Belizean Biographies

She became a qualified librarian in 1961, and was conferred with the degree of Associate of the Library Association by the British Library Association. Acting as Chief Librarian on several occasions, she herself was officially appointed to that position in 1976, until her retirement in 1978. Alice Gibson, in subsequent years, became the librarian at Pallotti High School in Belize City, where she also taught Music Theory. As a prominent woman in Belizean society, she feels that more mothers should ensure that their children’s needs are met at home, at school, and through the Church. She was the mother of one male child, who preceded her in death.

Although the first Cross Country Cycling race in Belize took place in 1928, Aston Gill did not shine until the mid-1940s. He ruled the Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic from 1945 to 1947 by placing first three consecutive years, being the only Belizean to hold this record. He placed second in 1949, and retained the championship again in 1950. Residing in the United States with his family, Aston Gill, as an inductee into Belize’s Hall of Fame, remains a truly tetra-champion.

  Posted first in Double Head Cabbage, she then went on to spend the next ten and a half years in Gales Point Manatee from 1945.  It was there that she displayed her great community talent, showing not only a keen interest in rural nursing but also as a promoter of free expression in the development of folklore and culture.  Her popularity as a person who was genuinely interested in the welfare of people regardless of race, color or creed spread widely throughout Belize.  

Nurse White, as she was affectionately known, continued her community spirit when she was transferred to the village of Roaring Creek in 1956.  While there she organized a branch of the Red Cross, pioneered the village council and was responsible for building the community center and the playground.  When hurricane Hattie devastated Belize in 1961, Nurse White took over the running of a clinic in the newly established refugee community of Hattieville. 

In the communities where she served, Nurse White wrote and produced several plays for the primary school children to perform in the annual Festival of Arts.  The plays not only won awards, but she herself received a citation from the National Festival of Arts Committee for the valuable role she played in the expression of national culture.  Some of her other important involvements in community work include the Black Cross Nurses, the Methodist Women’s League, and the United Negro Improvement Association. 

For her outstanding contributions Cleopatra White was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1953, and in 1958 she visited the United Kingdom at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II.  On that same occasion, with assistance from the British Council, she toured England, Wales, and Scotland and spent three weeks at the Red Cross headquarters in London. 

As a permanent testimonial to one of Belize’s true patriots, the Cleopatra White Health Center in Belize City was named in her honor.

He himself led a group called the Progressive Party which campaigned for the increased representation of poor Belizeans. As a member of the British Honduras Tradesmen and Workers Union in 1939, Betson went on to serve as President of his own General Workers Union (GWU) from 1944-1950. Through the GWU, Betson was able to achieve wage increases for its branches such as Stann Creek Fruit Workers, Corozal Sugar Workers, the Belize Waterfront Workers, and the Punta Gorda Dock Workers. In February 1947, after Betson organized a strike of 300 Belize Estate and Produce Company workers, the company capitulated and the sawmill workers won an increase in wages. Betson’s legacy has strengthened the resolve of unionists in today’s Belize, as he was instrumental in giving workshops on unionism.

His highest academic award came when he completed his Doctorate of Philosophy in Linguistics from York University in 1971, his thesis being “Belize Creole, a study of the Creolized English spoken in Belize in its cultural and social setting”. He became the first Belizean to be awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship in 1992. Sir Colville has always been creative, contributing largely to Belize’s culture as composer, arranger, conductor, author and performing artist. His musical repertoire extends to some forty songs which combine the classical with the Creole. He is credited with being a founding member of Belize’s first steel band, and his music continues to be an integral part of Christmas concerts. With a stated interest in promoting the development of Belizean music, Sir Colville has been active in facilitating instruments to create school bands.

Educational career:

• Principal, St. Michael’s College, 1974-1976.
• Lecturer in English and General Studies, Belize Technical College, 1976-1986.
• First President of the University College of Belize, 1986-1990.
• Lecturer, University College of Belize, 1990-1993.

Awards:

• 1985, Justice of the Peace.
• 1986, Member of the Order of the British Empire.
• 1987, Outstanding Teachers Award, Anglican Cathedral College.
• 1988, Prime Minister’s citation for contribution to Belizean culture.
• 1994, Knight of the Grand Cross of St. Michael and St. George.

