Manchester Mico Alumni Association Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Manchester Link, a chapter of the Mico University College Alumni Association, formerly the Mico Old Students Association (MOSA), celebrated their 40th anniversary at a church service on Sunday (Feb. 8) at the New Beulah Moravian Church, Mandeville.
Speaking at the service, President of the alumni association, Hugh Morris, praised the institution for preparing graduates for service in the “noble profession of teaching” and accepting its motto, ‘Do It With Thy Might’.
Mr. Morris said that Mico had risen, “from the ashes of slavery” to find its niche in influencing developments in education in Jamaica.
Mico began in 1835 as one of four teacher training institutions established in the West Indies, Mauritius and Seychelles by the Lady Mico Charity. The task of directing these resources to educating the children of ex-slaves, while slavery was in the process of being abolished, was given to Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton.
The college began as a co-educational institution, training British volunteers to teach in Jamaican schools. After the cessation of the Negro Education Grant, it was determined that it was more economical to train native teachers, and Mico was transformed into a single-sex, male institution, training elementary native school teachers.
In the 1950s the institution became co-educational, again and has remained so since.
Mico graduates have been providing outstanding service in the field of education and nation building since 1922, and the alumni association has had the honour of celebrating their commitment to making the dreams of others a reality, Mr. Morris pointed out.
He paid tribute to graduates, including Governors General Sir Clifford Campbell and Sir Howard Cooke, Lady Hall, wife of the current Governor- General, and the many Members of Parliament, educators and business leaders produced by Mico.
“You the men and women of this chapter, are seen as leaders who continue to do all you can to transform the lives of your students, co-workers, improve the social climate of your communities and support the future development of your alma mater,” he said.
Mico alumni association in Manchester was founded in 1969, by Clinton Muschett, Clifford Bernard and Travert Spence, among others, as a chapter of the Mico University College Alumni Association. Other chapters of the alumni are in St. Elizabeth, Clarendon, New York, Connecticut, Florida and Canada.