Dame Marjorie Bean, DBE

Dame Marjorie Bean overcame obstacles encountered by countless black women of her generation with dignity and grace.

She was an influential educator and cultural icon, whose impeccable diction and penchant for perfectionism put her in a class of her own.

Dame Marjorie mastered her skills as a classroom teacher at Central School and The Berkeley Institute.

Her appointment in 1949 as the first black supervisor of schools was just one of her history-making achievements.

In 1980, she was the first woman appointed to the Upper House.  In 1995, she became the first Bermudian woman to receive a knighthood.

A tireless organiser, she lent her talents to the Berkeley Educational Society, the AME church and to the Business and Professional Women’s Association, which she founded.

She also made her mark as founder of The Queen’s Birthday Ball, which was a rite of passage for high school graduates for nearly four decades.