Publications:

• “Literature and Education in Belize”
• “Creole Proverbs of Belize”
• “From One Caribbean Corner”
• “Caribbean Corner Calling”
• “Pataki Full”

Her higher education was received at the University of New Brunswick and the University of Alberta in Canada, and Bali State University in the U.S.A. She holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology as a Chartered Psychologist. She has served variously as a lecturer at the Belize College of Arts, Science and Technology, the University of Belize, the Belize Teachers’ College and the University of the West Indies School of Continuing Studies. In her further service to education in Belize, Dr. Morter-Lewis has been a consultant to the Ministry of Education in developing the Primary and Secondary School Curricula.  Additionally she has been instrumental in working with the National Primary School examinations, the Teacher Development Unit, and the Pre-School Unit. After serving one year as interim president of the University of Belize in 2003, she was appointed as the President of that institution as from January 2004 to 2007.

Awards: One of the 13 members of the Governing Board of UNESCO’s International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESLAC). Member of the MED Schools Certification Committee.

Publication: 1976: “Share My Song”  a collection of poems. (One of her poems has been officially designated as the “National Tribute to the Belizean Flag”).

She furthered her academic achievements by correspondence course from the College of Preceptors, Oxford, England. Dame Minita then went on to attend the Universities of Nottingham and Birmingham in England, the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, then pursuing a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology followed by a Ph.D course in Applied Psychology at the University of Toronto, Canada. She became Belize’s first Psychologist in 1980. She has been a member of the Girl Guides since 1946, becoming District Commissioner for the Belize district in 1970.

Awards: In 1981 became the first Belizean to receive a Certificate of Inclusion in the International Who’s Who of Intellectuals. Justice of the Peace in 1974. In 1975 awarded the Certificate of Honour and Life Membership of the British Red Cross. Conferred with an honorary degree from the University of Victoria, Canada, in 1984.

Appointments: Member of the National Library Service Board until 1976. Member of St. Hilda’s College Board of Governors. Deputy Chairperson of the Domestic Wages Council. Member of the Y.W.C.A. Member of the Educational Psychology Programme Planning Committee, University of Toronto 1977-1978. Member Leather Craft Club, Toronto 1978-1980.

He and his band have performed all over Belize, and in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and the USA. His paintings have been exhibited in the USA, Great Britain, Italy, Taiwan and the Caribbean. Living with his family in Germany since 1990, Pen Cayetano maintains a studio of international art exhibitions, workshops and performances with his family band.

Awards:

• 1986: Citation from the National Garifuna Council of Belize for outstanding contribution in the field of culture and music.
• 1996: Citation from Belize College of Arts, Science and Technology for outstanding contribution in the development of Belize.
• 2000: DaYabra Entertainment Los Angeles for outstanding leadership in creativity, music and art.
• 2001: Nomination by the University of the West Indies for Scholars and Artists in Residence in St. Vincent.
• 2003: National Institute of Culture and History for achievements in recorded music.

Particularly excelling at creative writing he initially settled on a writing career, but as events unfolded in his life this was somewhat altered. While undertaking a teaching position at the Belize Technical College, Hyde’s exposure to the teachings of the Black Power movement in the United States caused him to link up with other young intellectuals to try to influence the course of Belize’s development. Forming the United Black Association for Development (UBAD) in 1969 which became a political party, he was a candidate in coalition with the National Independence Party in 1971 City Council elections. Having lost that bid, he was also not successful when he contested general elections in the Collet Division in 1974, and again in City Council elections in 1977 with the People’s United Party. He also taught for a while at Wesley College, a high school in Belize City. After UBAD’s dissolution in 1974, Hyde turned to journalism full-time, devoting his efforts to the Amandala, a weekly newspaper that he founded in August 1969. Growing with media technology, in 1989 he and his family created KREM Radio and later KREM Television. Today Hyde is chair of the UBAD Educational Foundation, owner of the Library of African and Indian Studies, and majority shareholder in the Kremandala media empire.

Publications:

• 1969: “Knocking Our Own Ting”
• 1971; “North Amerikkkan Blues”
• 1972: “The Crown Called UBAD”
• 1975: “Feelings”
• 1981: “Poems of Passion, Patriotism and Protest” (with Roland Parks and Richard Bradley).
• 1994: “X-Communication”.
• 2008: “Sports, Sin and Subversion”.

Publications:

• 1978: “I Don’t Know You but I Love You”.
• 1988: “Those Ridiculous Years,  a Collection of Short Stories”.
• 1993: “Narenga”.
• 2000: “Reflections and other Family Stories”.

