It is not usual to find a centenarian still be married, but Esther Lilian Wickham certainly is.
At their Cadogan Road, Grazettes, St Michael home yesterday, her husband, 94-year-old retired professor Edcil Wickham, had nothing but praise and love for his wife of 49 years.
“Esther has been a treasure; what she’s done for me has been amazing,” he said.
As President The Most Honourable Jeffrey Bostic listened, Edcil told a tale of how his wife, a fellow academic, was vital in helping him with his career.
“I was a professor from about 1971. I knew the literature, but Esther knew how to deliver it. She was an inspiration as a teacher and made me a better professor. She taught me how to problem-solve, and I became the first president of the Wilfrid Laurier University union in Canada because of her. I got several awards during my time, and I gave them all to her,” he said, adding she continued to be helpful and supportive.
However, that was not the end of the amazing revelations.
Even Bostic said he had never known a centenarian to have not one, but two university degrees: a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies and another Bachelor’s Degree in Arts from the University of Bristol in England.
Esther was a teacher at St Giles Primary School, St Clements Primary School and a deputy principal at Erdiston Teachers’ Training College. Her children, Cheryl Austin, Margaret Austin-Knight and Jeffrey Austin, said their mother was strict when it came to schoolwork.
“She is very gentle and very funny but stern too. When you step out of line, she would give you the look. She was very strict about homework, and we were afraid to bring home a grade less than an A,” said Austin-Knight.
Esther and the president had a lively interaction, conversing about things such as cooking and travel. He said it was always a pleasure to visit centenarians.
“Congratulations on reaching such a significant milestone. People may think this is just a ceremonial duty, but it is much more than that. You are one of Barbados’ treasures, and when I visit, I represent the whole of Barbados. A 100 years is not 100 days, and you must have stories I cannot find in any history book,” he said.
Esther credited her long life to good genes, as her father passed at 98 and a sister passed at age 97, adding she did not feel like a 100-year-old.
Her children, who live in the United States and Trinidad, said she remained in good health except for the loss of her sight to glaucoma.
They said she has three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Edcil also has two children from a previous marriage. (CA)