NMH Magazine : Spring 2003

Deborah Martin Pearse '58

A small ad in the Wall Street Journal dramatically changed the lives of Debby Pearse and her husband, Bruce Donath. The ad said: "BVI–small hotel on a white sand beach." Six months, one trip to the Caribbean, and many phone calls later, they were the proud–and somewhat startled–owners of a beachfront hotel on the tiny island of Jost van Dyke, British Virgin Islands. 

Bruce, a Rhode Island marketing executive, had been looking for a career change when the ad caught his eye. Debby, who was running her own sales business, was ready for a new adventure. They were tired of New England winters and their children were grown and on their own. So why not? 

They arrived on Jost van Dyke in August 1995. Within the first 20 days, a tropical storm and two major hurricanes hit. The hotel had no electricity and no road, and the island's population–99 percent West Indian–totaled 150. Bruce returned to Rhode Island for one more year in his job, leaving Debby and her 22-year-old niece to run the hotel. Supported by the staff and welcomed by the islanders, they did it. 

Eight years later, the hotel's business has tripled. It has electricity, landline phones, a desalination plant, and many loyal guests–including several NMH alumni. Its beachfront bar has twice been voted "Best Beach Bar in the Caribbean" in Caribbean Travel & Life magazine. A manager and three assistant managers run the business, allowing Debby and Bruce to travel regularly to the States to visit their six grandchildren and stay in their year-round home in Massachusetts or their summer home in Maine.

What did you dream of becoming?

Frankly–and I think it wasn't that unusal–I didn't dream of becoming something. I expected that my future included a husband and children, with perhaps a professional life on the side. I ended up getting married in 1962, right after graduation from Mount Holyoke.

Has your life followed the path you expected it to?

My first husband and I divorced in 1980, and that threw me off track for a while. With my second husband, however, I've found a balance of service, squareness, and adventure.

Describe your children.

I have a son and daughter from my first marriage: Julie '86, a CPA, and Jonathan '88, vice president of sales in a family business. I have a foster daughter, Chung Sook, who joined us at age 17. She's now a grandmother herself. I also have two grown stepchildren.

What kind of work have you done over the years?

I've focused on service businesses. My jobs have included owning and running a secretarial service, executive administrative temping, office managing, and sales of discounted long-distance phone services.

What's the most important lesson you've learned?

I've had much good fortune, but I believe a lot of it is how one views the vagaries of life. True, I haven't had to face truly awful family or personal trauma so far, but I do have a wellspring of optimism and interest in other people that keeps me going.

What's been the biggest surprise in your life?

I'd never have predicted that we'd end up living on our tiny island in the Caribbean, owning and running our small hotel for as long as we have.

What's island life like?

Jost is one big family–when someone has a birthday, the whole island is invited to the party. We've been able to get just about everything we need from Tortola or St. Thomas (eight miles away). I go to Tortola twice a week to play bridge, and I'm the pianist and choir director for our tiny Methodist Church here on the island.

What's been your greatest loss?

The death of my older sister Judy '56 this past December. We were very much alike, and my life followed hers in a lot of ways–including coming to Northfield three months after she'd graduated. She had three bouts of cancer in the last 20 years, but that didn't slow her down. We were all together–my mother and my other two sisters–in the hospital during her last few days. Judy was a trouper until the end, and luckily the end was very quick.

What do you struggle with at this stage of life?

I'm now at a turning point between daily management of our hotel and some sort of fuzzy retirement. New England life and the joy of being with my grandchildren tug at me. I'm looking for a new way of working to balance these forces.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Likely in some sort of modest adventure with my husband, who says he has one more career left in him. I'd guess it would be in the service sector, such as teaching or perhaps staying here and helping preserve the island's culture and environment.

What advice would you offer to a graduating senior?

Love your parents–but follow your own heart. Focus on the needs of others using the skills you find in your head.