Jeanette Grant-Woodham hailed as trailblazer, nucleus of Tivoli
Published:Wednesday | September 9, 2020 | 12:15 AMJonielle Daley/Gleaner Intern
The late Jeanette Grant-Woodham has been lauded as a trailblazing educator and parliamentarian, breaking the glass ceiling for women in the lofty corridors of power but retaining the common touch that endeared her to community folk.
Grant-Woodham passed away on Monday at Kingston Public Hospital at approximately 8 p.m., niece Shannakay Grant told The Gleaner. She was 82.
Grant-Woodham traversed uncharted territory when she was appointed the first woman president of the Senate in 1984, having been designated deputy four years earlier. She also served as minister of state in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness led the tributes to the late former parliamentarian, saying she “pushed boundaries, broke barriers, and did the seemingly impossible”.
Current Senate President Tom Tavares-Finson praised Grant-Woodham as “a warm individual who gave unparalleled service to the people of Jamaica”.
MOULDING LIVES
Beyond the hallowed halls of politics, the career educator is remembered for moulding countless lives in gritty west Kingston communities having served as the first principal of Tivoli Gardens High School.
Sisters Jennifer Morgan-Garwood and Veronica Sewell-Morgan recall Grant-Woodham’s guidance and mentorship after enrolling at a community training centre aged 12 and 15, respectively.
Sewell-Morgan, now the principal of Charles Chin Loy Early Childhood Development Centre, described the late educator as an exemplary woman who inspired just by the way she lived.
“As a woman, I saw her move up as senator. She did very well, politically and educationally,” said Sewell-Morgan, who has been an early-childhood educator for more than 40 years.
“I watched her and emulated her; that is why I’m here now at this school.”
ABOVE AND BEYOND
Reflecting on Grant-Woodham’s legacy, Morgan-Garwood told The Gleaner that the late former principal often went above and beyond the call of duty to mentor students, describing her as the nucleus of Tivoli Gardens High.
“She was a giver of herself,” said Morgan-Garwood, the artistic director of Tivoli Dance Troupe, which blossomed under the influence of Grant-Woodham.
“When you think of what the troupe is today, she played an integral part just like the institution itself. She was always behind those people who have the talent and the skills to teach us what to do with it.
Even as she got older, said Morgan-Garwood, Grant-Woodham was delighted to watch the dance troupe perform at recitals and at annual productions held at The Little Theatre.
“We have been teaching them who she is. Whenever she came by, I always used it as an opportunity to say to the children, ‘This is one of the persons who was instrumental in making the art a part of the history of the institution and the community at large’,” she said, beaming with pride.
The Jeanette Grant-Woodham Education Foundation was launched in 2014 to provide scholarships to needy students attending Tivoli Gardens High. The scholarships have also allowed Tivoli graduates to pursue tertiary education.
Past student and former deputy chairman of the Tivoli High School board, Carlton Francis, has been an active member of the foundation since its inception.
“Almost every year we have had a fundraising event in honour of Mrs Grant-Woodham, who was a formidable figure in the Tivoli Gardens High School,” said Francis.
“She is a role model, someone who made various sacrifices for the furtherance of education not just in west Kingston, but Jamaica.”
Grant-Woodham leaves behind son Omar.