Tunde Solarin’s Eulogy to Sheila Mary Solarin, MBE , delivered on Thursday November 8, 2012  

WHEN Sheila and Tai Solarin carved out a small jungle clearing to build a classroom, over half a century ago, the name they had already chosen for their new school was “Mayflower”, in a tip of the hat to the Pilgrims of old who, fleeing Europe’s religious persecution in 1620, set sail across the Atlantic Ocean aboard a sturdy wooden vessel called The Mayflower, bound for the New World, later to be known as The United States of America. 

Over the decades subsequent to her humble beginning in a forest clearing near Ikenne, Nigeria,  that new school, Mayflower, grew rapidly in size and reputation, as thousands of students who passed through the institution went on to become titans of industry, the sciences  and governance, both within Nigeria, and on the global stage.   

The success story that is Mayflower owes as much to the hard work and dedication of Tai and Sheila, as it does to the support and guidance offered by prominent sons and daughters of Ikenne, notably from the Awolowo and Sofola families, whose steadfast benevolence and wisdom, stretching back many decades, has played a key role in keeping the school on track to success during its most challenging formative years, but also again in more recent years, whenever uncertainty loomed.  The debt of gratitude owed by the Solarin family accrues daily, yet could never be repaid in full, even as we solemnly renew our pledge to uphold the elevated standards which have always set Mayflower School apart from other comparable institutions. 

As a career path, Sheila’s role as teacher fit her like a glove.  Teaching was truly her life’s calling, and right up till the moment she left her home for the last time, her every waking moment was devoted to teaching both children and adults to read and write, or to imparting classroom teachers with the nuances of attaining optimal efficiency in lesson planning and delivery.  During a five-year medical stay in America, Sheila instinctively sought out the children of poor Mexican immigrant laborers, so as to coach them towards literacy, exactly as she had done all her life back home in Nigeria.  Sheila Solarin never retired from teaching, for that would have meant giving up on that which brought her, and all around her, the greatest sense of fulfillment.

 Today, as we prepare to lay Sheila Mary Solarin to rest beside her husband Tai, I recall with nostalgia my first years of primary school education, when my mother would guide the pencil in my unsteady hand, to form letters of the alphabet, written on the lined page in the same smooth, flowing cursive hand-writing style Sheila taught generations of students before and after me.   Much more recently I remember marveling at the way Sheila could patiently proof-read documents I had written, and spot the last few grammatical errors that I would always somehow fail to notice.  

Above all, however, I feel a sense of immense gratitude and honor, for having borne close witness to the life and times of Sheila Mary Solarin MBE, my mother – our mother.   Rest in Peace, Sheila.    You spent 88 years thinking only of others, and doing your very best to educate all you met, who were willing to learn.  For this you will always be remembered, as the good ship Mayflower sails resolutely on towards distant horizons and greater promise, across oceans both stormy and calm.  

On behalf of the Solarin family, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to well-wishers who have sent messages of condolence from all over the world.  The loss of our matriarch is considerably lighter to bear, thanks to these numerous expressions of grateful appreciation for Sheila and her life’s work.   Our profound gratitude also goes out to His Excellency Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, along with the Honorable Commissioner of Education Pastor Odubela, for their unwavering support, and personal visits to Sheila during her hospitalization.  Worthy of special mention is Barrister Kayode Sofola SAN, the Chairman of the Board of Governors of Mayflower School, who, as constant as the Northern Star, guides us along the right path.  

Finally, I wish to thank Mayflower alumnus Dr. Wale Omole, who stood beside the operating table during Sheila’s two consecutive surgical operations, offering her words of assurance as he held her hand, and keeping her calm while the surgeons worked, in un-broken continuation of a very close affiliation between Dr. Omole and my parents, Tai and Sheila, that dates back to Wole’s days as a Mayflower student, over three decades ago.  The undying Mayflower spirit of Tai and Sheila Solarin lives on in the good deeds of men like Dr. Omole, Dr. Matthew Ogayemi, Professor Okeleke Nzeogwu, Dr. John Mbonu, Pastor Kumuyi and other Mayflower alumni too many to mention.  With all our hearts we send out this message of thanks, along with a binding vow that Mayflower’s torch of knowledge will indeed stay aflame, and held aloft, indefinitely.