He later went on to study law at Carlton University ( Ottawa, Canada), University of the West Indies (Barbados and Jamaica), Norman Manley Law School (Jamaica) and a six months Legislative Drafting Course at the Commonwealth Secretariat in Nairobi, Kenya.

Sir George’s career dates back to 1960 when he was employed as a Second Class Clerk at Customs and Excise Department. This was the first step toward a successful career, because he then went on to First Class Clerk in the previous department as well as First Class Clerk of Court, and later on to Trade Administrator of Supplies in the Supplies Control Unit. He has also acted as Training Officer at the Establishment Department and the office of the Public Service Commission. He was magistrate from 1972 to 1973, Crown Counsel of the Attorney General’s Ministry, Solicitor General from 1981 to 1984, Acting Supreme Court Chief Justice 1985 to 1986, Supreme Court Judge since 1984 and was subsequently appointed Acting Chief Justice when he accepted the Oath of Allegiance and Office on Thursday, September 27, 1990. He assumed the post four days later on Monday, October 1, 1990, and became substantive Chief Justice in January 1991.

The Chief Justice was also an active member of the Harbor Regatta Committee, his sailboats were participants every year in the Baron Bliss Harbor Regatta races. His boats included “Dream”, “Maggie B” and “Wild Gilbert”. A member of the Belize National Football Association and was president of the Melrose Cricket Club from 1966 to 1990.

Political career: Returning home in 1944, Price worked for local businessman/millionaire Robert Turton; while contesting municipal elections in 1944 and being elected to the local Town Board in 1947. He served as Mayor from 1958 to 1962. At the national level he was elected to the Legislative Council in 1954. Upon the formation of the People’s Committee in 1950, he was named Assistant Secretary, and after co-founding the People’s United Party (PUP) on September 29, 1950, Price ascended through the party ranks until he became leader following a dispute in 1956. Becoming First Minister in 1961, which title was changed to Premier in 1964 after Belize achieved internal self-government, Price became the country’s first Prime Minister at independence on September 21, 1981. Although his PUP suffered defeats in 1984 and again in 1993, Price led the PUP for four complete decades, until he resigned in November 1996 and was named Leader Emeritus.

Awards:

• 1982: Member of the Privy Council.
• The Order of the Caribbean Community.
• 2000: The Order of National Hero, the first to receive this award in Belize.

He taught his art both locally and in the United States, an experience which led to his being acclaimed as an internationally respected artist. Many of his sculptures and carvings have become prized possessions in private collections. Among his achievements, he became the first living Belizean artist to have his art featured on a set of stamps in November 1987. Gabb’s famous sculpture in wood, “The Sleeping Giant”, is the watermark image on Belize’s $100 currency note; and the “Freedom of Thought” sculpture is mounted at the entrance to the capital city of Belmopan.

Publications: “Yellowtail”, a play first performed in the 1960s.  “The Naked Eye”, a collection of poems and proverbs.

Awards:

• In 1974 he was decorated as a Member of the British Empire. 
• In 1998, the Belize Arts Council presented George Gabb with the Outstanding Artist Award.
• In 2000, the poem “The Sculptured Sculpture” won second place in the International Society of Poets Competition.
• In September 2002 received the Meritorious Service Award from the Government of Belize.

His professional training was done in the United Kingdom where, during 1953-1954 he successfully studied for and sat the Association of Certified and Corporation Accountant’s Intermediate Examination. In 1976 he was appointed the first Managing Director of the Belize Monetary Authority, followed by his becoming the first Governor of the Central Bank in 1982. In 1987 Sir Edney joined the Ministry of Finance as Financial Secretary at a time when Belize was experiencing severe liquidity and balance of payments problems. Within two years he had turned the public finances around, cleared all the payment arrears, and rebuilt the foreign reserves.  He again served as Governor of the Central Bank briefly during 1991, after which he formally retired from the public service.

Publication: A collection of poems in 1948 entitled “When the Angel Says: Write”.

Commissions: 1984 appointed Belize’s first resident ambassador to the United States of America, and non-resident High Commissioner to Canada.

From 1987 to 1990 served as Belize’s resident High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ambassador to France, Germany, Belgium and the Vatican.

Awards: Knighted by the Queen in 1986. Received Order of Distinguished Service on the 25th anniversary of Belize’s independence in 2006.

