In 1981 a man returned to Bermuda from an extended trip to Canada. As he made his way to his home, he noticed a few new young faces among those children he had left behind.

He had never met most of these new faces. Likewise these new faces had never met him. Those two facts were about to collide.

Those children who now resided in his home had had a year of near free reign to do as they wished.

The man sat and observed, took note of faces and took even closer note of names, marking them down in his “little black book”.

With copious mental and written notes in hand, swift action was his imminent mission. One by one and two by two they were they corralled into his court to meet his judgment. Multi-day detention became the new buzz word among these now frowning faces.

Noise in hallways equalled detention. Late to school equalled detention. Uniform infractions: detention. Improper movement during assembly: detention.

In the Lord’s year of 1981, the New World Order had arrived to the Berkeley Institute. In the Lord’s year of 1981, George Orwell had arrived three years early to the Berkeley Institute. Robert Kenneth Horton, aka RKH, had returned to the Berkeley Institute.

Under Heavy Manners

RKH set about to demand from students and staff an environment of disciplined deportment coupled with academic excellence.

With his ever present “eagle eye” and his cadre of unknown informants among the student body, the pulse of the Berkeley Institute was firmly in his grasp.

With a sweeping glance from the stage during assembly, he could pick out any uniform infraction, gum chewing or whispering among a student body of more than 500.

So persuasive was his influence over these children that one could hear a pin drop throughout the entire school during class time.

If ever his raspy baritone voice was heard, persons passed across the office with peering eyes to see who was heading to the chopping block.

Perhaps a dash of fear, mixed with a dash of incentive, propelled the student body to “buckle down for the fight” for refined behaviour and improved grades.

Subsequently, an increased amount of students began to achieve Honour Roll status, which led to increased positive GCE results.

With his passion for teaching English language and English literature in particular, he went about creating an atmosphere of love and appreciation of the written word.

Such was his desire to infuse the love of reading into Berkeleyites that he arranged for the entire school to have first viewing of the film adaptation of the book Of Gods And Men.

Under RKH, the Berkeley Institute and, more importantly, Berkeleyites were put on a course of discipline, deportment and distinguishment.

Oft as we can we will come back again

On Saturday, June 27, a gathering of the Berkeley Institute Class of 1985 took place at the Grotto Bay Hotel. Approximately 70 students came together to reminisce about times gone by.

They embraced each other with hugs, the touching of fists, and colourful embellishments of school days at Berkeley.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a loud booming voice rang out: “Hey, hey, what is all this murmuring going on in here?”

Instinctively, the talking stopped and all heads turned in the direction of that all-too-familiar voice. Beelines were immediately made to the source of the command.

Replete in a green shirt, RKH had arrived. Jokes were passed about who received the most detention during our time at Berkeley. At one point it almost appeared as if the dreaded black book would be brought out to verify these claims.

During the course of the night’s activities, RKH took his natural leadership role and addressed the gathering, speaking on his experience with them over the years.

He spoke of his pride in knowing that they had all became successful in their own rights.

During the course of the night, each student received something they could never envision 35 years ago.

Each student received a bear-like hug from the man who had become their academic father figure in 1981.

Mr Robert Kenneth Horton, the Class of 1985 salutes you. Respice Finem.