Allisonian made Member of the British Empire by the Queen

Congratulations to respected educator Shirley Pearman ('62) who has been made a Member of the British Empire [MBE] by the Queen for decades of service to teaching and the arts.

News of the awards came today as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. 

Mrs Pearman devoted 35 years of her working life to the education and training of young Bermudians in the classroom. She retired in 1997 after serving 16 years as First Assistant at Warwick Secondary School. 

With degrees from Mount Allison (BFA) and New York University (MA Ed), she was the first Bermudian to obtain a Master's Degree in Art Education.

Her service as a teacher and art specialist have been rewarded with recognition from the Sandys Rotary Club, Spring into the Arts and the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, which in 2007 named her as one of its 100 Wonder Women.

She served on various boards and committees including the Bermuda Arts Council, National Library, Stamp Advisory Board, Emancipation Committee and Bermuda National Gallery committees.

She participated in the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival in Washington, DC in 2001, which she described as “one of the highlights of my life” and has also contributed exhibits to the Bermuda National Museum.

As one of the first black Bermudians to serve on the Executive of the Bermuda Historical Society, Mrs Pearman was instrumental in conceiving, organising and administering postgraduate awards for Bermudian scholars engaged in research projects related to Bermuda’s history.