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8. FRIDAY, JULY 09, 2021. THE VINCENTIAN
Views The National Newspaper of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Managing Editor: Desiree Richards Editor: Cyprian Neehall Telephone: 784-456-1123 Fax: 784-451-2129 Website: www.thevincentian.com Email: vinpub@thevincentian.com Mailing Address: The Vincentian Publishing Co. Ltd., P.O. Box 592, Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Editorial
Dr. John: He REMEMBERING taught me much DR. KENNETH JOHN
THE IMPACT DR. KENNETH JOHN had on the lives of Vincentians here and abroad is recorded in the short expressions of condolences carried below. They express an abundance of sentiment in very few words. Dr. John was a columnist
in THE VINCENTIAN for the better part of thirty-nine years. H passed away on Saturday 3rdJuly, 2021. The management and staff of THE VINCENTIAN extend condolences to his wife, children and other relatives. May he rest in peace.
On the passing of Dr. Kenneth John THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES OPEN CAMPUS, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Country Site, wishes to express condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Kenneth John on his passing. Dr. John served as the first Resident Tutor for The University of the West Indies Department of Extra- Mural Studies in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, from 1964 to 1967. During this period, he was instrumental in initiating several outreach activities including the introduction of ‘O’ Level Classes in the rural areas. He spearheaded a series of panel discussions and lectures on local, regional, and international affairs. He also founded a magazine titled “Flambeau”, of which he was editor and which later became part of the Extra-Mural activities. The magazine later gained recognition
regionally in literary and intellectual circles. Dr. John continued to support the work of the University Centre, as it was often referred to, long after he left. He attended numerous lectures and participated in workshops held by The University of the West Indies. In 2013, he delivered a lecture on National Heroes as part of the Open Campus’ contribution to the conversation on Heroes and Heritage. Dr. Kenneth John will be remembered for his many articles on various aspects of Vincentian history, especially on its political history. He was a proud alumnus of the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies. May his soul rest in peace. UWI Open Campus St. Vincent and the Grenadines
I WRITE, MR. EDITOR, to express my condolence to the family of the late Dr. Kenneth John. I did not know Dr. John in a personal way but it seemed that we built up quite a relationship through his decades of writing in your publication in particular. I looked forward week in week out to his THIS WEEK column. He wrote on a wide range of topics, varying his style to suit the broad issues on which he would comment. This kept his writing fresh. He could never be accused of not be reader-friendly. I will forever remember him as being stoic and daring in his political support for a particular party, always ready to make predictions of general elections results. Those predictions often turned our far from the actual result but he stood firmly behind them and never apologized. He simply kept on going, teasing but enlightening as he went along what is undoubtedly an enviable outstanding literary pathway. Needless to say, I would miss his writing for I have learned much from him. I pray that his family would remain strong in this time of bereavement and the good Lord would look over them and cover them with his kindness. May the good Lord also take Dr. Kenneth John into his bosom of everlasting grace. Retiree
Thank you Dr. John ALLOW ME TO EXTEND my deepest condolences to the family of Dr. Kenneth John — in particular his wife and his children. Long before I became a regular reader of his column in THE VINCENTIAN, I was, so to speak, a student of Dr. Kenneth John. Regularly on Friday evenings I would leave home, even though I was still in school, to go to the Market Square to listen to Dr. John and others like Eddie Griffith, of the Educational Forum of the People (EFP). I admit that I considered these guys more of part
of the Black Power Movement than politicians but they taught me a lot about the history and politics of SVG and, in the long run, I would like to think that they helped to raise my consciousness as a black youth. I followed Dr. John though his journey from Resident Tutor of The UWI Extra-Mural Department right up to when he returned as a lawyer. His knowledge of our history and politics continued to impress me and of course, taught me even more. He never won a seat in our Parliament but
that is not to say he didn’t try, thereby showing a desire to represent his people by being more that a lawyer. I will miss his writings. I knew that he had taken to bed and was unable to produce any new work recently. I thank the editor for reprinting some of his earlier work. Thank you for all that you taught me even if in later years I might have not agreed with your politics. RIP, Dr. John. Charles, Edinboro