Irvine Hall honours Chen
With the few unfortunate incidents which recently took place on the hall of residence long behind them, the students and administrators of Irvine Hall on the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona campus took time out to celebrate with a grand reunion weekend of activities, the highlight of which was the staging of their annual Homecoming Dinner and Dance on Saturday night at the university’s Assembly Hall.
The occasion also offered the perfect opportunity for the Irvinites, both old and new, to honour Wayne Chen, CEO of Super Plus Food Stores and a former Irvinite, with the inaugural Distinguished Torchbearer Award for outstanding contribution to the hall and the university. Trinidadian prime minister, Patrick Manning, who was to serve as guest speaker at the function, had to cancel at the last minute for emergency reasons.
Chen, who lived on Irvine for three years (1976-9), told the Observer that he felt honoured and grateful.
“It makes me very proud to think that a hall where I lived for three years right out of high school, and which contributed significantly to my development, should 30 years later seek to honour me in this way. It makes me feel extremely proud and humbled,” Chen said.
Over the years, Chen has been associated with several research projects at the UWI and has sponsored several students to pursue degree programmes at the institution.
The Distinguished Torchbearer Award was established to pay tribute to former Irvinites who have excelled in their respective professional fields and who continue to contribute to the growth and development of the hall.
Founded in 1950, Irvine Hall was the first hall of residence established on the university campus and bears the name of the late Sir James Irvine, who was chairman of the UWI’s founding committee.
Today, the hall is home to approximately 280 students from over 15 Caribbean territories.
-reidt@jamaicaobserver.com