The UWI mourns the passing of Sir Selvyn Walter
The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. Tuesday, September 22, 2020. — The passing of Sir Selvyn Walter represents a monumental loss of intellectual forte, cultural pride and patriotism for the nation of Antigua and Barbuda and The University of the West Indies (The UWI) community.
Sir Selvyn attended The UWI Mona Campus in the 60s and played a leading role in what at the time was an extremely successful debate team. He would regale his listeners with stories and lessons from the regional university, eternally proud to be a Pelican. Throughout his career and retirement, people continuously sought Sir Selvyn’s perspective on matters pertinent to local and regional issues.
Sir Selvyn was a renaissance man. His significant contributions to his country were immense and varied, spanning culture, commerce, history, music, the literary arts and politics. He was a prolific writer, chronicling culture, folklore, history and sports in books and series. His rivalled literary collections with his collection of artefacts, making his home a veritable museum. Sir Selvyn also built a solid reputation, starting early in life and continuing through his later years, as a newspaperman, lending his knowledge and expertise to nation building via the fourth estate. He was a teacher and motivator, generously sharing what he knew with anyone with whom he came in contact. In addition, he was an orator extraordinaire, whether he was speaking with politicians, captains of industry or keeping court with the customers to his bakery. He loved his country, he loved people and he loved to laugh.
On the political field, Sir Selvyn secured his place in history when as a young, first-time challenger he defeated a four-time and senior incumbent, Sir Vere C. Bird in the 1971 elections. He served as Minister of Economic Development and Tourism in the Progressive Labour Movement (PLM) administration.
Although he stopped journeying to the media company where he last worked circa 2014, Sir Selvyn continued to write and give guidance from home for a long time afterward. In 2013, on the Nation’s 32nd Anniversary of Independence, a knighthood was conferred upon him for his contributions to the country.
The UWI community extends heartfelt condolences to Sir Selvyn’s family, friends and colleagues.
About The UWI
For over 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region and wider world. The UWI has evolved from a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948 to an internationally respected, regional university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and an Open Campus. As part of its robust globalization agenda, The UWI has established partnering centres with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe including the State University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development; the Canada-Caribbean Institute with Brock University; the Strategic Alliance for Hemispheric Development with Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES); The UWI-China Institute of Information Technology, the University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies; the Institute for Global African Affairs with the University of Johannesburg (UJ); The UWI-University of Havana Centre for Sustainable Development; The UWI-Coventry Institute for Industry-Academic Partnership with the University of Coventry and the Glasgow-Caribbean Centre for Development Research with the University of Glasgow.
The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Social Sciences and Sport.
As the region’s premier research academy, The UWI’s foremost objective is driving the growth and development of the regional economy. The world’s most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education, has ranked The UWI among the top 600 universities in the world for 2019 and 2020, and the 40 best universities in Latin America and the Caribbean for 2018, 2019 and 2020. The UWI has been the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists. For more, visit www.uwi.edu.
(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)
