HISTORY OF ‘HOMECOMING’
'HOMECOMING' as it relates to Cornwall College (CC), that great institution "here on the hill beside the sea", is the end result of a brain-spark from Corysa Salmon, Head of the English Department at Cornwall College. Prompted by the indefatigable Denham McIntyre, Principal (January 2006 to December 2014), who saw the need for a celebration worthy of showcasing the school's
rich heritage, Corysa Salmon commenced to fashion a branding of literacy for CC in keeping with her mandate from both the Ministry of Education and Cornwall College as Literacy Coordinator for the school. Her programme would designate an entire week shortly after the commencement of the school year in September when she would promote literacy at all levels and in all areas of the school's curricula. Before plans were settled, the 'open day' concept of the principal was quickly broadened by the McIntyre/Salmon team to include the 'old boys' of the school, and the formal name "Founders' & Literacy Week" was adopted. ‘Founders’ became the operative word in driving the quest to have ‘Old Boys’ participate in the events in the most integral manner. The inaugural event was held in 2008. That same year, Gerald Chambers, the omnipresent, hard-working President of the Cornwall College Old Boys' Association (CCOBA), when asked by the school to identify CC past students for participation in the Founders' Day mentoring segment of the activities, invited 'old boy' and PTA Treasurer Roy Ten-Fah to coordinate the effort. Corysa Salmon, who also worked alongside Ten-Fah at the Hanover Homecoming Foundation then grasped the opportunity to nominate him as co-chairman of the school committee, being the old boys' liaison, and later, to be appointed the Founding Chairman of the broader 'Homecoming Committee'. Ten-Fah drew on his knowledge of the 100th and 110th Anniversary celebrations in 1996 and 2006 respectively, to implement a series of annual events that have truly made 'Homecoming' a calendar event for the school and the CCOBA. In the inaugural year, 2008, there was no awards dinner; however, the classroom mentorship was hugely successful whilst the literacy week symposium and activities, though very good, saw only fair participation by the 'old boys'.
2009
In a year that could easily have broken the new event for lack of early planning, three persons, Ten-Fah and Raymond Kerr of the ‘old boys’ and Nicoleen Rhooms, a teacher, implemented the first 'Homecoming' Awards Dinner at the Wexford Court Hotel. Among the first recipients were businessmen Carlton Chin and Patrick Reid, Attorney-at-Law George Thomas and the successful football coach, Dr. Dean Weatherly. Corysa Salmon again did justice to the school's literacy week projects, which was highlighted by the launch of the Taylor/McIntyre Media House.
2010
A signal year for 'Homecoming’, 2010 carried some outstanding projects; the CC teachers awards dinner at the Tryall Hotel, the golf tournament at Cinnamon Hill, an 'Oldies' lyme at the Aquasol Theme Park, the school’s Literacy Symposium and the induction of the Hon. Rex Nettleford as the first "Hall of Fame" awardee were some of them. However, none were as unique as the Soccer Legends Awards Dinner at the Montego Bay Yacht Club, an event that witnessed the reunion of the great Cornwallian ‘ballers’ of the last 60 years. Among the attendees was a whopping 50% of the victorious Olivier Shield team of 1953. Significantly, also, this was the last Cornwall College function to be attended by the late Professor Aggrey Brown, who was in 2013 posthumously inducted to the Hall of Fame. In an effort to truly make the M.O.M. awards global, the 2010 Honourees selected were Dr. Cecil Aird (Tampa chapter), Vincent HoSang and Linford Blagrove (New York chapter), Martel Clayton (Canada chapter), Christopher Chow (Montego Bay chapter) and Lance Gibbs (South Florida chapter).
2011
The opening of the Carlton Chin 6th Form Block took the limelight in 2011. Apart from the stellar Awards Banquet at the Holiday Inn, the New York Chapter of the old boys sponsored a well received Teachers' Appreciation Dinner at the Palmyra Resort. The ‘Hall of Fame’ award was not presented in 2011. However, the ‘Men of Might’ Honour Awards went to Dr. Albert McGann (Tampa), Peter Buckley and Professor Horace Fletcher (Kingston), Nathan Robb and Rudolph Robinson (Montego Bay).
2012
This year witnessed the ground-breaking for the proposed CC Chapel, a project conceived by Dr. Albert McGann and taken up by Dr. Cecil Aird when Dr. McGann became ill. The second recipient of the 'Men of Might' Hall of Fame Award was the famous nuclear physicist, Dr. Henry Vernon Wong who worked for the US Government. Honour awardees were Carlton ‘Earl’ Samuels (Kingston chapter) and Barrington ‘Boca’ Campbell (New York chapter).
2013
The Aquasol lyme was upgraded in 2013 to incorporate a show and re-branded as the Retro Party, the project spear-headed by the legendary entertainer, A.J. "Boots" Brown. Dr. Aggrey Brown was posthumously inducted into the "Men of Might" Hall of Fame. Other honourees included Dr. Bernard Marshall, former headboy and Attorney-at-law John Graham and Dr. Garfield Campbell. Roy Ten-Fah retired as Homecoming Chairman and passed the baton to Francois Lawrence.
2014
The fourth recipient of the Hall of Fame award was Canada-based agronomist, Dr. Constantine Campbell. Another four 'Men of Might' Honour Awards were presented at the dinner gala; Winston G. HoFatt (Canada), former Mayor of Montego Bay, Charles Sinclair, Michael Hylton (Canada) and Dr. Charles ‘Barrie’ Hastings (Montego Bay). The Aquasol party was again re-branded and made bigger - named "Integration 2014". The CC Chapel, arguably the best school chapel in the Caribbean, was dedicated during an inspirational and well-attended ceremony. The Homecoming Committee applauds the efforts of the families of Dr. McGann and Dr. Aird
2015
The year 2015 saw the separation of the school's Founders' & Literacy Week from the CCOBA Homecoming programme. To fill the gaps in the week's activities, the Homecoming Committee implemented three new projects - a CCOBA-assisted Open Day for CC's Clubs and Societies, the innovative Carlton Chin Track & Field Festival for Classes 3 & 4 and the opening of the Noel B. Sloley Pavilion at the 6th Form Block. The 'Men of Might' Awards Dinner was shifted to the Half Moon Village, where outstanding statesman, former Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Kenneth Baugh was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Other Honourees were hotelier Evatt Bloomfield (Montego Bay), Denham Jolly (Canada) and Fred McCleod (South Florida).
2016
A new vibrant committee headed by the Montego Bay chapter of the CCOBA intends to make ‘Homecoming’ bigger and better. Among the plans for this year will be the Declaration by His Honour, Councillor Glendon Harris, the Mayor of Montego Bay of October 13, 2016 as CORNWALL COLLEGE DAY.
