OBITUARY

9.FEB.07

Winston Gordon Baptiste was born to Drucilla Garnet Gardner and Locksley Baptiste in St. George’s, Grenada, on the 22nd September 1933.

He first joined the teaching service as a temporary Assistant Master at the St. Vincent Grammar School, with effect from September 22nd, 1953, and served in this capacity until December 31st, 1955. On January 1st, 1956, he was appointed as an Assistant Master (Non-Graduate)at the very school.

Following successful completion of the degree of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Botany and Zoology from the University College of the West Indies (UCWI), he was appointed to a post of Graduate Assistant Master at the St. Vincent Grammar School, with effect from September 15th, 1962. He served in this capacity until December 17th, 1965, when he was appointed to act as Headmaster.{{more}}

He acted as Headmaster until the end of December 1967 when he was appointed to the post of Deputy Headmaster at the very school. However, during the period of his acting headship, he took a year off to read for the degree of Master of Science (M.Sc) in Mycology and Plant Pathology at The Imperial College of Technology, London.

His appointment as Deputy Headmaster came to an end on April 14th, 1970, when he was transferred to the then Ministry of Trade, Agriculture and Grenadines Affairs as an Agricultural Officer with responsibility for plant protection.

Mr. Baptiste’s sojourn at the Ministry of Agriculture ended when he was appointed to the post of Headmaster of the St. Vincent Grammar School on September 1st, 1973. During the period of his headship, he pursued studies leading to the award of the Post Graduate Diploma in Educational Management and Administration at Moray House College of Education, Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1978/79. He held this position until June 27th, 1979, when he was specially assigned to the Ministry of Education as Project Implementation Officer/Coordinator in charge of two curriculum projects sponsored by USAID and UNESCO.

The remainder of his career was spent at the Ministry of Education, firstly as Project Implementations Officer, and then as an Education Officer from July 1st, 1982, until his retirement on September 29th, 1988.

He was a true son of our noble Caribbean Civilization for he served for a number of years (1974-1979) on the governing body of CXC, the Council. Further, he was a member of the Panel charged with drafting the Agricultural Science syllabus for its first examination.

He represented the country at numerous workshops overseas, mostly in the area of Science, and, notably, he was Adviser to the Minister of Education at the Caribbean Education Conference of Ministers in Jamaica in June 1974.

He served this country not only in the field of Education but also in Football; he was captain of the National Team (1967) and Manager the following year when the team participated in the Windward Islands Popham Cup Tournament.

He will long be remembered by the Ministry of Education, and also by this nation, for his outstanding service as Science Teacher, Deputy Headmaster and Headmaster of the St. Vincent Grammar School, and also for his pioneering role as Education Officer with specific responsibility for Science Education.

Many are his former students of the St. Vincent Grammar School, male and female, who boast of the tremendous benefits derived from his instruction in Science, as well as his sterling pastoral care and leadership of the elite St. Vincent Grammar School, and who are now comfortably ensconced in a plethora of professions in the four corners of the world. They remember him with a tremendous amount of pride and profound respect.

Winston Gordon Baptiste made his entrance in this world, bestrode the stage of life like a colossus, and so must, of necessity, now make his exit, standing tall and fully confident that he played.

The Ministry of Education joins with alumni of the St. Vincent Grammar School in conveying deepest condolences to his children, relatives and friends on his passing, and trust that Almighty God would grant him eternal rest.

SUBMITTED BY THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION