Grenadian-born Sir Alister McIntyre, a former secretary general of the 15-member Caribbean community (CARICOM) grouping and University of the West Indies vice chancellor, has died. He was 87.
Caribbean leaders praised McIntyre’s influential role in the region’s development. Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell, in a statement released after McIntyre’s death, said Sir Alister’s legacy is characterized by profound knowledge and unwavering commitment to regionalism.
“Grenada was his homeland and Jamaica was where he lived but much of his life was spent in service to the people of the region,” Mitchell noted.
“He helped to mold the minds of many brilliant persons who have had the benefit of his teaching, some of whom have since earned acclaim in their respective countries and also at the regional level. Later, as vice chancellor of UWI, he contributed to shaping the strategic direction of this noble regional institution.”
PRAISE
Mitchell also praised Sir Alister’s role in the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery, adding that the “early successes of that body in negotiations with the World Trade Organization and the European Union spoke volumes of the technical capacity of individuals like Sir Alister.”
Mitchell said in addition to his academic and international achievements, Sir Alister also left an imprint of his valuable contribution to the sport of cricket.
“During a period of crisis in our beloved sport, he was among distinguished persons given a mandate to examine the structure of West Indies cricket,” he explained. “Having had the opportunity to review that report, I was compelled to commend the panel for coming up with recommendations which I believe provided a pathway to the improvements we so desperately sought to regain the supremacy that once came so effortlessly.
“In so many capacities, Sir Alister provided irrefutable proof that he was the epitome of a Caribbean man, one who was a genuine proponent of national and regional developments that sought to improve the stature of the Caribbean.”
