Dr Barbara Buckley-Jones, born 97 years ago today on 26 Oct 1929. #Jamaican educator and pioneering netball player who represented #Jamaica internationally and served as Principal of Knox College, Spalding, Clarendon. Born in Portland, the youngest of eleven children of Agatha and Jeremiah Buckley, she attended Boston Primary School and Titchfield High School. There, her height of five feet eleven inches gave her a competitive edge in netball. She earned an undergraduate degree in the arts from the University of the West Indies. Buckley-Jones spent her teaching career at Knox College, serving for thirty-five years, fifteen as Principal. While teaching, she became a key member of Jamaica’s national netball team and captained sides that competed in #Caribbean tournaments against Barbados, St Vincent, St Lucia, Trinidad, and Montserrat. She also captained Jamaica at the inaugural World Netball Tournament held in Eastbourne, England, in 1963 (where Jamaica finished fifth) and was named Sportswoman of the Year in 1960. She later served as president of the Jamaica Netball Association (1979–1982). In 1962 she married fellow Knox College teacher Leo Jones (later deceased); the couple had five children. Known for treating her students with the same care as her own family, she is widely regarded and as a graceful and dedicated educator and mentor. In retirement she has supported charitable causes including the Red Cross and the Friends of Percy Junor Hospital.