Henry Fairweather’s dream is to share his knowledge with Belizean communities, communities in Central America and the rest of the world and is continuously seeking socially acceptable mechanisms to achieve this. In 1996, he joined forces with the Belize River Valley Development Program (BELRIV) as a vehicle for transferring mahogany knowledge to poor communities in the Belize River Valley and elsewhere in the country. This collaboration has led to the development of OASIS a major community reforestation program to grow Belizean communities out of poverty….in partnership with public, private and international sectors. In 2000 Henry Fairweather was nominated for the UNEP SASAKWA Prize and has received many messages of congratulations and visits from eminent persons at home and abroad.

Since 1982, Henry Clifton Fairweather planted over one hundred thousand mahogany trees (and other hardwoods) pioneering ecologically sensitive methods and using his own resources. Although mahogany is responsible for the founding of Belize, there is limited knowledge about its cultivation, and indiscriminate cutting and limited replanting places it in danger of extinction. Henry Fairweather’s dream is to share his knowledge. In 1998 he joined forces with the Belize River Valley Development Program (BELRIV) to transfer his mahogany cultivation knowledge to poor communities in the Belize River Valley. It was in recognition of this work that the Society awarded Mr. Fairweather with the James A. Waight Award.

He died On Monday 7^th October 2002.

He later held the post of First Class Clerk before being promoted to Commissioner of the Revision of Laws in 1951. Pursuing a course in Law in 1952 at the University of Southampton in England, he was called to the English Bar in 1957. Horace Young again took up appointments with the government of Belize, serving variously as Crown Counsel, Solicitor General, attachment to the Colonial Office, and the Governor’s nominee to the Washington Conference to discuss the Guatemalan claim to Belize. Having resigned from the government service in 1961, he spent thirty-two years managing his own law firm in Belize City. As a public spirited citizen, Horace Young served as a nominated Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1961 to 1965, as Chairman of the Belize Advisory Council, and as President of the World Jurist Association. From 1985 to 1987 he served as a Judge Advocate in the Belize Defense Force courts-martial, as a Supreme Court Judge in 1993, and promoted as a Justice of the Appeals Court until 1998. He received the honor of Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1979, and later appointed as a Queen’s Counsel. His community services included President of the Belize Library Association, Chairman of the Belize National Library Service Board, Vice-President of the Scouts Council, and President of the Football League. Completely retired from public and private office, Horace Young resides in Florida, U.S.A.

After being posted in the Republic of Honduras, in Puerto Cortes, the same year, he was transferred to the Corozal District in Belize in 1919. Rev. Elliott spent seven years in Corozal where, apart from extolling the virtues of spirituality, he taught in the school and conducted night classes. In 1925 he was appointed to head the Wesley High School where he remained until 1927 when he was transferred to the Methodist mission at La Ceiba in Honduras. For the next 30 years Rev. Elliott spent the greatest and final part of his ministry there, experiencing many trials and tribulations brought about by changes in church administration and policy. Beset by legal battles and deteriorating health he returned to Belize in 1961, where he died on May 28.

Publication: Rev. Elliott’s encounter with the many people from all walks of life during his extensive career and travels in Belize and Honduras, led him to gather his poetic writings and publish internationally in the 1930s a book of poems entitled “Lo, I Am With You Always”.

This was his first introduction to living among different sets of people, which later proved helpful as he delved deeper into anthropology. After completing junior college, Dr. Palacio worked in the government service in the Co-operative and Forestry departments. He received his academic training in Canada gaining a first degree in Philosophy and Sociology at the University of Toronto. He completed his Master’s degree in Anthropology with specialization in Archaeology at the University of Manitoba. He returned to Belize and took up a position with the Department of Archaeology, before going to the University of California at Berkeley to do his doctorate in Social Anthropology. Returning to Belize once more, Dr. Palacio took up an appointment as Resident Tutor of the University of the West Indies School of Continuing Studies (UWISCS) in 1982. In this position he generated an active program of study in community development aimed at persons who normally would not enter a university. He also promoted research on refugees, migration, indigenous peoples and history, all the while maintaining a strong current of Garifuna studies. Becoming involved in the process of promoting and affirming the indigenous heritage of the Caribbean, Dr. Palacio participated in the formation of the Caribbean Organization of Indigenous Peoples (COIP) in the late 1980s. After many years at the UWISCS, Dr. Palacio retired, and went on to become involved in such research topics as the Maroons of Jamaica and their similarities with the Garifuna; and the use by the Garifuna of marine resources. Dr. Palacio has written and presented many papers, some of which are:

Reconstructing Garifuna Oral History  Techniques and Methods in the Story of a Caribbean People. 1999.

