I was in London when I received the news of 83 year-old Prof John Spence’s passing on March 8. When I was appointed Episcopal Delegate for Social Justice after the first sitting of Synod in 2003, Prof Spence contacted me to share his views about some of the justice issues that needed to be addressed in Trinidad and Tobago.
As my friendship with Prof Spence and his dear wife, Yolande, grew, I realised how blessed T&T was to have had such a great man living in our midst. He exuded a warmth and graciousness that is rare in today’s world. He was a gentleman; an intellectual and true patriot who cared about T&T and our people; a man who possessed the kind of qualities/characteristics of an effective citizen and leader e.g. kindness; integrity; honesty; respect for self, others and for all of creation. He was so humble he did not want a eulogy.
He was a real visionary who freely shared his gifts to build the common good; to enhance the lives of our people. He used every opportunity to share his vision with the wider community. He has left a lasting legacy. His writings in his Express column over the years, as well as his other writings, e.g. his 50 or so scientific publications, should be collected, printed and used as a resource. His articles covered wide-ranging topics such as ethics, education, governance – including Local Government and the Tobago House of Assembly – agriculture, science, poverty, crime and violence, and T&T’s Constitution. Indeed, his article on amendments to T&T’s Constitution was written a few hours before his passing.
He was multi-talented e.g. he was Professor Emeritus in Botany and Agriculture at UWI, researcher, administrator, Head of the Cocoa Research Unit, producer of citrus, anthuriums and dwarf pommecythere. He was an Independent Senator in T&T’s Parliament, from 1986 to 2000.
As Newsday reported: “Between 1986 and 2000 he served in various capacities at the National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (NIHERST), the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI), the Association of Professional Agricultural Scientists of T&T, the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources in Rome, and the InternationalCenter for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia.”
He was awarded T&T’s Chaconia Medal (Gold) in 1980, was elected Fellow of the Caribbean Academy of Science (1990) and received a NIHERST Lifetime Achievement Award (2000) for his contribution to agriculture.
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I am honoured to be a member of the Education Discussion Group (EDG) which Prof Spence founded in 2004 and which comprises some 20 persons interested in the field of education. EDG was formed to foster free discussion on all aspects of our education system with a view to formulating ideas that might assist in the reform of this system.
The Group has been meeting once a month since 2004 “to discuss the education system as it relates to the major problems in our society, e.g. crime, poverty, social exclusion and the widening gap between rich and poor; potential for ethnic division; lack of insight into measures needed for sustainable economic growth; poor leadership and management in the public and private sectors.” EDG recognises that these major issues, which are interrelated, “may so adversely affect our society as to result in a poor quality of life for us all.”
Members of this Group are committed to keep EDG going and are considering fitting ways of commemorating Prof Spence’s life. His contributions to the work of the Group were invaluable. Inter alia, we forwarded to the Ministry of Education recommendations on: school and classroom design arising out of our very successful 2009 symposium; single-sex schools; revisions to the Education Act; and other strategies for improving the quality of teaching and learning in T&T schools.
It was Prof Spence who arranged for EDG to meet with Prof Selwyn Ryan and his Cabinet appointed Committee in 2012 so that we could make recommendations to that Committee which released its report on 22 March 2013: No Time to Quit: Engaging Youth at Risk.
Prof. Spence was particularly concerned to improve the quality of education in Catholic Primary Schools and, at his request I arranged a meeting with both Archbishop Gilbert and with Archbishop Harris to discuss this issue. Prof Spence was convinced that T&T could improve the quality and standard of education in our schools if we introduced a system of external assessment/evaluation of our schools – using a model such as the UK’s Ofsted system.
Thank you, Prof Spence, for your selfless service to T&T. May you rest in peace. My deepest sympathy to Yolande, your sons, grandchildren and family.
