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| T. B. Stephenson |
The Stephenson family hailed from Bethel Town in Westmoreland. William James Stephenson [Sr.] and his wife were staunch Baptists who served faithfully in the Bethel Town Baptist Church, where they brought up their children in an environment marked by commitment to Christ and the Church. Thomas Burchell [T.B.] Stephenson was one of the children of Deacon and Mrs. Stephenson. Born in 1845, T. B. was named for Thomas Burchell, a prominent Baptist minister who was a very significant emancipator. After his early formation in the church, in 1860, T. B. made a profession of faith when he was 15 and he was baptized by Rev. Charles Sibley at the Bethel Town church.
Writing in 1933, Dr Everard Emanuel Penso, a dental surgeon, one time mayor of Kingston and long-serving member of the Council of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation, referred to T. B. Stephenson as one of Jamaica’s outstanding educators who, “by his fine example … was instrumental in moulding the moral characters of all those who were under his care and guidance.”[1] In 1882, after serving as an educator in the parishes of St Elizabeth and Westmoreland, Stephenson took charge of the Model School connected to the Calabar College which was then at East Queen Street in Kingston. He remained in that position for 26 years.
When he came to serve in Kingston, he had his membership transferred to East Queen Street Baptist Church. There, he served as a deacon, treasurer of the church for over 25 years, the choirmaster, and a Trustee of the Church. In addition, he was, for 20 years, superintendent of the Sunday School. It is not surprising that, at his memorial service, his former pastor William Pratt said of him:
Our friend, who has passed out of our sight, loved young
people particularly, and spent himself in doing his utmost to teach and uplift
them, as hundreds and thousands can testify. He sought to train them in good
and godly character, not so much, however, by the mere words of book or even
Bible, as by the spiritual influences that went forth from his own Christian
spirit and character and example….
What was the secret of the honourable character he bore,
and the honourable position he reached? His faith in Christ Jesus. He was one
of the heroes of faith, and by his faith he wrought wonders. Let us, one and
all, seek to have "a like precious faith.” Let us manifest and exercise
and strengthen it, as he did in faithful service.
During his 46 years of faithful service to education, Stephenson showed keen interest in the social, moral and intellectual welfare of the Jamaican people, and focused primarily on forming children and young people as principled and responsible citizens. He was a founding member of the Jamaica Union of Teachers and was twice elected President. When he retired from teaching, he was appointed to the Board of Education and he served for 3 years and, in the last years of his life, was on the Board of Trustees of the Wolmer’s Schools.
T. B. Stephenson (1845-1913) provides a salutary example of the many professional teachers who have made an outstanding contribution to the ministry of many of churches associated together in the Jamaica Baptist Union. He modelled for his many students how to be a practising Christian who contributes to the formation of responsible citizens, who is firmly committed to the development of the community in which he lives, and who exercises responsible stewardship in the church. The example many Christian teachers provide is worthy of deep appreciation and thankfulness.
After his retirement in 1909, Stephenson was persuaded to stand for election to the Kingston City Council. Later, he was elected for a second term. About him, Alexander Dixon, who was his colleague on the City Council, said this: “He was a man who lived to satisfy all classes of the community.”
Stephenson died, after a brief illness, on July 1, 1913. He was remembered for his hard and successful work as a teacher, his integrity and dignity, and the high esteem in which all classes of the community held him. The Gleaner praised him for his life and contribution:
For a long
number of years, indeed his whole life has been devoted to teaching; and his
success as Head- master of Calabar Model School brought him into the front rank
of the elementary teachers of this island. A good many holding responsible
positions in the different walks of life today owe their early education to Mr.
Stephenson. His pupils can be found holding their own in the learned
professions in this colony and abroad…. When he gave up the work of the
schoolroom some years ago to enjoy a well-earned rest, his services were sought
after by the citizens of Kingston and, ever ready to do what he could for his
country, he consented to become a candidate for civic honours in the "Red,
White, and Blue Party." It was a keenly contested election and the
position in which he was returned by the voters showed that he was popular with
all classes. At the end of that Council's term, he again stood for election,
and once again was returned to the present Council of which he was a member up
to the time of his death…. Honest, straightforward, and unassuming, he served
the city faithfully and well and by his death the community has lost a good man
Stephenson’s funeral took place at the East Queen Street Baptist Church, followed by his interment at the May Pen Cemetery.
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