Barefoot to Boardroom: The Intriguing Life Story of a Poor Country Lad Turned College President

By Dr. Leon Higgs

This book was written to encourage those whose hopes dwindle in the face of hindrances. I share with you my journey to success so that it might inspire others not only to dream but to make those dreams a reality! With God, all things are possible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512792614

Dr. Leon Higgs

As a boy, Leon asked, Whats beyond Nassau? What adventures await? He could have been a fisherman, farmer, or minister. He asked for Gods intervention, and he became a unique fisher of men. Though his journey took him far from The Bahamas, he returned to a greater and higher vision. Barefoot to Boardroom chronicles Leons unique journey and important milestones. His rise from an impoverished upbringing to an accomplished educator is noteworthy. As you follow his journey, you will meet people who nurtured him. You will gain insight into his relationship with his sons, a turbulent marriage, and an intriguing rebirth. Leons stay in the United States provides for exciting reading, but his rise to a college presidency in The Bahamas, a Director of Higher Education and the Secretary General for The Bahamas National Commission for UNESCO is insightful and motivational. Barefoot to Boardroom reminds us of our dreams and how to convert them into realities.

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Copyright © 2017 Dr. Leon Higgs.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Cover design by Mr. Elton Moxey.

Photography by Mr. Kenneth Love.

Scriptures taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-9262-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-9263-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-9261-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017910433

WestBow Press rev. date: 4/27/2018

Dedication

This book is dedicated posthumously to my grandparents and parents, who have nurtured me and instilled in me the values necessary for me to live a wholesome, productive life.

To my wonderful family, with whom I eat most of my Sabbath dinners.

To my wonderful sons—Tafari, Miriosh, Levar, and Marcus—who have brought such joy and happiness to my life.

And to my wonderful wife, Alvira, who has shown me there is life and love after divorce.

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1:   Rural Foundation

Chapter 2:   Glimpses of City Life

Chapter 3:   Education in the United States of America

Chapter 4:   Living and Working in the Homeland

Chapter 5:   Experiencing America as a Professional

Chapter 6:   Returning to My Roots

Chapter 7:   The Family Man

Chapter 8:   Those Who Know Him Speak

About the Author

Foreword

Throughout one’s lifetime, many opportunities challenge him or her; some are accepted readily, but others are discarded. Among the discarded are opportunities that should have been accepted.

In my early teaching life, I found myself being forced out of West End, Grand Bahama, and challenged with an assignment in Kemp’s Bay, Andros. Among the many students in this new district, I discovered a diamond in the rough, an intelligent young man with an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a burning desire to achieve. They called him Leon, the oldest child from a very large family, an ambitious lad whose dreams couldn’t be squashed.

Leon and I didn’t have extended time together as teacher and student, but we used in-school and after-school hours to fan the flame that had been ignited, a flame that over the years has illuminated the path of many others Dr. Leon Higgs has influenced as teacher, mentor, friend, diplomat, civil servant, and president of the College of The Bahamas.

I am so very proud of Dr. Higgs for the opportunity I have had to follow his progress and celebrate so many of his stellar accomplishments at home and abroad.

I congratulate you, sir, for the publication of Barefoot to Boardroom, which documents your educational journey, and for your contributions to the birth of the University of The Bahamas. Both events neatly coincide, and hopefully both will be a credit to all our efforts.

Sir Arlington Griffith Butler, BSc (mathematics),

K.C.M.G. (Knight Commander of the Order of St.

Michael and St. George)

Former Speaker, the Hon. House of Assembly

Nassau, Bahamas

November 2016

Acknowledgments

Completing a project such as this is impossible without the assistance of many individuals. Therefore, I wish to acknowledge those who contributed substantially to make this publication possible. First, special thanks go to Dr. Althea McMillan, whose incredible editing skills made this book a joy to read. She made an invaluable contribution to this work. I am forever indebted to her. I wish to express gratitude to my wife, Alvira, who has put up with my coming to bed in the early hours of the morning because I have been too busy working on my manuscript. Honey, I thank God for you every day.

