Jamaica said farewell recently to two pillars of education, St Lucia born Professor Sir Roy Augier and Dr Alfred Sangster. Only last December, an alert Sir Roy’s 100th Birthday was celebrated at Aquinas Centre. There was an outpouring of love and gratitude from his former students on social media as they commented on his mentorship.
In their tribute to Prof Augier, the Caricom Secretariat wrote: “Professor Augier was well known for his seminal contribution to advanced studies in history. He served in key leadership roles, guiding the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), a CARICOM Regional Institution, over many years. His distinguished service at The University of the West Indies included both the Cave Hill and Mona campuses. Sir Roy’s influence on the presentation, interpretation and perception of Caribbean history was solidified by his contributions to several important publications, including the pivotal work, ‘The Making of the West Indies’.
Dr Alfred Sangster was the visionary and dynamic head of the College of Arts, Science and Technology (CAST) from 1970 to 1976, adding 50 academic programmes and growing the student population from 1,500 to 6,000. He brought CAST to University status with its renaming as the University of Technology UTECH, retiring the year after. Dr Sangster was the founding Chair of the Citizens for Free and Fair Elections, served on the Public Service Commission and played lead roles in regional and international groups.
In his tribute to Dr Sangster, UTECH President Dr Kevin Brown noted, “In addition to his administrative accomplishments, Dr. Sangster authored the influential book ‘The Making of a University – From CAST to Utech’ published by Ian Randle Publishers in 2010. This seminal work chronicles the evolution of the institution and provides invaluable insights into the challenges and triumphs of building a university.”
Our deepest sympathy to the loved ones of Sir Roy Augier and Dr Alfred Sangster.
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