Sir Philip Manderson Sherlock (1902-2000)

Sir Philip Sherlock was born at Manchioneal, Portland, on February 25, 1902. He is the son of a Methodist minister, the Reverend Terence Manderson Sherlock and Adina Sherlock. He married Grace Marjorie Verity on December 2, 1942 and together they had three children.

Sir Philip was educated at Calabar High School. He began his teaching career at his alma mater at the age of 17 as a junior master. In 1927, by private study, he gained the degree of Bachelor of Arts from London University, in England, the first achievement in a long and distinguished career in education.

He also taught at Manchester High School for two years, followed by Wolmer's Boys School in Kingston where he was the headmaster in 1932, making him the youngest in the island at the time.

Philip Sherlock worked for 20 years in the schoolroom before leaving the teaching profession to enter directly into the cultural mainstream of Jamaica. In 1938 he took up an appointment as Secretary of the Institute of Jamaica, the national centre for the promotion of Literature, Arts and Science. His years at the Institute were characterized by his desire to bring the institution to the service of the educational needs of Jamaica. Among his achievements were:

the revival and development of the Science Programme the development of a lecture hall, art gallery, science museum and archives the opening of the Junior Centre at East Street in 1940 and a centre in Half-Way-Tree in 1941 Among his many experiments, Sir Philip describes as "the biggest course in education" he ever took was his tenure as Education Officer with the Jamaica Welfare Limited. This was a philanthropic organization he joined in 1945 on the invitation of National Hero, Norman Manley where he was able to work at the grassroots to develop leadership in the community.

His crowning achievement came in 1964 when he succeeded Sir Arthur Lewis as the ViceChancellor of the University of the West Indies, having previously served as Pro Vice-Chancellor. Under his brilliant leadership, the UWI grew in importance and prestige, and stands today as his lasting monument. In this capacity, Sir Philip had also brought with him several years of service

to an institution that he had served since the time of its inception in 1948. He had been the first Director of Extra Mural Studies, Vice Principal and Acting Principal of the University College of the West Indies as it was called prior to 1962. He was the founding principal of the new campus at St. Augustine, Trinidad, and undertook the establishment of the Faculty of Engineering as well as transformed and incorporated the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture into that Campus.

Blessed with quiet dignity, wit and easy charm, Philip Sherlock also had the gifts of oratory and poetry, at both of which he excelled. He was internationally recognized as a leading Caribbean scholar, lecturer and author. His interest in the history, literature and folklore of the region made him the author of many publications.

Some of his publications include "West Indian Story", "Land and People of the West Indies" and "West Indian Folk Tales". In 1976, he produced "Shout for Freedom", a poetic tribute to Sam Sharpe, one of Jamaica's National Heroes. He was also a regular contributor to the Gleaner with his articles of historical and cultural interest.

Sir Philip completed his life of scholarship with the writing of the epic work "The Story of the Jamaican People (1997) which he did in partnership with Dr. Hazel Bennett.

Sir Philip Sherlock died on December 4, 2000 at the age of 98.

Honours and Awards

The Order of CARICOM, 1998 Norman Washington Manley Award for Excellence in the field of Education, Social and Cultural Development, 1992 Pelican Award from the Guild of Graduates of the University of the West Indies, 1991 Order of Merit (O.M.). October 16, 1989. Bestowed on persons who have received international distinction Government of Venezuela's Band of Honour of the Order of Andres Bello, in recognition of the success of the Association of Caribbean Universities and Research Institution (UNICA) of which he was the General Secretary, 1978 Honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Miami, 1971 Gold Musgrave Medal for his contribution in History and Literature, 1966 Knight of the British Empire in 1966 Commander of the British Empire (C.B.E.), 1956

The Most Honourable Portia Simpson-Miller

History was made in Jamaica when on February 26, 2006 Mrs. Simpson-Miller was elected as the first female president of the People s National Party (PNP) and on March 21, 2006 when she was sworn in as Jamaica s first female Prime Minister.

Portia Simpson-Miller was born on December 12, 1945 in the rural community of Wood Hall, St. Catherine. She is married to Errald Miller.

Prime Minister, The Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, the first female to hold this position in Jamaica, created history on Saturday, February 25, by becoming the first female President-elect of the 68 year-old People s National Party (PNP). It was not the first time she created a first in Jamaica s political history. Thirty-two years after she first entered representational politics, she has achieved the most coveted prize in the local political arena--that of becoming Prime Minister of Jamaica.

Known for her passion for the poor and dispossessed, Mrs. Simpson Miller has, since 1989, consistently topped the opinion polls as the best performing Minister of Government and the most popular politician. Since the announcement by Prime Minister P. J. Patterson after the 2002 elections that he would be retiring before the next General Elections, opinion polls have shown that the Jamaican people have favoured her as the best person to succeed Mr. Patterson.

The November 2005 Gleaner/Don Anderson Poll showed that 58% of the Jamaican people felt she was the most suitable person to succeed Mr. Patterson, with a privately commissioned poll showing that figure jumping to approximately 62% in December 2005. She has been a VicePresident of the PNP since 1978 and President of the PNP Women s Movement since 1983.

In 1974 when she won the tough inner-city constituency of Trench Town West as a Councilor in the Kingston & St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) for the PNP, it was the first time that the party had won that seat. When she went on in 1976 to win the Constituency of South West St. Andrew in the Parliamentary elections, she had created another first for the party. And, when the Party suffered a massive defeat in the 1980 elections, she emerged as one of only nine PNP representatives who won their seats. She has never forgotten her roots, and has for decades committed herself to the mission of uplifting the poor and marginalized.

