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| Alma Mock Yen |
Pioneer broadcaster and actress extraordinaire Alma Mock Yen has passed on. Bark Di Trute encourages her family, especially her son Shaun Mock Yen, to be strong.
Alma was a lecturer at the UWI, and her impact and influence affected the whole Caribbean.
Alma, even up to recently, was very active on social media.
In a Gleaner feature on September 1, 2013, it says that
- She won a scholarship to Wolmer's Girls' School in the 1940s, and was first in the school in literature in the Senior Cambridge School Leaving Certificate Examination.
- She was one of the youngest teachers on record as she began teaching language and literature at age 14 at Merl Grove High School to students, some of whom were the same age and some much older.
- She was a founding member, later soloist and choreographer, of the celebrated Ivy Baxter Modern Creative Dance Group (1950-1967) for which she wrote the libretto and lyrics of Jamaica's first integrated musical Once Upon A Seaweed produced by Noel Vaz at the Ward Theatre in 1960.
- She was presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at King's House in 1953; and as an RJR staff member, did commentary on their visit to thousands of Jamaican schoolchildren at Sabina Park.
- She has met, conversed with, and enjoyed the wit of Scottish actor Sean Connery (James Bond) on his visit to the Ward Theatre to see the LTM Pantomime, Banana Boy in 1961. The cast included: Mock-Yen, Carmen Manley, Louise Bennett, Ranny Williams, Delroy Mendez, and other luminaries.
- She writes poetry, with her second volume of poems titled 2010-2011; Reflections over Footnotes which is due to be published by the end of 2013.
- She won the Miss YMCA beauty contest in 1945.
- She avoids pharmaceuticals, relying more on the efficacy of natural products such as garlic, cinnamon, honey, etc.
Add your comments below this blog for the family to see.
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Another luminary has left us to join the others. Condolences to her family. I was always fascinated by her surname Mock Yen whilst growing up in Jamaica. May she rest in eternal peace. Amen.
ReplyDeleteThank You Alma for your loyal, energetic, unforgettable contribution to your Island Home Jamaica 🇯🇲 May Your Soul Rest in Eternal Peace ✌️ 🙏 ❤️ 💙
ReplyDeleteGreat woman.Tell me something why people wait until yuh dead to highlight all the things you do/contributions made for the betterment of mankind "education".
ReplyDeleteHow about CARIMAC was she the founder ,one of the founders or did the founders found her there.
Why I ask that's the name I heard over the years connected to CARIMAC that started as far back as 1974.
She was a key ingredient in shaping what CARIMAC is today.
Thank you Hon Alma Mock Yen.
Where is main stream media going these days CARIMAC Ms Alma not around to answer but her legacy must be recognized and interpreted appropriately.
Dr Hopeton Dunn talk to we on Barke di Trute or elsewhere Maas Hopeton.
I am so sorry to learn of the passing of Alma. She was such a wonderful person. I met her while I was a member of the Pantomime Co.
ReplyDeleteMay her soul rest in peace