Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris of St. Kitts and Nevis extends heartfelt condolences to the people of Grenada and the Caribbean who over the weekend lost Vice Chancellor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), the Hon. Sir Alister McIntyre, OCC, OM, CCH.
The Grenada-born developmental economist, who spent over 25 years serving in prominent posts, both regionally and internationally, was 87 years old.
Sir Alister McIntyre was Secretary-General of CARICOM (1974-1977) and worked at UNCTAD, the main United Nations body dealing with trade, investment and development issues, from 1977 to 1987. At UNCTAD, he served first as Director of the Commodities Division and later as Deputy Secretary-General of the UN agency. He also served as Officer-in-Charge of UNCTAD on a temporary basis after Dr. Gamani Corea’s 10-year tenure (1974-1984) as Secretary-General had ended.
From 1988, Sir Alister served as Vice Chancellor of UWI for 10 years and upon his retirement in 1998 – the 50th anniversary of the university opening its doors – he was awarded The Chancellor’s Medal. His many other accolades include the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC), the Order of Merit (OM) bestowed by the Government of Jamaica and the Cacique Crown of Honour (CCH) bestowed by the Government of Guyana.
“He was indeed an international treasure and regional icon who was widely respected and highly sought after for his first-rate ideas, experience and expertise,” the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis said while reflecting on Sir Alister’s legacy.
“Sir Alister’s keen intellect and negotiating skills brought immense value to any enterprise,” Prime Minister Harris also said, adding that after Sir Alister retired from UWI he accepted the post of Chief Technical Advisor at the newly formed Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (now called the CARICOM Office of Trade Negotiations) upon the request of the CARICOM Heads of Government.
“He was an academic giant who lifted up others with his intellectual prowess more than himself,” Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris further stated, noting that Sir Alister was a pioneer of Management Studies in the Caribbean.
“I, like so many others, owe him a deep debt of gratitude,” Prime Minister Harris, who graduated from UWI’s St. Augustine Campus with a distinction in the Master’s Degree Management Studies Programme in 1992 during Sir Alister’s tenure as Vice Chancellor, said.
In his early life, Sir Alister graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science with first class honours before returning to the Caribbean where he taught Economics at the University of the West Indies. He also held several visiting academic appointments, including as an Assistant Professor at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and as a Fulbright-Hays Fellow at Columbia University.
The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis extends deepest sympathy to Sir Alister’s wife, Marjorie, and children, Andrew, Arnold, Helga and Nicholas.
