The interview had long come to an end, but the conversation with the Beckles family continued.
Christianity, legalisation of marijuana and higher learning were discussed around the coffee table with ease on a cool Friday evening. At times impassioned and at other times jovial, the chat was as engaging as the family.
Intellect was in no short supply in the Oxnards, St James home.
In fact, Beverley, Kevin and Dwayne may have made history as the first mother and sons team to have graduated the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill in the same year.
In 2012, Beverley graduated with a Master’s in management, specialising in human resources, the latest among her laundry list of qualifications.
Dwayne received his undergraduate degree in marketing and management, and Kevin was already at Bangor University in Wales, at the time of the ceremony, where he was undertaking a Master’s in clinical neuropsychology. He completed a double major in biochemistry and psychology.
The family’s achievements were as a result of an enabling environment fostered by Beverley and David.
“I am fascinated with learning. It is second nature to me. . .,” the 57-year-old said with a smile. “I studied all through Kevin’s life. He was in a rocker on a table of the classroom when I was doing a course called guidance and counselling in 1987, the year he was born.”
Additionally, she described her husband as a “voracious reader”.
“He reads the newspaper [and is] always involved in what is current regionally, internationally and locally. They have seen us as parents either in a formal registered courses or doing something to enlighten [ourselves].”
And in the children’s early years when mum was at classes and dad had to travel for his work as a locksmith, there was no shortage of intellectual stimulation: encyclopaedias, books and STV (the precursor to MultiChoice) were all available, and their previous Ferniehurst home was one of the first in the neighbourhood to have dial-up Internet.
However, the senior human resources officer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital still wished there was more she could have done for her children. Although Dwayne works hard at his job in sales for Flow, and has successfully managed an electronics store and Becks Bar until recently, it was his childhood dream to become a pilot.
Kevin, 26, was currently preparing to read for a doctorate of clinical psychology overseas, with the eventual aim of becoming a clinical neuropsychologist, which also would cost a pretty penny.
Beverley was an insistent believer that everyone should pursue their passion. As such, she advised parents to plan from very early phases to be able to provide financial support to prop up the emotional support needed for children to realise their dreams.
“From the time the baby is conceived . . . start saving for the child’s education. Just as you put [away money for] offerings and tithes, utilities, food and mortgage, it is wise to have envelope for an educational fund and deposit it in a place where you know that those savings will not be withdrawn,” she advised.
“I think that David and I offered these two young men the best that we could with the finances that we could afford. In retrospect, I am sorry that when Dwayne got to the point that when he was about 18 or 20 [years old], we could not afford to send him to do pilot training. . .”
“. . .We know that times are hard and most people have not had a salary increase. . . [so] the take-home pay is less, but if you are really committed to the education of your children, you have to make that sacrifice wherever you can.”
And it was a sacrifice the Beckles were still willing to make for the love of their children.
“With the change in the inherent costs, I would think that any monies that we have or that I could borrow would have to be directed to these two young men,” she stressed.
“They are trying to make their way now. I have achieved enough academically . . . and I feel fairly actualised in what I have achieved, but I would like to see them get to their passion. . . Sometimes it makes me feel unaccomplished as a parent that his dream hasn’t materialised, but I hope it will be sooner rather than later.”