Excerpts from the eulogy for Cecil Milton Scott

Fri May 03, 2013

Cecil Milton Scott, born on June 18th 1934, was the third child of Gurtude Richardson, deceased, formerly of Barrouallie, and Milton Scott, deceased, formerly of Coulls Hill. He gained his primary education at the Kingstown Methodist School. He grew up in Bottom Town and Edinboro. On leaving school at age 15, his first job was a baker at Sardine’s Bakery. There he learnt the skill of making pastries. His favourite pastries were sweet bread, rough top, slice and tart.

His deceased brother Rudolph encouraged him to join the Police Force, as he thought that he was too bright to be a baker and had the physique to be a police officer. He took his brother’s advice and was enlisted in the regional police training centre in Barbados at Seawell in 1958 and excelled to officer in charge. There he served as training instructor from 1969 to 1971. His first appointment was that of constable. On his return from Barbados, he became one of the main drill instructors and disciplinarians of the force. He attended courses in Georgia, USA, and with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP. He later headed the riot squad as he went up the ranks.

He was incharge of the Band Cadets and served as a police training instructor at the police training school at Edinboro and later at Largo Heights when the school was relocated. He served for a while in Montserrat and at a number of district police stations here, including those at Barrouallie, Bequia, Union Island, Sandy Bay, Chateaubelair, Questelles, Spring Village, Georgetown and Stubbs, where he met his lovely wife Martha Mc. Donald.{{more}}

They got married on November 29th, 1967. The union produced six children, three boys and three girls. Cleve, Michael, Timothy, Gisela, Ankie and Wazita. He had two children prior to his marriage. They were Oscar and Theophilus. He also had nine grandchildren, namely Marissa, Dwight, Macello, Clewyn, Caleb, Timesia, Kanzie, Maleah and Machado.

He started working as the officer incharge of the Traffic Department in 1980 up until his retirement in 1992 as a Superintendent of Police.

He is remembered by many as the parade commandant who led the visit of President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, as the one who was responsible for introducing the displays of figures at independence celebrations. His voice was so powerful that it was audible at his home in New Montrose, clearly giving the commands to the guards. He was the commander for the independence parade for over 10 years.

Cecil Scott was also a crop farmer, planting peas, cassava and corn. The peas he planted would be divide into two, home use and vending. The cassava would be reaped and converted into farine. Corn was for roasting, boiling and making of corn dumplings. He was also an animal farmer rearing, fowls, turkeys, sheep and pigs which from time to time he would use to produce home-made hams or sell the pigs to the then Marketing Corporation.

Another of his pasttimes was fishing. He would use the Kingstown wharf as his fishing base and would bring home a bucket filled with fish each time. He loved sports, track and field, cricket and football. He was a player of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force football team.

He liked listening to military marching songs and was such a lover of music that he bought a piano and encouraged his children to be involved in music. Oscar plays trumpet. Cleve is a sound engineer. Ankie plays piano and clarinet. Timothy is a song writer. Wazita played piano for a brief time.

Education was his main focus. He felt obligated to ensure that his youngest brother, Stanley ‘Sonny’ Stephens went to a secondary school. He bought his books, paid his fees to Bishops’ College Kingstown and ensured that he eventually got a university degree. He taught his children never to be late for school or work. He believed in the early bird catches the worm. He saw himself as a teacher. His favourite subject was Mathematics. Occasionally he would bring out a brown mathematics book – Arithmetic by A.E. Layne, written in 1898. He taught his children Mathematics from this book. He also liked General Knowledge. His favourite questions were – What is an Atoll?– (A ring shaped coral reef island), What is Aurora Borealis?

Sunrise: June 18th, 1934, Sunset: April 17th, 2013. Gone but not forgotten. We know that your soul presently resides with Jesus Christ in his mansions.