Remembering Sir Keith Hunte: A Legacy of Leadership and Contribution to Caribbean Education

It is with a sense of deep sadness, but overwhelming appreciation, that I join tens of thousands of Caribbean people who have been touched directly by the life and work of Sir Keith Hunte, in saying goodbye to a genuine giant of Barbadian and regional development.

Sir Keith was very much an institution in university education in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, having joined the College of Arts and Science, the forerunner to Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies, as an assistant lecturer in History in 1964. He retired in 2002 after serving as Principal from 1983 — making him the longest serving Cave Hill Principal.

If the number of years spent at the helm of the campus is an achievement, then the fact that he did it when the growth of Cave Hill and its contribution to the development of this nation and its people were most pivotal in a post-Independence era, made his contribution nothing short of seminal.

In fact, history must record that Sir Keith was nothing less than a titan of university education in the Eastern Caribbean. Under his leadership Cave Hill became perhaps the single most important tertiary-level institution for young people of the sub-region as they sought upward mobility. His sound judgement facilitated the growth of Cave Hill and made it the most genuinely regional campus in the UWI network in terms of the diversity of student intake.

But for me he was much more than an educator. Sir Keith was a mentor and guide, a most valuable role model, when as a young Member of Parliament, I was assigned the portfolio Minister of Education and Culture. Honesty, integrity and a never-ending concern for the welfare of others, buttressed by a platform of fairness that never once showed a hint of political bias or favour, form the picture of the man I will never forget.

These are also the qualities he displayed as Chairman of the Public Service Commission, working across governments formed by both political parties, but always staying well above the fray of partisan politics. And if we ever need more proof that Sir Keith was indeed a man apart, then we have only to look back at how he conducted the affairs of the Committee for National Reconciliation in the early 2000’s as the country grappled with some deep-seated racial issues, and the Cabinet saw the need for full and frank discussions aimed at creating a shared vision among Barbadians.

While the award of the title of Knight of St. Andrew in 1987 was a major national recognition of his sterling contribution to higher education in our region, I am in no doubt that, given the extent of his service in so many other areas of national life, we will continue to owe him an unsatisfiable debt of gratitude for all he has done. Death has robbed us of a great mind, but if we are prudent as a nation, his example ought to live on for generations.