~~Adz:Left~~Two women are among the persons to be conferred with honorary doctorates at the UWI graduation ceremonies in October and November later this year. Miss Charmaine Gardner, Chief Executive Officer of Carasco & Sons will be honoured at the Cave Hill ceremonies while at the St. Augustine Campus Antiguan author, Miss Jamaica Kincaid, will be similarly honoured during the St. Augustine Campus ceremonies. Five persons are slated to be conferred with honorary degrees at the Mona Campus ceremonies, whereas four each are to be conferred at the ceremonies at the Cave Hill and St. Augustine campuses respectively.
The distinguished awardees for the Cave Hill Campus ceremonies are St. Lucian entrepreneur Miss Charmaine Gardner, Mr. Oscar Peterson, musician, legal luminary Sir Frederick Smith and internationally reputed labour leader Sir C. LeRoy Trotman. St. Lucian business woman Miss Charmaine Gardner has served admirably in the private and public sectors to promote strategic initiatives for human resource development. She has received many honours in her country and will be conferred with the Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree. Similar honours will be conferred on Canadian-born, Mr. Oscar Peterson who is an internationally renowned jazz composer, with four Grammys to his credit.
His outstanding achievements were recognised in August 2005 with a commemorative stamp design in his honour. Sir Frederick Smith, retired Judge of the Barbados Court of Appeal, is a distinguished Caribbean Jurist known throughout West Africa for his contribution to law and his work on the constitutional aspect of national independence. He too will be conferred with the Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree. The fourth person to be conferred with the Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree is Barbadian national, Sir LeRoy Trotman, who has chaired several committees of the International Labour Organisation's governing body. He has the distinction of receiving his country's highest honour for his contribution to the Labour Movement.
The five eminent persons to receive honorary doctorates at the two graduation ceremonies scheduled for the Mona Campus include a leader of the Maroons, a Roman Catholic priest, an international tribunal judge, an anthropologist and a Governor General. Colonel Collin L.G. Harris of the Moore Town Maroons will be conferred with the Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree. Col. Harris has had a distinguished career as a leader of a traditional Maroon community. In 1972 he was instrumental in getting the Jamaican Government to recognize and elevate Nanny to the rank of National Hero. Catholic priest, Father Richard Ho Lung is best known for his work with the homeless and indigent through the Missionaries of the Poor. He is also known for his highly successful musical compositions which have helped to advance his outreach work. Less well-known is the fact that he was a UWI lecturer. He will be conferred with a Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree.
~~Adz:Right~~A Grenadian national, Justice Dr. L. Dolliver Nelson was the Judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. He held the office of Vice-President of the Tribunal from 1999 and served as President from 2002 until his retirement in September 2005. American professor Sydney Mintz will also be conferred with the Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree. He is an eminent anthropologist who has devoted his life to research on societies of the Caribbean. Much of his works has resulted in the establishment of strong Caribbean Studies in North American universities. The final awardee is Belizean Governor General, Hon. Sir Colville N. Young. Sir Colville is described as an educator and author, a linguist, lyricist and composer. He was the first President of the University College of Belize in 1986. He will be conferred with the Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree.
The St. Augustine Campus graduation ceremonies will see the conferral of one Doctor of Letters and three Doctor of Laws degrees. Miss Jamaica Kincaid will receive the Honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt) degree. She is a Harvard University lecturer but has pursued a career in writing and for some 20 years had been staff writer for the New Yorker Magazine. Trinidadian economist, Lloyd A. Best has served in many capacities as an academic and in 2002 CARICOM recognised his sterling contribution to the regions intellectual advancement. He currently focuses his works on constitutional reform. The Rt. Hon. George Price is also to be conferred with the Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree.
He entered the political arena in 1947 and became Belize's first Premier in 1961. He is now retired from active electoral politics and was honoured in 2000 for the prominent role he played in leading Belize to independence in 1981. Former Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the St. Augustine Campus, Professor Max Richards is the fourth awardee. His Excellency Professor George Richards is the President of the twin island republic who was recently appointed Chancellor of the University of Trinidad & Tobago. The degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) will also be conferred on him.
