
Rosedon in the Twenty-First Century
Gordon Gibbs began the Bermuda program in the winter of 1935. Students lived at the “picturesque estate Rosedon” on Pitts Bay Boulevard directly opposite the Princess Hotel in Hamilton. Students in good standing carried on “their usual technical and secretarial courses for five weeks during the winter season.” They traveled to Bermuda on the “finest liners” with a staff supervisor to join the typewriters that had been shipped earlier. All classes were at Rosedon, and meals were at reserved tables across the street at the Princess Hotel. Rosedon had a tennis court; the Princess Hotel had a swimming pool; bicycles were provided by Gibbs. The promotional material boasted that smaller class groups equaled personal attention and that scheduled events included “teas, picnics, and sightseeing trips.” Katharine Gibbs: Beyond White Gloves, Page 71.

Gordon Gibbs enjoying the Bermuda campus.

Rosedon as seen by Gibbs students in the 1930s
A Bermuda Scrapbook from The Gibbsonian, May 1936
Boston students leaving from South Station to go to Manhattan. They wanted a black cat for a mascot, but since they could not find one, they settled for walking underneath a ladder for luck.

Bon Voyage Luncheon at the Barbizon, March 14, 1936

Monarch of Bermuda

Embarkation on the Monarch of Bermuda, March 14, 1936. Students and Mrs. Marguerite Bunner of Boston are wearing fashionable clothes for the trip.

Another view of Rosedon

Bicycling on local roads

Students in Hamilton

At the beach in surf

At the beach

No dress code at the beach

Relaxing in the sun

This is much better than Boston or New York right now!

Miss Anna C. Bolton of the New York school staff instructed students, and Mrs. Marguerite Bunner of Boston was residence supervisor.