“Cause all my life, You have been faithful

And all my life, You have been so, so good

With every breath that I am able

Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God”

— Bethel Music

Many times when someone passes, we see and hear about their personal and professional accomplishments, community involvement and a host of other details. This helps to give definition of who they were during the course of their lives.

What is challenging to put in words is how the person made others feel, not just about them but more importantly how they were made to feel about themselves. Not so much in the mode of a preacher quoting scripture or a motivational speaker giving out “feel-good” words. More so in a way that their actions and life works set examples for others to gravitate towards.

In Bermuda’s not-too-distant social structures, persons from certain communities were, in many different ways, restricted in educational opportunities, job availability and access to capital. Without a doubt, the biggest weapon used against them was the way they were looked upon as being at the bottom of the social barrel. You know the signs: the mere mention of one’s family name or community of origin would be used to show where they fell in Bermuda’s rigid class system.

The funny thing is when you apply pressure to people, they will rise up. From that uprising legends rose.

Whence we came

Along the southern side of Parson’s Road, just west of Glebe Road, more commonly known as Pond Hill, lies a place now known as Fenton’s Drive. A proud community built and inhabited by persons primarily of St Kitts & Nevis origin. Many of them would have been tradesmen such as carpenters, plumbers or masons. Others would have been cultivators of crops and livestock. All of them would have been proudly self-sufficient.

Surnames such as Adams, Bridgewater, Daniels, Francis, Richardson, Caines, Browne, Stevens and Thomas would have been commonplace in these areas. Another family name would have been Morton.

Giants among us

The Morton clan would have had origins in St Kitts & Nevis. Like hundreds of other Bermudian families, some would have been brought here against their will before 1834. Others would have migrated north between the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Like other families of the area commonly known as “back of town”, the Mortons would have attended The Central School and would have been brought up with the principles of family and community strength. They would have some of the same persons who helped to form many organisations such as gift clubs, workmen’s clubs, churches, unions and, yes, a particular political party.

Essentially, they were part of the cornerstone of building a society from which they knew that by working together they would rise above the multitude of societal restrictions imposed upon them.

They would become giants among us.

Stand tall, stand strong

Out of that neighbourhood, one young man in particular stood tall, not just in physical structure but in ambition for himself and his community. He would go on to inspire thousands of persons, spanning many generations, to work together in order to educate their children, seek professional qualifications and look to become leaders of our island.

Most importantly, through his way of connecting with others, he made his people not just proud of him but equally as proud of each other and themselves.

Mr Stanley Adolphus Morton Sr, your island salutes, you all the way.

Respice finem.

• Christopher Famous is the government MP for Devonshire East (Constituency 11). You can reach him on WhatsApp at 599-0901 or e-mail at carib_pro@yahoo.com