Dr. Cyrus, Hoyte honoured at UWI

Legendary local surgeon Dr. Arthur Cecil Cyrus was among six outstanding persons upon whom the University of the West Indies conferred honorary doctorates last Saturday. He was awarded the Doctor of Science degree.

Three were honoured at the morning graduation and three later in the day at the 5 p.m. ceremony. {{more}}

Joining Dr. Cyrus was reknowned journalist and publisher of THE NATION newspaper, Harold Hoyte, who was awarded the Doctor of Letters of the UWI.

Crusader for HIV/AIDS and executive director of the Joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS, Dr. Peter Piot, was awarded the Doctor of Science degree.

The awards were conferred by Chancellor of the UWI, Sir George Alleyne, during the morning ceremony held at the Wildey Gymnasium.

In the citation read by Professor Henry Fraser, Dean of Clinical Medicine and Research, Dr. Cyrus was said to have been a legend since his school days in St Vincent.

He has made significant contributions to medicine and was praised for his “skill and ingenuity in curing the incurable and saving the salvageable.”

Hoyte was described as a doyen of Caribbean journalism. He was said to be at his happiest when writing in his “uniquely crisp and light-hearted style”.

Piot was described as “devoutly dutifully devoted to the challenges of HIV/AIDS across the world”.

The Belgium-born doctor co-discovered the dreaded Ebola virus in 1976, in Zaire.

He was one of the signatories of the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS and has been particularly attentive to the needs of the Caribbean and supportive of initiatives in this area.

During the evening ceremony three honorary degrees were conferred on former West Indian cricketer Wesley Hall; Guadeloupean author Dr. Maryse Condé; and lawyer/educator Professor Keith Patchett.

There were 1 339 graduates, including 103 who obtained graduate degrees, 70 with First Class Honours and 376 with Upper Second Class Honours.