More than honour for centenarian Imogene Biggs

There has hardly ever been a more celebrated centenarian than Imogene Biggs, who celebrated her 100th birthday on Sunday, August 14, in Brown’s Town, St Ann.

She is specific about her age in a humourous way, informing The Gleaner that she only reached the landmark age at 8 a.m., because that’s the time she was delivered back in 1922 in Heathfield district, Newport, Manchester.

“I arrived at 8 o’clock that morning on the 14th,” she said.

Call her by any name – Imogene, ‘Miss Imo’, ‘Biggsy’, or even ‘Tatty’ – Biggs, a devoted Anglican who has made Brown’s Town her home for the past 35 years, is celebrated mainly as a kind-hearted soul. She spent three decades abroad working in the medical field before returning to Jamaica and settling in St Ann. A philanthropist is what one of her daughters, Deloris Wilson-Headley, calls her.

The general view of persons who know her is that Biggs acts more like a person maybe a quarter of a century younger.

At the service, she stepped up to read a lesson, Isaiah 61:10-11, without glasses. For her, the outpouring of love was overwhelming.

“I feel like I’m lifted from earth to Heaven,” she said, in describing her feeling.

“It’s very good to see everybody. I was surprised to see everything, all mi bishops, two bishops; bless my soul. And they didn’t say anything wrong, they know I’m always a giver. I love people.”

About her 100 years on earth, she declared: “I’m good, I’m alive. I still read without glasses and I talk, I’m good.

“Seven beautiful children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren; I love people, I love my church. I help other people. God has been good to me, and I love people.”

She said she was happy that “a lot of friends and church people and relatives” turned out to celebrate her.

A devoted Anglican, Biggs’ centenary was celebrated at the St Mark’s Anglican Church, Brown’s Town, with officials including The Most Rev Dr Howard Gregory, Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands; the Right Rev Garth Minott, Suffragan Bishop of Kingston; The Rev Father Kenute Francis, Diocese of Canada; and Rev Father Garfield Campbell and Rev Judith Linton, both of Brown’s Town.

Bishop Gregory paid the ultimate respect to Biggs by journeying from Kingston to Brown’s Town for the event, and later noted, in a talk with The Gleaner: “Couldn’t miss it, the date was booked for quite some months now and I made sure I’m here.”

UNIQUE

He added: “Miss Imo is a unique person. Her generosity of spirit, hospitality, once you come here you experience it; and I certainly experienced it. The things that I know she does. There are a lot of things she does that people don’t know, and it’s to help out persons ... she takes in people. I think her family is much bigger than the biological family that you would see, that’s the kind of person [she is].”

“She lives her faith and I’m just pleased to be associated with her,” Gregory continued. “I’m just pleased to see the kind of example that she sets for others to follow. So that we don’t just come to honour her, but to ask what of her life can we emulate?”

Biggs’ five sons and two daughters were joined by three other ‘children’ who she nurtured to form an army of 10. They were at the forefront of Sunday’s celebration.

Michael Blackwood, from Mandeville, is one of the many persons who have benefited from Biggs’ generosity and was in attendance.

“I’m here because I spent about five years living at her home in Brown’s Town, so I’m like part of the family,” Blackwood explained.

For the children, they have chosen to continue their mother’s spirit of giving to others by launching a 10-year scholarship – the Imogene Biggs Scholarship Fund – to assist tertiary-level students from Brown’s Town.

“We want this to be her legacy, to continue giving to people,” Biggs’ daughter Deloris Wilson-Headley told The Gleaner.

“We want to limit it to the Brown’s Town community, because this is where she was nurtured by the people when she came back to Jamaica,” she explained. “What is most important is that there must be a need; you must show us that you’re not able to afford to pay for tuition or for whatever assistance you may need.”

Bigg’s church, St Mark’s Anglican, will monitor the scholarship fund. The first disbursement of $200,000 per annum is expected next January.

GENEROUS LADY

Daughter Wilson-Headley and sons Victor, Patrick, Winston and Trevor Biggs all spoke glowingly about their mother and her generosity.

According to Wilson-Headley: “My mother has a heart of gold. She is a philanthropist; she cares for the needy, for the poor, for those that are suffering. And in the community of Brown’s Town, where she has lived for 35 years-plus, this is what the people know her by. She is a giving person. She gives her heart, she gives endlessly, and if you ask anyone about my mom this is what they will tell you about her.”

If there are three things that Biggs’ youngest child, Victor, has learnt from his mother, they are the importance of faith, education, and family.

Patrick, in the meantime, has emphasised the importance of the scholarship, saying: “Hopefully, it will leave a lasting impression, a part of her legacy for what she has done for her church and her community.”

“I couldn’t miss this for the world,” Winston, who lives in Miami, pointed out, adding that he speaks to her every day.

For Trevor, the occasion brought special feelings. He described his mother as more than special, and praised her for laying the foundation for her children to be disciplined and honest.

Trevor added: “One of the most important things about her is how she treats people. She treats everyone as if each one is a part of her ... that sharing factor and that love. I get something from her and I feel that is it; to share and to treat each one as a human.”

Food giant Grace, which is also observing 100 years this year, was part of the celebration, setting up a booth at the St Hilda’s High School auditorium, where a brunch was organised to keep everyone refreshed with complimentary drinks. This, explained Keliah Taffe, Grace Foods and Services promotions and events coordinator, forms part of the company’s corporate responsibility. The company also presented a gift to Biggs.

Lloydia Williams, from the National Council for Senior Citizens, a Ministry of Labour and Social Security division, also presented a gift to Biggs.

carl.gilchrist@gleanerjm.com