BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FORMER Deputy Prime Minister Sidney E.V. Morris was laid to rest yesterday (May 12) at the St. Mary’s Cemetery following a service at the Bethesda Moravian Church in Cayon.
Morris was born on November 25, 1934 and died May 4, 2011.
A large crowd turned out to pay their last respects to the man who was said to be a dedicated educator, teacher, administrator and Minister of Education under the People’s Action Movement (PAM) administration.
Among the large gathering were the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Hon. Denzil Douglas, his Deputy the Hon. Sam Condor, former Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis Sir Kennedy Simmonds, Speaker of the House Curtis Martin, leader of the PAM Lindsay Grant and Members of Parliament Hon. Shawn Richards and Hon. Eugene Hamilton.
Several tributes were made by the Bethesda Church Choir, the staff of Cayon High School, Eugene Hamilton and Sir Kennedy.
Simmonds said he was deeply saddened by the passing of his friend and colleague who had been battling illness for a long time “with strength and fortitude, and overcame adversity to render outstanding and stalwart service to the people of St.Kitts and Nevis”.
“He was an effective and well-respected teacher in St.Kitts and Nevis and Bermuda, and when he returned to St.Kitts in 1980 to offer himself for public office, the people of Bermuda were sorry to see him leave,” he added.
Simmonds further said that as Minister of Education, Morris had developed a close relationship with teachers and drew upon their wisdom and experience.
“This collaborative relationship, combined with his own passion for the development of our youth, inspired him to promote policies and programmes which catapulted St. Kitts and Nevis into a leadership position in education in the Caribbean, in the decade of the 80s and extending into the 90s,” he said.
Morris’ eulogy was read by Tapley Seaton who stated that he was born to Gwendolyn Charles and Ira Sefton Morris and resided at Upper Cayon with his grandparents and his mother.
Seaton noted that Morris was a very active member of the Reading Club in Cayon which was started by his godfather, the renowned Icen Wharton, and was also a member of the Cayon Literary Society.
He also noted that sometimes when his good friend Winston Wharton visited him they would reminisce and end up reciting literary passages which they had learnt through the Society.
“Incidentally, Winston also recalls that Sidney had a bottle of brandy which he had received from former President of Cuba Fidel Castro and which he prized and would only share a thimble full with friends,” Seaton read.
The teaching profession beckoned and on May 15, 1950 he joined that profession. He successfully passed first, second and third year examinations and went on to become an assistant teacher, passing his second and third year courses.
From 1964 to 1965 Morris attended Erdiston College, a teacher education facility in Barbados from which he successfully graduated.
Morris, in 1964, won a Caribbean Organisation Fellowship to the Inter-American University in San German, Puerto Rico and pursued the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts Degrees. He also secured a B.A. (Cum Laude) in Economics and Business Administration and an M.A. in Education Administration.
Upon his return to the Federation, his first assignment in September 1965 was as Principal of Cayon All Age School, and by 1966 he was transferred to St. Peter’s Primary School.
From 1968 to 1970, Morris was the Vice President of the St. Kitts Teacher’s Association, and he had taught at Sandy Point High School from 1967-1968 and back to Cayon All Age School from 1968-1969 as the first Graduate Head of a Primary School.
The eulogy also stated that he was Principal of St. Peter’s Primary from 1969 to 1970 and resigned from the teaching profession to work on contract as Industrial Relations Officer of the Sugar Association from 1970 to 1973.
Teaching was said to be his calling from August 1973 to February 6, 1980, during which time he was employed as a Mathematics, Geography and Civics Graduate Teacher at Warwick Secondary School in Bermuda.
He had earned many accolades for his teaching prowess and made many enduring friendships.
Morris was also Secretary of the Bermuda Teachers’ Association, and from 1977 to 1979 he was an Examiner in Civics and Geography for the Bermuda Secondary School Examinations.
He entered elective politics and successfully contested the 1980 General Elections on a PAM ticket in Constituency Number Eight, where from 1980 to 1984 he served as Minister of Education, Health and Community Affairs.
He served as Minister of Education, Youth and Community Affairs from 1984 to 1989, and from 1989 to 1993 he served as Minister of Education, Youth and Community Affairs, and Minister of Communications Works and Public Utilities.
In his lifetime, Morris was said to be a community man, grounded in the work thereof.
In the 1960s, he was Secretary of the Cayon Literary Society and joined the St. Kitts Jaycees Chapter during that period, serving as its Secretary from 1968-1969 and President in 1970.
He had received the accolade of Senator from Junior Chamber International and in the 1980s he was part of a team helping to revive the St. Kitts Jaycees Chapter.
He was Chairman of the Cayon Community Council and the Excelsior Table Tennis Club from 1969 to 1970 and was a lifelong Member of the Bethesda Moravian Church.
Morris leaves to mourn his wife Josephine, seven children and eight grandchildren along with numerous other relatives.
