of service. He spoke to Patricia Calnan this week about his long and distinguished career as an educator, Parliamentarian and supporter of the arts.

The recent trend of using the Senate as a training ground or showcase for aspiring politicians has deprived Bermuda of some of its most accomplished and experienced leaders; Bermuda's friendliness is on the decline; and, in spite of economic and social progress achieved "with a minimum of wrangle'', in the latter part of this century, Bermuda still has some way to go in terms of race relations.

These are some of the reflections offered by Albert Jackson as he looks back on a long and distinguished career, which culminated in his election as President of Bermuda's Senate -- a position he held for ten years before retiring last month.

Described by Opposition Leader Jennifer Smith as a man who possesses "dignity, gentleness and a sense of fairness'', Mr. Jackson has earned the respect and affection of politicians of all persuasions -- and the community in general.

Admitting that, at 79, he still prefers to be "involved in some way'', he is already wondering what will happen next in his eventful life. "Things are still winding down,'' he smiles. "I'm not sure what `retired' is supposed to feel like -- I haven't noticed a great deal of change in my life so far!'' Mr. Jackson, of course, has not only witnessed many changes over the course of his life but, in many instances, has played an important role in those changes.

"I think,'' he says with a chuckle, "that if I, at the age of 25 -- or even 35 -- had suggested to any of my friends or colleagues that, as a result of the many social changes here, I would end up as President of the Senate, they would probably have sent me off to St. Brendan's.'' Agreeing that most of the societal changes have been for the better, Mr.

Jackson senses, nevertheless, a "hardening'' that seems to have affected the lifestyles of many Bermudians. "The Bermuda `greeting' was very much a Bermuda thing -- even if you didn't know each other -- and a lot of that seems to have gone. I think of myself as a boy and of the awe and respect we had for our elders, which was built on respect for age and seniority. This doesn't seem to exist any more and I'm very sorry about that. Friendliness seems to have diminished to the point where I sometimes wonder if I'm still in Bermuda!'' Stressing that he is not criticising the calibre of many young legislators for whom the Senate has served as a step of entry into the House of Assembly, Mr.

Jackson says it disturbs him to see the senior chamber drifting in this direction: "My interpretation of the Senate is that it is modelled on the lines of the present-day House of Lords, where various people who are recognised by their country for expertise in a wide range of fields, go through a procedure of taking a second, perhaps cautionary look at legislature going through Parliament.

"In this little community, I see the Senate as the body that carries out that function. For some reason I have so far been unable to identify, we have moved away from the idea of a senior chamber; there is an increasing tendency for the eight political seats to be considered a training ground.'' Conceding that the tactic of using Senate as a kind of political incubator has proved successful for the political parties concerned, he adds, "My lament is that the community loses the senior, mature judgement one would expect to find in people who have served the community as parliamentarians, in business, art or industry -- all those who have achieved mature levels of life and who might usefully act in advisory capacities, are denied that responsibility because of this policy.

"I suppose,'' he adds, "that what I am trying to say is that somewhere along the way, we have sacrificed the chance to benefit from the wisdom that comes with age and experience.'' Continuing on the theme of politics, Mr. Jackson also expresses concern that Bermuda is ill-prepared for a possible change of government. "In the UK, a changeover of political parties takes place without any severe regressive steps because there's a conscious effort to involve both parties in legislation. So, when a country decides to change direction, the opposing side has some idea of what to do. And it worries me that if there is a changeover here, the Opposition has little acquaintance with how things are done.'' Mr. Jackson was invited by then Governor Viscount Dunrossil to sit in the Senate as an Independent in 1985, after retirement from what he had considered his lifetime career in education, begun as a teacher in 1940. As a pupil at Berkeley, he attended manual arts classes at the Central School -- a new subject taught by the late Ivan Cunningham who had just arrived from Jamaica.

The next three years were spent training in Jamaica, and after returning to teach here for four years, he took his degree at the Teachers College of Columbia University in New York. "Largely under the influence of the late Kenneth Robinson I then accepted a post at the brand-new Francis Patton School.'' By 1953, Mr. Jackson was principal of Harrington Sound Primary School and two years later became the founding principal of St. George's Secondary School. "By the mid-1950's there was an earnest effort being made to provide secondary education. Until then, children were only required to attend school from the age of seven to 13! So I was happy to have been on the scene when all those changes were taking place.'' Mr. Jackson obtained his Master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1965, after which he joined the Department of Education. "At the outset, Brian Scott and I formed the two-man team of educational research and guidance officers and, so far as I know, that marked the beginning of services designed to assist young people to go beyond the mere academic measures, and to assess interests, aptitude and abilities patterns. We also assessed employment then available in Bermuda and what was needed beyond the secondary stage of education.

"That meant we had to determine which programmes would lead to academic qualifications, as well as availability of courses for vocational careers. We also dealt with Government scholarships and aspects of selection for that. It was a time of very big expansion, compared with the preceding 20 or 30 years.

That, I would say, was another exciting time, when Bermuda took a big step forward.'' While many developments carried Bermuda "beyond'' initiatives achieved in other places, Mr. Jackson feels that some of those changes "had the misfortune, perhaps, of being associated with social policies which were not in the best interests of all members of this community. However,'' he surmises, "it seems to me that an earnest attempt was made to change those social policies to allow for freedom of movement, freedom of access, and freedom of human rights. But one of the prices that has been paid has been the departure -- particularly from the legislature of the country -- elements of people who possessed expertise which had helped to shape much of the economic success of this country.'' He views with deep concern the fact that "some of the attitudes now being expressed would apparently suggest that the changes were not as successful as I thought they had been! We saw the barriers being dropped in such things as public education, team sports, admission to places of public entertainment, hotels and so on -- and all of this seemed to take place with very little rancour or distress. Unfortunately,'' he adds, "integration has not yet been achieved at a level which seems to be most desirable. And this, I find very disturbing. In principle, all the barriers have disappeared, but in practice, there is still too much evidence that some are still in place. For instance, at one time, all the teams representing Bermuda -- cricket, soccer, sailing, tennis, golf -- were all white. The barriers were lowered, and now we see no white people at all playing cricket or football. These things worry me. We don't seem to get together and enjoy one another.'' Married for almost 43 years to Louise who came here from Philadelphia to teach physical education and went on to found the Jackson School of Performing Arts, Mr. Jackson says: "Music had always played a big part in my life and I played in hotel orchestras before I went off to college. Louise's interest in the arts revived mine so I've been her happy and willing supporter and it gives me a great deal of satisfaction to recognise that her school has always been completely integrated. I feel that's a tremendous contribution to the community and I hope that kind of natural integration continues.'' Mr. Jackson, a Justice of the Peace who was awarded the CBE in 1996, was the founding chairman of the Bermuda Nursing Council and first chairman of the Human Rights Commission, besides serving on other boards.

As a Bermuda representative of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Mr.

Jackson has attended many annual conferences around the world. "The common denominator is that everyone converses in English which was the great benefit bequeathed to the rest of the world during colonialism. I believe it is very useful as a way of bringing together people from different nations, races and cultures to try to solve some of the problems that face the world.'' `In principle, all the barriers (to integration) have disappeared, but in practice, there is still too much evidence that some are still in place.' -- Former Senate President Albert Jackson