A Reconsideration of the Native American and African Roots of Garifuna Identity. 2000.

The Garifuna: A Nation Across Borders: Essays in Social Anthropology. 2007. (Edited by Dr. Palacio).

His appointment as Belize’s first Chief Librarian in 1954 cemented his career, as he made a tremendous contribution to the development of the public library service. He was instrumental in convincing the government in the 1960s to establish the National Archives, for which he was recognized in 1965 by being appointed Honorary Archivist. In literary circles, Bradley excelled as a poet and short-story writer, and after conducting much research he became one of the most knowledgeable scholars of Belizean history. In his honor, the headquarters of the Belize Library Service was named the Leo Bradley Library. He possessed the qualities of a true Belizean who worked most nobly without fanfare, and without courting publicity or favors.

Publications: “Looking at Our Literature”, “Among my Souvenirs”, “Glimpses of our History”, “Baron Bliss and his Bounty to Belize”, “Belizean Flavor”.

Awards: In recognition of his contributions to the development of Belize and its literature, he was decorated as a Member of the British Empire in 1965.

In 1983 appointed a Justice of the Peace, Commendation from the Guild of Graduates in 1980. Tribute by the Belize Historical Society in 1997.

After the UDP lost the elections in 1989, Esquivel became the official leader of the opposition. In 1993, on the UDP winning the general elections, he again became Prime Minister until his party was defeated in 1998, after which he resigned as party leader. For the next ten years, while the People’s United Party was in power, Esquivel managed his office furniture and equipment business, Price & Company. When the UDP was returned to power in the 2008 general elections, he was appointed by Prime Minister Dean Barrow as senior advisor to government with ministerial rank.

Awards: Appointed to Her Majesty’s Privy Council by Queen Elizabeth II, a life-time appointment which conferred the title “Right Honourable”. Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Loyola University.

Monrad was of humble parentage and a Belizean Creole. His grandfather, Charles Alexander Metzgen, was born in Denmark. Monrad Siegfried Metzgen’s mother, Esther Almira Bevans (born on 17 January 1869 in Belize and passed away in 1944), was the second wife of his father (the first one was Estelle Greene, who was half Welsh). Monrad had three children: Louise, Humphrey, and Frederick (Bill). Monrad Metzgen was educated at St. John’s College High School.

Monrad joined the Government Service in 1910 as a Copyist. After 10 years he was appointed an Internal Revenue Officer. Subsequently, he acted as District Commissioner in Orange Walk, an Auditor and then Director of Colonial Audits. He was Treasury Superintendent in 1932 and District Commissioner in Stann Creek in 1935. A serious, near-fatal accident eventually caused his retirement in 1939. In 1918 he was 2nd Lieutenant in the Territorial Army of British Honduras and was promoted to full Lieutenant when the Defense Force was formed in 1928. Following the Hurricane of 1931, he was put in charge of the rescue of the trapped, the feeding of the homeless and the burial of the dead. For that heroic work, he was promoted to Captain and awarded the M.B.E. by King George.

In 1935 he was given the Military Efficiency Medal for British Honduras. Monrad Metzgen was one of the founders of the British Honduras Agricultural Society; producing an Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition in 1928 and 1931. In 1927, he convened an Agricultural Conference which brought together Planters from all over the Colony. Subsequent to this conference, the Governor of British Honduras appointed an Agricultural Advisory Committee with Monrad as one of its prominent members. During World War II, he traveled the Colony making speeches on the dire need for agricultural development and become synonymous with his mantra: “grow what we eat and eat what we grow”.

