Daily Gleaner, November 18,
1938
THE PRINCIPAL SPEAKS.
Mr.
Hoffman's health was drunk, and in reply,
he said that he appreciated the remarks
of Mr.
Alexander because he believed
they were
sincere, and he would like to
tell them from the
depths of his heart that he loved his people and
his country, and nothing that he could do
whatever the sacrifice was, would flinch
from
doing as long at it was in
his power. He had
embarked upon that
policy from his early life,
and he had
dedicated himself to carry it
through to
the end. (Hear, hear). His aim had
never been to accumulate the goods of
this
world for himself - he had every
opportunity of
doing that; as a matter
at fact, he had come in
for a
little of the things of this world, but
whatever he got, he had used it for the betterment of people. (Hear, hear). Hence could
not boast of being 'well
off' as some people
would say. He had
chosen to be inthe place and the position in which he
could best serve his
people and country. He could have got a big
School in
America after graduating from his
University,
but he elected to come to
his
homeland because he felt the urge
to do so, and it was his policy to
serve his own people.
As Headmaster of that School he could have
got a
very substantial salary because the
School was well financed, but when he
remembered
the need for higher education in
Jamaica
and every young man and young
woman
whose ambitions were for that type of
education, it was his conviction that they should not be denied the opportunity of
advancing in that connection. He felt
consoled
in that his
VISION
WAS BEING REALISED
and
the percentage of those who had left
the
school, and were doing well, was
very gratifying
indeed. Students of Happy Grove who had
gone abroad to further
their studies always
expressed the desire
to return to help their
country in any
way they could (Applause).
Jamaica was
richer for what Happy Grove had
given
her, and it was a source of gratitude to
him to learn of the successes of
their students
in Universities in Great
Britain and the United
States of America
(hear, hear). He had the
greatest confidence
in the future of the school
and with
a strong Old Students' body, much
good
could result. The living spirit of Christ
was
ever before them inspiring and guiding
them in
the way of Truth. He would
remind them of the
dedication to duty -
to be willing to [ ] and
although men might come and go, but the
good
work would go on forever (cheers).
The
president said he could not think of a
man
who had worked for a good cause
more
conscientiously and devotedly as Mr.
Hoffman
had done, and Old Happy Grovians honoured
him that night for his untarnished record (hear, hear).
