Every year since 1977, Dr. Kenneth E. Robinson Day has been honoured during February in Bermuda. The Ministry of Education introduced the day to pay tribute to Bermuda's first Chief Education Officer.

Elizabeth Kawaley wrote and published a biography to this legendary curator, historian and educator in The Royal Gazette in 1979. The following are extracts from that article.

Dr. Robinson was born in 1911, he attended the Berkeley Institute and the Excelsior Secondary School until 1931 when he left Bermuda on a Bermuda Technical Scholarship to attend University College in London in the UK.

Returning in September 1931 with an Honours Degree in Geography, he joined the staff of the Berkeley Institute as an assistant teacher. However, after only one term, he was invited to serve as principal of Sandys Secondary School.

He returned to London University in 1937 to earn his Diploma in Education and on his return was appointed to the staff of Central School, under the headship of Victor F. Scott. He taught there for four years.

His career came full circle in 1942 when he returned to the Berkeley Institute. A year later he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and, as such, was able to obtain permission to establish a RSA centre in Bermuda. He held the post of secretary of the local centre until his retirement.

The Bermuda Union of Teachers, which had been in existence since 1919, had made numerous attempts over the years to improve their professional stature, but with little success.

It was at this point that Dr. Robinson came onto the scene and made his presence felt. Having joined the BUT in 1937, he became its President in 1940, a position he held for five years.

He remained a Union member for over 20 years, working tirelessly for better schools, better training and better conditions for teachers. He also spoke out boldly at every opportunity and set out to right the many wrongs that he felt existed.

Some of his other, often less mentioned achievements included: Founding principal of Harrington Sound School in 1945; founding principal of Francis Patton School in 1950; Supervisor of Schools in 1956; Inspector of Schools in 1960 and Chief Education Officer in 1970.

Dr. Robinson is also the Curator-historian of the Berkeley Educational Society; author of The Berkeley Educational Society's Origins and Early History and author of Heritage, published posthumously in 1979.

The next Dr. Kenneth E. Robinson Day is on February 11, 2010.