In 1977 she was appointed Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government under the Michael Manley Administration, a post she held until the General Elections of 1980. Serving in the Parliamentary Opposition, she was PNP Spokesperson on Women s Affairs, Pension, Social Security and Consumer Affairs between 1983 and 1989. Returning to Government in 1989, Mrs. Simpson Miller was appointed Minister of Labour, Social Security and Sport.

There, her prodigious skills in human relations and networking were evident and stood the country in good stead, as the industrial relations climate improved considerably. Those disputes which were brought to the Ministry were skillfully and expeditiously handled by her. As Minister of Labour, Social Security and Sport, Mrs. Simpson Miller took particular interest in the

welfare of the country s overseas farm workers and saw to the improvement of their living standards.

She brought well-needed reforms to the Overseas Farm Workers Programme and established the Overseas Recruitment Centre for Farm Workers. Significantly, she also established a Chair in Labour Relations at the University of the West Indies. Under her watch, too, a number of daycare facilities were instituted islandwide.

She initiated the strategic investment of the National Insurance Fund (NIF), which resulted in growth from $1.5 billion to $20 billion in three years.

In the year 2000, Minister Simpson Miller was given the critical Tourism Ministry and still retained the Sport portfolio. It was during the Minister s tenure that the new Indoor Sports Facility was built and the Sports Development Foundation established. Mrs. Simpson Miller also had the unique honour of serving as Jamaica s Sport Minister when Jamaica made its historic and dramatic entry into World Cup Football. It was she who inspired the Road to France Campaign which galvanised the entire country in an unprecedented way.

As Minister of Tourism, she had the daunting task of rebuilding the tourism industry after the 9/11 disaster in the United States. She quickly and pro-actively developed strategies which resulted in a quick resuscitation of visitor arrivals to the island, including new visitor arrivals from the European Market.

As Minister of Tourism, too, she successfully lobbied for the resumption of flights from Martin Air and Continental Airlines to Jamaica. And it was under her tenure that the Master Plan for Tourism was completed, setting up the strategic roadmap to the country s path to sustainable tourism development. In 2002, after the General Elections, she returned to the Local Government portfolio but now to an expanded Ministry of Local Government, Community Development and Sport. Always strong on the issue of the community being at the centre of the development thrust and on bottomup development, her portfolio responsibilities were the right fit for her own philosophy of governance.

So evident was her intensity for issues of local governance and local government reform, that she has been called to serve at the international level. Director of the Commonwealth Local Government Reform, she is also Vice-President of the Inter-American Network of Decentralization, Local Government and Citizens Participation (RIAD); Director of the Board of

Trustees of the United Nations Centre for Local Government Training (CIFAL) and Chair of the Caribbean Local Government Ministers.

A strong believer in lifelong learning, Mrs. Simpson Miller holds the certificate in Advanced Management from the University of California at Berkeley; a Certificate of Participation in the Executive Programme for Leaders in Development at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, as well as a Certificate in Public Relations and Advanced Management from the Institute of Management and Production (IMP).

Mrs. Simpson Miller also holds a Bachelor s Degree in Public Administration from Union Institute and University in Miami, Florida. She is also the recipient of an honorary doctorate from that same institution, which commended her for her enduring efforts to improve the quality of life for all Jamaican citizens, regardless of race, class, colour and creed.

Mrs. Simpson Miller received her early education at Marlie Hill Primary School and St. Martin s High School for Girls. She is married to businessman and former Cable & Wireless Jamaica Limited top executive, Errald Miller. Mrs. Simpson Miller received her formal education at the Marlie Hill Primary School; the former St. Martin s High School and Jamaica Commercial Institute. Mrs. Simpson-Miller also received a Degree in Public Administration from the Union Institute of Miami. Several years

later, in 2002 the Institute conferred upon Mrs. Simpson-Miller the degree of Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. The award of this honorary degree was quite significant as Mrs. SimpsonMiller is the first graduate to have received the Institute s honorary degree. In addition, Mrs. Simpson Miller holds the Certificate in Advanced Management from the University of California at Berkley and a Certificate in Public Relations and Advanced Management from the Institute of Management and Production, Jamaica.

1974 was the beginning of Mrs. Simpson-Miller s career in representational politics. She was asked to represent the People s National Party in the Municipal elections of 1974 representing the Trench Town area. Mrs. Simpson-Miller s surprising success in the Municipal elections made way for her to be nominated as a candidate for the general elections. This was also another success story with her winning in both the 1976 and 1980 general elections. She has also been Member of Parliament for South-West St. Andrew since 1989. Mrs. Simpson-Miller has been one of the most successful and popular female politicians in Jamaica.

The Prime Minister has served in several areas of the People s National Party:

Councilor in the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation Member of Parliament for South-West St. Andrew since

1974 1976

Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and in the Office of the Prime Minister 1977 1978 1983 1989

PNP Vice President

President of the Women s Movement of the PNP Minister of Labour, Social Security and Sport Minister of Tourism and Sport 2000

Minister of Local Government Community Development and Sport

2002

Her accomplishments include reform to the Overseas Farm workers program through the Overseas Recruitment Centre for Farm Workers. It was also Mrs. Portia Simpson s initiative which resulted in the significant growth in the National Insurance Fund which benefits pensioners. She also had high on her agenda the employment of youth and women.

Mrs. Simpson-Miller is an avid supporter of Jamaican athletes and she would be seen at many sports events often dressed in the National colours. It was also under the leadership of Portia Simpson-Miller as Sports Minister that the Indoor Sports Facility at the National Stadium was built and the Sports Development Foundation established.