening of Jamaica Horticultural Society’s Flower Arrangers Wo
Gleaner Archives
(From left) Governor General, Florizel Glasspole, Beryl Scott; founder and president emeritus of the workshop, Mrs Glasspole, Mrs Kathleen Soltau and Mrs Evelyn Samuels, vice-president at the opening of Jamaica Horticultural Society’s Flower Arrangers Workshop’s 21st anniversary exhibition.
George Scott, labour adviser and permanent secretary to the Minister of Labour, speaks at a function in his honour at the Ministry when the staff had formally get together to say farewell to him as he goes on a year’s leave before retiring from the Gov
Gleaner Archives
George Scott, labour adviser and permanent secretary to the Minister of Labour, speaks at a function in his honour at the Ministry when the staff had formally get together to say farewell to him as he goes on a year’s leave before retiring from the Government service. At the table are the J. Macpherson, Minister of Labour and C. Greaves Hill, deputy labour adviser.
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From the mid-1920s, the Scotts were a prominent family in Jamaica. George Hosford Scott was born in Kingston on January 18, 1893, to George and Edwina Scott. His father was a contractor/builder. He attended Wolmer’s Boys’ School and joined the civil service in 1910. On February 25, 1924, he married Beryl Leslie Alexander, daughter of civil servant Leslie Alexander. They had three sons.

LABOUR ADVISER

Following the labour uprisings of 1938, George Hosford Scott was appointed Jamaica’s first labour officer in 1939. He was assigned to the department responsible for labour and employment matters. He was appointed assistant labour adviser in 1943 and labour adviser in 1946. This position saw George Scott attending meetings of the International Labour Organization and involved in measures to improve the situation of workers in Jamaica. He was awarded the OBE in 1952, and in 1953, was appointed permanent secretary in the Ministry of Labour. He retired from the civil service in 1955 after 44 years of service.

Among his many interests was his church, St Matthews Anglican, through which he also served the diocese. He was active in the Wolmer’s Old Boys’ Association. He had a keen interest in gardening and was a founding member and a president of the Jamaica Horticultural Society (JHS) with his wife, Beryl. He was a member of the committee that selected the Lignum Vitae as Jamaica’s national flower. George H. Scott died in May 1962, three months before independence.

FLOWER ARRANGING PIONEER

Beryl Leslie Alexander Scott, in keeping with the custom of her day, was a housewife, but like other women, she had many interests and activities outside of her home. She supported her husband in his work; volunteered in charitable causes; was a founding member and president of the Wolmer’s Boys’ School Parent-Teacher Association; and with her husband, was also a founding member of the JHS.

Beryl Scott’s passion was gardening and flowers. She was an accomplished floral artist and actively promoted the art of arranging flowers. She founded the JHS Flower Arranging Group and the Flower Arrangers Workshop. She was considered an authority on Caribbean floral arranging. She was involved in major flower- arranging exhibitions in Jamaica, including exhibits at the Denbigh Agricultural Show. Mrs Scott represented Jamaica abroad, including at the National Association of Flower Arrangers Exhibition in London in 1968.

In 1963, she was made a life member of the JHS. She was president and later president emeritus of the flower arrangers group. She was also involved with the St Andrew Floral Arrangers and Garden Club. In 1970, Beryl Scott was awarded the Musgrave Bronze Medal in recognition of her work in horticulture.

Beryl Scott was still teaching, giving demonstrations and arranging flowers for various events up to the time of her death at age 81 in December 1976.

As a note, flower arranging remained quite popular in Jamaica. In May 2012, Jamaica’s exhibit secured a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in London. Beryl Scott would have been very proud. Let us hope that there can be a strong revival in gardening and flower arranging and that Jamaica can eventually return to regional and international flower exhibitions that contribute to promoting the island. We should also consider returning to the cultivation and export of flowers and foliage and upgrading gardens for recreation, health, and wellness.

Their sons

George and Beryl’s sons were quite successful. Alexander Hosford Scott, CD, 1924 -1999, known as Hosford Scott, civil servant/diplomat, retired as permanent secretary in the then Ministry of Transport and Public Utilities. His brother, George Alexander Scott, 1927-2019, educator/entrepreneur, was principal of Knox College and proprietor of Scott’s Jamaican Bakery in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, where he later resided.

George and Beryl Scott and their sons made a tremendous contribution to development in Jamaica both in the public sector and in civil society.

Contributed by Marcia Thomas