As I prepared this book, many friends, colleagues, and former students agreed to contribute to the last chapter. I sincerely appreciate the time and effort they spent in preparing their submissions. Their contributions have definitely enhanced the quality of my manuscript. To all those whose presentations are listed, I say, Thank you. Of course, this work wouldn’t be complete without the foreword by Sir Arlington Butler, the man I credit with lighting the flame for knowledge in my heart and head.

Dr. David Richardson, my wonderful brother-in-law, took his valuable time to read my manuscript, and I gratefully acknowledge his contribution. My graphic artist, Mr. Elton Moxey, who actually put life on the cover of this book with his incredible work, is also greatly appreciated. Mr. Kenneth Love, my photographer, who produced the back cover and inside photographs of me, is also recognized. To Mr. Sidney Strachan, whose skills with electronic media have been invaluable in getting the world to know about this book, I say thanks.

Introduction

Blessed are those who see what isn’t visible, who feel what isn’t tangible, who hope for what doesn’t seem possible, and whose dreams defy logic

As I positioned myself at the lectern to give the inaugural address and become the College’s second president, I was momentarily oblivious to the assembled academic throng in all their regalia; nor did I see the hundreds of parents, officials, and patrons waiting with bated breath. What I saw took my breath away. For more seconds than I can recall, I was speechless, a trait eternally missing from my DNA.

At once I stood at the threshold of the most intriguing leg of my professional marathon and simultaneously on the seashore of my little village (known to Bahamians as a settlement). I immediately relived the moment years before when my gaze vacillated, first down the dusty, winding road that seemed to lead to nowhere (or at best to the drudgery of backbreaking farm toil that yielded barely enough for subsistence). Then it swept across the aqua waters just offshore to the navy-blue depths of the Atlantic and beyond the horizon to a place that held promise, a place I hadn’t yet trod, a place that beckoned.

And now it seemed that I had reached that place, and my spirits soared. But for the moment, I had a task at hand. I must return to the here and now.

This book is deliberately designed to remind all its readers that everyone has a dream. The critical issue is what we do with that dream. Far too many, young and old alike, look at their circumstances, swear to be the only ones so deprived, then bury their dreams in a sea of excuses. Others search desperately in a futile effort for a panacea that will guarantee success while scores wait for some fairy with a gift-wrapped package.

Let me share with you in these pages how a barefoot boy, born and raised below the last rung of the socioeconomic ladder, cherished his dream, shared it with mentors, and followed it in spite of harsh winters, penniless pockets, and nagging bouts of nostalgia. I invite you to trace my journey over several decades until I could choose socks to match my doctoral trappings and shoes to cover my feet, now void of corns and cuts.

What was possible for me awaits anyone with faith in a God who specializes in doing what mortals deem impossible; it is for anyone with desire, dogged determination, and a sense of destiny.

Leon Higgs

Nassau, Bahamas

November 2016

Photograph1.jpg

Me at different stages of my life. Photo by Kenneth Love.

Chapter 1

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Rural Foundation

He lit a fire with the presentation of my first book, Tom Sawyer—a fire that ignited my love of learning and my interest in education as a career.

Johnson’s Bay is a very small settlement in Andros, the largest island of the archipelagic nation known as the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. It is an island famous for sponges, quality lumber, an abundance of fresh water, endless caves and bottomless blue holes, abundant fishing grounds, verdant flora and fauna, rich farmland, and outstanding musicians and educators, many of whom dedicated their entire lives to training the nation’s children.

I was one of those children, born very early in the morning on May 15, 1948. I was apparently a very healthy baby at birth, but as the story goes, I couldn’t suck my mother’s milk, and there was no other type of food available for infants on the island. So, in a very short time, I became weak.

No family lacks at least one prophet of doom, and neither did ours. One of my uncles came over to give his assessment and then announced, This baby will not live another day. By sunset tomorrow, he’ll be gone.

O Lord! No, Lord. Not muh baby. Not lil’ Leon. Dis muh first one. O Lord, have mercy! My mother couldn’t be consoled; she was heartbroken at the thought of losing her firstborn, and she wept bitterly.

With no resident physician available on the island, my father summoned the local midwife. She took one look at me and then proceeded to reset my palate with her thumb. Immediately after she put me to the breast, I started eating—and I have enjoyed my food ever since, to this very day!

