Mr. Trott moved to the Virgin Islands in 1973, and he worked with Road Town Wholesale for about nine years. The Bermuda-born father of three later worked as a real estate manager with J. R. O’Neal before he retired in 1995. Mr. Trott, who has visited Ghana, is a leader in the Afrikan Studies Club. Eight years ago, he began tossing wreaths into the sea at the beginning of February, which is observed as Black History Month in the United States. This gesture, he said, commemorates Africans who died during the Middle Passage.
Growing up
I was born in Bermuda, 1932. I travelled to the US when I was like 14 years old for the first time. I had a lot of relatives in New York as well as New Jersey. I travelled with my father. My mother died when I was 2. My father remarried.
I grew to like it. I went back to Bermuda from when I was 16 to 18, then I joined the Army.
I didn’t have much trouble joining the Army at all. I think every young man should go through the Army for the discipline part of it, but racism was a big deal back then. I just kept getting in trouble with them over it. For instance, I remember I was stationed in North Carolina for a while and it was an all-black regiment. I noticed that to make a phone call home, we had to get on the bus and ride for 20 minutes to go to the white area. I thought that was kind of crazy, and so I made noise about it. It was the first time, I guess, I was recorded as being a troublemaker. I was the only one actually protesting it. That wasn’t very pleasant. Still isn’t. I spent three years in there: I got out in 1953.
Starting a family
My wife is from the BVI. [My wife and I] were travelling on the same train home after work and it was around Easter time. This was in 1972. I was sitting on the train and I saw this lady struggling with packages. She had gone shopping. I offered to help her, and I guess I must have looked like a nice guy. We got to meet that way and then when I moved to New Mexico, she came along with me.
I worked for Pitney Bowes as a systems analyst. We did a paper flow analysis for companies. We sold mostly to the Wall Street area. Companies like Goldman Sachs were all my customers. We dealt with paper products.
I was transferred in New Mexico. I had one daughter born in New York and the other two in New Mexico. We decided we didn’t want to bring up three little girls in New York or New Mexico, so we started thinking about coming here. Bermuda, at the time and still, is a very expensive place to live. We chose here. We made a visit here first in 1973.
I remember in 1973 walking from Fort Hill to Lower Estate and one car passed us. I will never forget that. I think about it every time we get stuck in traffic.
Everyone here was nice. It was calm, peaceful and nice. Adjusting was fairly easy. My children adjusted well. [Two] of them live in New Jersey now, and one still lives here.
VI career
I came here to work for J.R. O’Neal. When I got here, Road Town Wholesale had just opened and Mr. O’Neal said, “Look, you are a marketing man: I think you will be more useful to them, but as soon as you get tired or anything happens, you come back to me.”
At that time, [Road Town Wholesale] didn’t open on Sundays. At just about 5 or 6 in the evening, everything shut down.
I stayed there for nine years, then I went back to J. R. O’Neal. I worked there until I retired in 1995. At J.R. O’Neal, I managed his real estate. J.R’s real estate was mainly businesses, but it has come a long way now.
Afrikan Studies Club
When I got here, the Afrikan Studies Club was in full force. Most of them have passed away now. Art Christopher is the president now. He is kind of rebuilding it now. I wasn’t a part of it at the time. I came in later. I remember the programme at the Sunday Morning Well – they conducted those. They had meetings every week, and when Omar Hodge Building was first built they met there. I was in contact with some of the guys at the time. One of them was Bernard Green. I actively joined the group after I returned from Africa in 2004.
There’s still a lot of work to be done. We want to put a trip together. I see the Afrikan Studies Club becoming a force to be reckoned with soon, hopefully. There’s a lot to be done. I’m getting over the hill now, so I’ll like for someone to continue to push.
Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Ngovou Gyang.
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