"I am honoured to have learned at his feet, particularly when I served as Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2001 and 2008. With dedication, dignity and diplomatic aplomb, he served his country well," Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris said this morning at the Thanksgiving Service for the life of H.E. Cedric Harper.
Tribute by Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris on the Occasion of the Funeral for St. Kitts and Nevis’ High Commissioner to Jamaica, His Excellency Cedric Harper CMG
Jamaica, Saturday, September 22nd, 2018
Let me extend heartfelt sympathies to all who mourn the loss of His Excellency Cedric Harper. I must mention his beloved children Adrienne and Douglas Harper; his adoring siblings: Dora Stevens and Myrtle Heath; his close cousin Nurse Sylvia Manning and the entire Harper family; the Diplomatic and Consular Corps; the UWI family to which he gave yeoman’s service, friends and loved ones of St. Kitts and Nevis’ High Commissioner to Jamaica. It tells a lot about His Excellency’s life and times to see this outpouring of love and respect for a great man whose life embodied service to others, particularly his God, family, young people, country and indeed the whole Caribbean for whom and for which he had a tremendous affection.
His Excellency was a man of many parts: lecturer, headmaster, teacher, warden, swimmer, cricketer, father, man of God, Counsellor, mentor, Ambassador, Attorney General and public servant. Most of all he was an extraordinary human being who made an indelible impact on people everywhere.
“Harps” took care of so many…
It is most fitting that so many of us have taken the time to come from near and far in order to pay our respects and give His Excellency Cedric Harper a lovely send-off, for in life he always took the time to listen and help.
Cedric Harper offered his friendship and protection to so many students when he lectured and worked as Warden (now Student Services Manager) at Irvine Hall (1967-1993) and Dean of Students (now Head of Student Services) up until his retirement from UWI’s Mona Campus in 1995.
Whenever they discussed their anxiety and stress over leaving home to pursue studies in Jamaica, soon-to-be UWI students from St. Kitts and Nevis and beyond would often hear the refrain “Don’t worry, ‘Harps’ will take care of you.” “Harps” was the fond reference to Cedric Harper.
These reassuring words were uttered with a knowing smile by proud alumni such as parents, teachers and co-workers, who were convinced that in due course the soon-to-be freshmen would feel right at home, as long as “Harps” had anything to do with it.
Upon meeting the gregarious and endearing Mr. Harper, those once-timid students would relax and later phone or write home to their parents, saying three heartfelt words apart from “I love you.” “You were right!” they would say.
Cedric Harper: The Teaching Years – An Imposing Figure
It was Mahatma Gandhi who said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” His Excellency was the epitome of this mantra.
From very early on, Cedric Lanyon Harper, who was born in Cayon, St. Kitts on September 25th, 1930, discovered his passion for serving others through education.
The newly minted graduate of the St. Kitts-Nevis Grammar School entered the Civil Service in 1948 and worked as an Assistant Teacher at the Basseterre Boys’ School up until 1950.
During that era, students were taught by rote under threat of the whip. Fear was a driving force behind students’ performance. This accounted for Harper’s phenomenal memory – a remarkable asset that impressed those who knew him. His excellent memory also served him well in his diverse and challenging studies and longstanding career. Long after his body became very frail, his mind stood firm and agile.
Untrained or pupil teachers made up most of the teaching staff in the Presidency of St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla at the time Harper joined the Civil Service. Head teachers would recruit young people like Harper who had passed their Seven Standard Certificate and give them the responsibility of managing a class.
He took his teaching responsibilities very seriously, so much so that he went on to attend the Government Training College for Teachers (GTC) in Trinidad between 1951 and 1953 and received a Teacher’s Diploma.
Upon graduating from Teachers’ College, he served as Headmaster of the Gingerland Boys’ School in Nevis from 1953 to 1954 then as Headmaster of the Gingerland Senior School from 1954 to 1966. In 1955, Harper received a prestigious Award of Excellence in Teaching from His Excellency Sir Kenneth Blackburne, Governor of the Leeward Islands. Harper was just 25 years old.
A strict disciplinarian who did not spare the rod, Harper was revered and feared by his students. Former Nevis Premier the Honourable Vance Amory, who is Senior Minister in my Team Unity administration, has described Harper as a very imposing figure. In 1954, Harper was Vance Amory’s first Headmaster when Vance was five years old. He made an indelible imprint on young Vance, who would grow up to become the youngest Headmaster of Charlestown Secondary School at 28 years old. In most recent times, the two men bonded over their shared passions for education and cricket, and the stern teacher who once inspired dread became a respected friend to his former student.