In 1928, on a bicycle ride in the country on the Northern Highway, Monrad Metzgen conceived the idea of what became the first Cross Country Cycling Classic having been struck by the number of bicycles Belizeans used to attend weekly cricket games in rural areas. He developed idea for a cycling “expedition” to San Ignacio in order to test cyclists’ ability to cope with a then-badly built Western Highway. The Governor immediately pledged support and offered a cup as a prize to the winner of the race – a race that continues annually to this day. He enlisted the support of such notables at Matron L.M. Roberts of the Public Hospital, Royal Bank of Canada local manager Charles Beattie, Frans Dragten, Reverend Cleghorn, medical officer Lieutenant Colonel James Cran and that of a young surveyor, Henry Fairweather. Within a month he had the whole programme together and launched. On April 2, 1928, a parade and inspection of the cyclists was organized by Monrad Metzgen and attended by the Governor, Superintendent of Police and others, who congratulated the cyclists and sent them on a parade through the town’s streets. The official race kicked off on April 5, 1928 from in front of the courthouse at 5:00 AM. The trail was along the Western Highway to Orange Walk (55 miles from Belize City). The first rider into Cayo (90 miles in total), Elston Kerr, was cheered for making it into town in about 13 hours. The men stayed through the Easter holidays, feasting, eating, playing cricket and soaking up the accolades of the Cayo faithful. They also visited Benque Viejo and San Jose Succotz, the westernmost settled areas in Cayo. On April 9, the expeditionists set off at 5:00 AM to return to the City, their progress reliably reported through of all things, the telephone service. Kerr, of Burrell Boom, finished first in 21 hours 29 minutes, 81 minutes ahead of second place Norris Wade, also of Boom. Race organizer Metzgen finished in 30 and a half hours.

Subsequent to the race, Monrad Metzgen formed and chaired the British Honduras Cyclists Association in June 1928. As a result of his experience in the race, he was a key proponent of improved public roads ensuring that successive Governors of the Colony became interested in road building.

Metzgen served on numerous Boards and Committees, including: Three terms on the Belize Town Board; the Belize Electricity Board; Chairman of the St. George’s Caye Day Celebrations Committee; Secretary of the Welcoming Committee when Colonel Charles Lindbergh flew into Belize in 1927; Secretary of a committee to promote the building of a really first class hotel for the town; President of the Native Jockey Club; and President of the Eureka Band. He belonged to the Belize Literary and Debating Society and gave speeches and wrote papers on the value of educating the masses, including campaigning for a Public Library in Town.

 
Bibliography

In 1925, with H. E. C. Cain, he wrote “The Handbook of British Honduras”.

In 1928 he wrote “Blazing Trails in British Honduras” about the first Cross-Country race. (The book was recently reprinted by the Belize Historical Society).

In the late 1920s he worked on the “Archives of British Honduras”, edited by the Governor, Sir John Burdon. His great patriotic pamphlet was “Shoulder to Shoulder”. It was about the Battle of St. George’s Caye.

The Handbook of British Honduras, by Monrad Metzgen and H.E.C. Cain, the Brief Sketch of British Honduras, by John Burdon, former governor and the Book Shoulder to Shoulder by Monrad Metzgen, all talk about the wonderful exploits of the Baymen. These are all out of print and have been officially suppressed in favour of new revisionist history-making.

Source: L – VF Biography 41 @NHL

In Belize City, he attended Holy Redeemer and St. Ignatius primary schools, and St. John’s College high school. Involved in community activities in the 1940s and 1950s, Pollard was instrumental in co-founding the Holy Redeemer Credit Union, and the Loyal and Patriotic Order of the Baymen. As a young visionary during the time of British Colonialism, Pollard saw the plight of the worker and from 1948 became actively involved in trade unionism. His contributions in this direction were: Founder-President of the British Honduras Mercantile Clerks Union (1948-1950); General Secretary of the British Honduras General Workers Union (1950-1956); Founder/General Secretary of the Christian Democratic Union (1956-1958); Founder/organizer of the Southern Christian Union (1961); Founder/organizer of the Christian Workers Union (1962); Founder/organizer of the National Federation of Christian Trade Unions (1963); Founder/General Secretary of the Democratic Independent Union (1969). Pollard’s involvement on the international front extended to becoming the organizer for Central America in the Inter-American Regional Organization of Labour (ORIT) in 1951, and serving as Assistant Secretary for the English-speaking Caribbean in the Latin American Confederation of Christian Unionists (CLASC) and the International Federation of Christian Trade Unions (IFCTU), 1961-1969. On the political front, Pollard was a founding member of the People’s United Party (PUP); but in 1958 broke away and formed the Christian Democratic Party. As a literary person, he was a co-founder and editor of the PUP’s Belize Times in 1956. Between 1970 and up to the time of his death in 2003 he was an avid writer and newspaper columnist. Several of his poems have been published in anthologies. In the 1970s also, Pollard left public life and worked in the private sector, becoming since 1980 a high school teacher at the Anglican Cathedral College and at St. John’s College.