Important Influences in Early Childhood

I remember my first day at school after a barefoot trek to Kemp’s Bay, where the church school was located. My talented mother had made my straw hat, my shirt, and my pants; and she escorted me that first morning. Halfway through the day, I started to sing, signaling to Mrs. Sylvia Barnes, the teacher and wife of our minister, Pastor Clarence J. Barnes, that my school day had come to an end.

You will have to wait a little longer, Leon, Mrs. Barnes announced. I’ll let you know when the school day is over. I think that was the longest day of my life, partly because I was accustomed to a more carefree existence and because I needed to adjust to the discipline of the classroom. Eventually, three o’clock rolled around, so we sang our parting song and made a mad dash for the door and the one-mile walk home.

Wait a moment, students. I’ve misplaced the key for the front door, and I can’t leave it open. Exit aborted. Everyone joined in the search for the missing key but without success. Mrs. Barnes summoned the entire school to her side and said, Students, let’s say a prayer that God would help us find the key. We bowed our heads, and Mrs. Barnes prayed.

As soon as we opened our eyes, our teacher remembered that she had secured the key in her shoe for safety, and there it was. That incident made a profound impression on me as a young child. It was my first demonstration of the power of prayer, and it solidified a faith or trust in God that has remained constant through the years.

The second minister’s wife who taught me at Kemp’s Bay School was Mrs. Ruth McKinney, wife of the late Pastor Silas N. McKinney. The desks and chairs were mainly for the older children. The smaller children sat on the floor around the teacher. I spent most of my days just staring at my new teacher. She was incredibly beautiful, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I counted every grain of sand in her flowing curls, secretly thankful that most mornings the wind was strong enough to make these deposits in her silky locks as she walked to school. I was seven years old, but I decided then and there that I wanted a wife who looked just like Mrs. Ruth McKinney.

Would you believe that while at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, I met and married a Filipino woman who looked almost identical to Mrs. McKinney? Years later, as a parent struggling with choices for my children’s early childhood education, I realized how important it is to choose teachers whose lifestyles exude the principles taught at home.

Public School: A Turning Point

After two years at our church school, I was transferred to Kemp’s Bay Public School. Mr. Rolle was the teacher for only one term, followed by Mr. Bullard and then Mr. Arlington Butler, my most memorable teacher—the teacher who lit a fire in me for learning. He was young, barely older than his students, and because of our similar personalities, we connected.

Mr. Butler identified with us; he was single and could associate with us. He genuinely cared, sacrificing hours late into the evening to ensure his tutelage would fit us for examinations—and he did all this gratis. He was my special teacher. Before his arrival, I wasn’t doing well in school. Now I understood the lessons, and my eyes sparkled.

Mr. Butler successfully tricked us into learning all the parts of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He allowed us to believe we would perform the entire play for the community. We enjoyed every minute at the feet of this educator par excellence. At his departure, he gave me my first book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Now I could begin my own little library, since neither our home nor our school had one.

After one year, Mr. Butler left for England to continue his studies, but he didn’t forget me. He wrote often, continuing to encourage me. Upon his return to Nassau, Mr. Butler continued to tutor me, this time in math. I walked from Churchill Development to Highbury Park, where he resided with his wife, who also became my friend. He subsequently entered politics and became Speaker of the Honorable House of Assembly, but he wasn’t too busy to celebrate with me at both of my weddings, toasting the groom. When the Free National Movement, FNM, won the election in 1992, he sent a message to me in California, telling me it was time to come home. He didn’t realize that I had already decided to return to The Bahamas.

My second teacher at Kemp’s Bay Public School was Mr. Ruddock, known and remembered for his obsession with beating students. One day I missed the answer to his question and got several lashes on my back as a result. When I showed my mother the cuts on my sore back, she chided, You must have done something wrong for Teacher to beat you like this. In the future, pay more attention. And that was the end of the discussion. To Family Island parents in the 1950s, the teacher was always right. The mentorship and tutelage of these dedicated civil servants extended beyond school premises and school hours. They were talent scouts, identifying latent abilities in students and encouraging parents to make all the necessary sacrifices to ensure their children’s academic success.

Our after-school shenanigans were really the highlight of those primary school days. We walked the beachfront from school to home, pausing myriad of times to bark coconut from anybody’s tree or catch fish, all the while clad in our school uniforms. Soaked from head to toe, we’d