NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2025 13 STC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 100TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURE AT AGE 20 years old when most young women are generally focused on attaining personal goals, young Zoe graduated Shortwood Teachers’ College and immediately joined her college’s Old Students Association. Since then, there has been no separation between Zoe and Shortwood Old Students Association. Mrs Whittaker joined the Association in 1952 and gave more than 48 years of committed, active service while for a significant part of that time, raising a family and teaching full time in some of Kingston and St Andrew’s toughest secondary schools. This is an embodiment of commitment as even after retiring from the office of Treasurer in 2000, Zoe continued her involvement with SOSA. It was Aristotle who said,“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work” This statement holds true for Zoe in relation to her work in SOSA. The consistently high-quality work that Zoe produced throughout her years that she served as Treasurer for the Association demonstrated her love for financial management. As the Treasurer, Zoe was integral to most of the committees and was adept at both assisting with raising the funds for the various projects, as well as with accounting. She was dubbed one of the Association’s main event planners for many years. One sister whom she encouraged to join the Association stated that Zoe was a “no-nonsense” person who was forthright in expressing her thoughts and was always ensuring that activities were done properly and in a timely manner. We note that in her earlier years in the Association Zoe served as an ordinary member, but there was nothing regular or ordinary about her service as she constantly sought novel ways to execute the various activities in the committees where she served. It was this quest for new approach to fund-raising that led to the‘Tea Party Booklet Initiative’which was done in collaboration with Cherrie Neufville. The Tea Party Booklet was a mini book created annually for the Tea Party that had sponsors that bought advertisements in the booklet which was a souvenir. In the celebration of the 100th year of Shortwood Teachers’College Alumni Association’, the Alumni Association pauses to salute Mrs Zoe Whittaker, one of the stalwarts of our Association. She is listed on the Association’s Honour Roll as well as among the Association’s short list of Treasurers who gave exemplary service. Mrs. Whittaker was presented with a plaque for dedicated service in 2003. The Alumni Association awarded her in 2013 with the Octogenarian plaque. As we celebrate our centenary, we salute Mrs Zoe Whittaker for the role she played in our development. Mrs Zoe Whittaker Mrs. Zoe Whittaker of the main building. The upgrades seemed simple, but it significantly improved the appearance of the area. Mrs. Swire is the embodiment of a true stalwart in our Alumni Association. She was placed on our Honour Roll as she truly deserves recognition. Juanita is really the Association’s resident historian, resource person and the general ‘go to person” for information based on her twenty-five years of active involvement. She willingly shares her time, and her home for social and other gatherings as well as her resources for the benefit of the Association and the college. Mrs. Swire has slowed down physically, but she still takes much pleasure in serving. Juanita, we salute you as one of our stalwarts on this 100th anniversary.
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