Dear Editor,

With the passing of Lloyd Erskine Sandiford I have lost a long-standing, precious, and distinguished colleague. From the time he first set foot on the Mona campus as a Barbados scholar in 1956, none but the most obtuse among us would have failed to notice that Sandiford was destined for greatness as a scholar and leader.

As has been consistently proclaimed by allies and opponents alike, Prime Minister Sandiford, at every step and decision, invariably placed the national interest of Barbados first and foremost. In his calm style and meticulous fashion, he worked assiduously to build a caring and productive society.

On the regional landscape, he sought through “patient, persistent and pragmatic steps to build a Community that manifests the aspirations and the dreams of Caribbean people for progress and prosperity”.

We, his fellow alumni, friends, and associates, join in proud salute to the life and memory of one who never flinched in the line of duty and gave so much of his brilliant mind and indefatigable energy to the advancement of the people of Barbados and the wider Caribbean.

P J Patterson

Former prime minister of Jamaica

1996-2006