Cedric Harper: The Diplomat Years – A Reassuring Father Figure
Cedric Harper earned a BA degree specializing in Economics, History and Spanish from the University College of the West Indies (UCWI), the precursor to UWI. He also attained an MSc in Economics at Mona, an LLB from the University of London, and a Legal Education Certificate from the Norman Manley Law School at Mona.
On July 16th, 1984, Cedric Harper was admitted to the local bar in St. Kitts and Nevis, to practice as a Barrister-at-Law and Solicitor of the Eastern Caribbean by His Lordship Mr. Justice Lloyd Williams, QC. The Senior Warden of the Mona Campus was described as “a worthy and outstanding Ambassador of St. Kitts and Nevis and a reassuring figure for many Nationals of his homeland pursuing Higher Education at Mona.”
The motion for Harper’s admission to the bar was introduced by then Attorney General, the Honourable Tapley Seaton, who is now St. Kitts and Nevis’ Governor General. Crown Counsel Mr. Emile Ferdinand Q.C. seconded the motion and spoke of his “treasured and special association” with Mr. Harper while they were students at Mona’s Norman Manley Law School.
Dr. Barbara Lyle-Harper, his loving wife of blessed memory, hugged him tightly outside the High Court Building after the ceremony. The late Mrs. Harper worked as a District Doctor and Medical Superintendent at the Alexandra Hospital in Nevis from 1963 to 1966.
Public Service was a family affair for the Harpers and their extended clan.
In 1983, a year before being admitted to the bar, Mr. Harper joined the Consular Corps in Jamaica in the capacity of Honorary Consul General of St. Kitts and Nevis. 1983 was the year St. Kitts and Nevis attained Independence, and Harper’s brother-in-law, the Honourable Ivor Stevens – Dora’s late husband – served as a Minister of Government in the Federal administration. Dora, who has a sporting complex in Nevis co-named in her honour for being a pioneer in the sport of netball, also taught for many years. In recent times, Nurse Sylvia Manning, their close cousin, became a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her contribution to Public Health.
In 1988, Harper was bestowed a St. Kitts and Nevis Independence Honours Award for his contributions to Education and Public Service.
He served as Honorary Consul General up until 1999 then as Consul General from 1999 to 2000 before being appointed High Commissioner for St. Kitts and Nevis to Jamaica in 2001. Mr. Harper also served on the Constitutional Task Force that was appointed by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis in 1998 and headed by the late Sir Fred Phillips, the first Governor of the Associated State of St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla. From 2001 to 2014, Mr. Harper also served as non-resident Ambassador for St. Kitts and Nevis to the Republic of Cuba. He also acted briefly as Attorney General of St. Kitts and Nevis.
In 2005, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II conferred the title of Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG) on him. Indeed, His Excellency Cedric Harper richly deserved all honour and praise for being a loyal servant to his fair land.
Cedric Harper was a man who epitomized the values espoused in our 35th Independence Anniversary theme, “Love, Service, Patriotism and Pride – Independence 35.” He said he never once applied for a Jamaican passport although he was entitled to one, having lived in Jamaica for most of his 87 years – 51 years to be exact – with his Jamaican wife and family. I think that kind of loyalty and fidelity to his land of birth should serve to remind all of us of just how well he served his country. He loved Jamaica and its people. He rendered excellent service to Jamaica throughout his time here. His heart, however, had room for only one country, his native land. To appreciate the purity of his love and loyalty requires an appreciation of the popular patriotic song:
“I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love:
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.”
That was the love Cedric Harper held for St. Kitts and Nevis. For this and more, St. Kitts and Nevis mourns this colossal loss, and in sincerest gratitude we say thank you to his family and loved ones for giving him the space, time and support to make this huge contribution to his native land.
His Excellency Cedric Harper CMG had a distinguished 35-year career as a diplomat who was highly regarded as an endearing and effective representative for St. Kitts and Nevis. I am honoured to have learned at his feet, particularly when I served as Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2001 and 2008. With dedication, dignity and diplomatic aplomb, he served his country well.
I feel blessed to have known him and to have had him as my confidant and mentor. Fortunately, my daughter, Lavonne, had the opportunity to meet him, and he became a loving father figure to her.
His Excellency is no more. Death has no victory over him, for I am assured that his soul has returned to the Lord.
May his soul rest in eternal peace, and may his family and loved ones find comfort and strength, knowing that he contributed greatly to shaping many of the region’s leaders, past, present and future.
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