A board chairman who steered Saltus through a landmark chapter of the school’s development has retired after 13 years of service.

Gil Tucker, who was the school’s first Black Bermudian head boy, has been succeeded by E. Michael Leverock, the designate chairman, who was unanimously voted in by its board of trustees.

Mr Tucker, who served for 27 years as a trustee, enrolled at Saltus in 1966 and graduated in 1971.

He recalled his experiences in a 2020 interview, telling The Royal Gazette: “One of the roles of the head boy was to lay the wreath on the grave of the founder, Samuel Saltus, on Founder’s Day.

“For the first time in Saltus’s history, you would have a Black kid do that.”

Mr Tucker joined the school’s board of trustees in 1997, and became chairman in 2011.

The school said his leadership had proved instrumental in the completion of its Francis “Goose” Gosling Centre, which opened in 2006.

Mr Tucker has served on several government advisory boards and committees, including the Bermuda International Business Forum and the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce.

He co-chaired the steering committee of Bermuda First, a non-partisan group dedicated to the island’s economic sustainability.

Mr Tucker is also a past president of the Bermuda Hamilton Rotary Club and former chairman of the Bermuda Career Centre.

Saltus said the school planned to celebrate Mr Tucker’s contributions with a formal event in the spring to recognise his “remarkable service and lasting impact on the school and broader community”.

Mr Leverock said: “The board is eternally grateful for the contributions that Mr Tucker has made to the school and the lasting legacy he leaves behind.”

He said he knew that he had “big shoes to fill” as Mr Tucker’s successor.

Mr Leverock added that this year marked the school’s first as a British Columbia offshore school, offering the BC curriculum, which he called “a game-changer for education on the island”.

He said: “I am filled with optimism and enthusiasm and look forward to setting the stage for our students to thrive in an ever-evolving world.”

Saltus announced it had also taken on Liam Moloney as board trustee and chairman of its finance committee, and Amy Jagoda as president of the Saltus Association and ex-officio board member.