Mrs. Young continued her education and studied Social Studies at the University of Southampton. After studying the theoretical side of the subject for two years she undertook one year of practical work before returning to Belize to work with handicapped children.

Mrs. Young has been a keen voluntary worker at the YWCA, serving in various capacities, first as a Member of the board then as the Chairperson. During her time in that organization, she assisted many young women and at times acted as a foster parent.

She was the chairperson for the Social Services Committee and also a member of the Supper Club for the Council of Voluntary Social Service. Mrs. Young had received a certificate for her outstanding contribution to the council of Voluntary Services.

“I like to deal with people, especially children. My greatest joy is the satisfaction of knowing that I have made a difference in somebody’s life. I have kept in touch with them. They have grown up and gone abroad etc. It is wonderful to see what they have achieved – that is my reward. I need no recognition that I was able to help people…” – Norma Young

Source: National Heritage Library L-VF – Biography C: #1

Political career: After working briefly as a civil servant for six years, Goldson became enticed by the beginnings of the Nationalist Movement in Belize of the late 1940s and early 1950s. The route into politics at that time was by way of the labor movement, and in 1949 he became the National Organizer of the General Workers Union, and later General Secretary. Together with early activists like John Smith and George Price, he founded the People’s United Party (PUP) in 1950 and served as Assistant Secretary. Convicted of seditious intention in 1951, Goldson was sentenced to one year in prison. Differences in opinion caused Goldson to break with the PUP in 1956, becoming Party Secretary of the newly formed National Independence Party (NIP) in 1957, and Party Leader from 1961-1974. He served as Deputy Party Leader from 1979-1982 of the United Democratic Party (UDP), formed out of the NIP and two other parties in 1973. He resigned from the UDP in 1991 in opposition to the passage of the Maritime Areas Act, and formed and led his last political party: the National Alliance for Belizean Rights. Late in his career, at the age of 51 in 1974, he began to study Law, subsequently called to the bar at Lincoln’s Inn, London, and to the Belize bar the following year.  Although blinded by glaucoma in 1978 Goldson remained active in politics and as a member of the House of Representatives up to 1998. Always an unpretentious and humble man, as a politician and statesman, his achievements included:

• The longest continuous serving member of Belize’s House of Representatives, 1954-1957, 1961-1998.
• First Leader of the Opposition in 1969, as the Leader of the National Independence Party.
• Re-elected to the Albert Division of Belize City from 1965 to 1993.
• As Member for Social Services, coordinating the rebuilding of Corozal Town after hurricane Janet in 1955.
• Minister of Local Government, Social Services and Community Development 1984-1989.
• Minister of Immigration, Youth Development and Human Resources 1993-1998.
• Elected to the Belize City Council in 1974, 1977 and 1983.
• The first Belizean statesman to speak before the General Assembly of the United Nations, when he addressed that body in 1967 on the Guatemalan question.

Awards:

• 1989: The Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport named after him.
• 2001: Conferred with the Order of Belize for his patriotism and political work.
• 2008: Conferred with the Order of the National Hero (posthumously).

He went on to earn an Honours Degree in Law at Manchester University in 1966. On returning home in 1967 Musa served briefly as a Circuit Magistrate and as a Crown Counsel during 1968 and 1969. He went into private practice as an Attorney-at-Law in 1970, co-founding the law firm of Musa and Balderamos. As a social activist Musa became involved with the United Black Association for Development, joining other socially conscious Belizeans who emerged on the scene in the early 1970s. During this period, along with Assad Shoman, he formed the People’s Action Committee and the Society for the Promotion of Education and Research.

Political career: Joining the People’s United Party (PUP) in 1974, Musa contested his first general election in 1974 when he was defeated in the Fort George division by Dean Lindo. He was appointed as a Senator during the 1974-1979 term. Successful in the general election of 1979, he served on his party’s Cabinet as Attorney General, Minister of Education and Sports, and Minister of Economic Development from 1979 to 1984. Contributing to the independence process, Musa served on the committee that wrote the Constitution of Belize. Losing his seat in the 1984 election, he was successful in 1989, and has won the Fort George constituency in every election since. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Education from 1989 to 1993; becoming leader of the PUP in 1996 when George Price stepped down. Musa’s PUP was out of office between 1993 to 1998, but won the election in 1998 when he presided as Prime Minister for the next decade. Leading the PUP into the election held on February 7, 2008, his party suffered defeat by the United Democratic Party. Although Musa was re-elected to the Fort George constituency, on February 13, 2008, he announced that he was resigning as Party Leader. He has since returned to his law firm.

He is credited with being involved in several industries, but is most well known for founding the Independent Manhood and Exodus Uplift Society, the Colonial Industrial Instruction Association, and Carib Settlement Day. Although T.V. Ramos migrated to Belize permanently in 1923, he did not become a naturalized British subject until one year before his death in 1955. As a contemporary of Marcus Garvey, he was involved in the Universal Negro Improvement Association, becoming a civil rights activist and an advocate for civil rights. His abiding vision was for the advancement of the Garifuna people worldwide which, by extension, included all Afro-Belizeans. T.V. Ramos fought discrimination and strongly advocated for the recognition of a special day for the Garifuna. Progressively he gained ground when on November 19, 1941 there was the first celebration of Garifuna Settlement Day (previously called Carib Disembarkation Day); then a public and bank holiday for Stann Creek (1943) and Toledo (1944); culminating in 1977 with Carib (Garifuna) Settlement Day being declared a national holiday. Thomas Vincent Ramos has certainly left very important and vital messages and constructive ideas on which to build in order to advance his people.

After attending primary school in Barranco, he went to high school in the nearby town of Punta Gorda; and at age 18 he traveled to Belize City to take up a scholarship at the Teachers’ Training College. On graduating, Andy Palacio returned to Barranco to teach at the Roman Catholic primary school. In 1980 he volunteered to work with a literacy project in Nicaragua, where he found that the Garifuna language and culture was steadily dying. Committed to delving deeper into the language and rhythms of the Garifuna, Andy Palacio used music as a medium to preserve the culture. Apart from composing and performing his own songs, in 1987 he was invited to work in England with Cultural Partnerships Limited. Back in Belize he founded an organization named Sunrise, which was dedicated to preserving, documenting and distributing Belizean music. Popularizing the punta rock musical style, he recorded several albums that helped earn him worldwide recognition. In 2000 he succeeded in his request that UNESCO should formally acknowledge the need to preserve the Garifuna language, music and dance. As Cultural Ambassador, and Director of Belize’s National Institute of Culture and History in the mid-2000s, Andy Palacio was able to organize activities connected with Garifuna history, highlighted by the annual Garifuna Festival. Exploring the more soulful side of Garifuna music, Andy Palacio, along with his producer Ivan Duran, created an all-star, multi-generational ensemble of some of the best Garifuna musicians from Guatemala, Honduras and Belize naming themselves “The Garifuna Collective”. They embarked on the production of “Watina”, an album that would come to revive modern Garifuna music and become one of the most critically-acclaimed world music releases of 2007. After a brief illness, Andy Palacio passed away on January 19, 2008, at the age of 47.

Awards:

• In November, 2007, Andy Palacio became the first Caribbean and Central American artist to be designated a UNESCO Artist for Peace.
• Conferred the Order of Meritorious Service by the Government of Belize in September 2007.
• He was co-awarded, with Ivan Duran, the WOMEX Award in October 2007.
• Winner of the 2008 BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in the Americas.

As a teacher she taught at St. Catherine Academy, a high school in Belize City, from 1980-1981, and lectured at the University of Belize. Although teaching and writing were to be her centers of interest, Edgell became associated with women’s issues in Belize, serving as the Director of the Department of Women’s Affairs. While residing in Africa during the mid-1980s she was the vice-president of the YWCA in Enugui, Nigeria. She also served as a UNICEF Consultant to the Somali Women’s Democratic Organization. In 1993 Edgell served as a visiting-writer-in-residence at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Shortly after, she was hired as an Assistant Professor for the Department of English at Kent State University in Ohio, where she is currently employed.

Considered Belize’s principal contemporary writer, Zee Edgell’s novels are set throughout various time periods in Belize. They deal with historical events, universal themes, struggles specific to the Belizean society, and strong women protagonists.

Publications:

• 1982: “Beka Lamb”, which won the Fawcett Society Book Prize in 1983.
• 1991: “In Times Like These”.
• 1997: “Festival of San Joaquin”.
• 2007: “Time and the River”.

Awards:  Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2007 Queen’s Birthday Honors List.