Remembering Edwin Samuel Jones, OJ, CD

MAN CONTINUED FROM I 1 THE SUNDAY GLEANER, MAY 2, 2021 | FEATURE1 I2 i 2 TRIB TE TO PROF EDWIN JONES FEATURE PROFESSOR EDWIN JONES ... will, would enable us to undertake radical reform in order to build our social capital whichwould trigger opportunity creation. That, in his view, would enable us to manage risks, to promote problem-solving and behavioural change at the levels of leadership and citizenry. The entire Caribbean region has been a beneficiary of his outstanding contribution to the training and implementation of innovative changes so as to build our approach and capacity for good and effective governance. A man of strong political views, repeated efforts were made to lure him to the field of direct political engagement. They all failed because a brief exposure in the ShadowCabinet led him to the early conclusion of beingmore likely to influence the course of national leadership by the vital contribution of intellect which he provided, rather than the front stage or backstage of the political arena. He was always available for advising successive governments on complex public issues and coaching selected ministers. His life is a model of devotion to service inthenationalist approach to Jamaica’s development. Thosewho knewhimwillmiss his generosity of spirit and his incisive judgements, his biting wit, his bonhomie, his profundity inanydiscourse. Profwas urbane, humane, considerate, humble and a fine raconteur. Students yet to comewill be exposed to his books, essays andpublications as they seek to learn about public policy reform and patterns of change in an inherited systemof public administration. His legacy is in his students both within and outside The UWI, many of whom have been or are senior civil servants and in the proper recalibration of public sector administrative systems and procedures. I shall miss a precious friend of eclectic taste in music, a passionate lover of sports and a cognoscenti of fine wine, good food, andamaster dominoplayer. To his darlingMaria, we know you will face the loss with the tender care you rendered your husband in his closing years and the wonderful times you shared together. Toyou, hisdear children, familyandprofessional colleagues, we extendourheartfelt sympathy. Professor the Honourable EdwinJoneshas endedhis earthly journey and has now entered the realmof perpetual peace. P.J. PATTERSON Office of the Statesman in Residence PJ Patterson Centre for African-CaribbeanAdvocacy The University of theWest Indies T HE CURTAINS have fallen, finally, on a class act. For decades we demanded of him a display of excellence and dignity. We received a performance of abundance. We, in The UWI, bore witness to his wit, wisdom and reasonableness. Now we celebrate his lifelong display of goodness. We ask Almighty for mercy. The return of Professor Edwin Jones to his ancestral home invokes the deepest reflections on his timewithus. Some knewhimas the unrelenting progressive scholar who looked beyond the quantitative data into the consciousness of all citizens. But within his contributions over the decades to nation-building was the impulse of the social democrat whose instinct was to empower the disenfranchised and marginalised. Others knew him as the humanist who loved entertaining friends and groundings with his brothers. The University of the West Indies, not only here at the Mona mission, but everywhere it has spread and serves, was enriched by his many gifts – social compassion, personal humility, deep sense of caring, brilliance in the classroom, excellent published scholarship, public advocacy for social justice intertwined with economic growth, and lifelong professional commitment to the practice of efficient public administration. This rubric of public service was the well into which he sank his bucket. This was his personal professional practice, pursued with the passion and purpose of the prophet. Professor was culturally prepared to be the consummate collegial man. Friends he made with effortless ease. His mind was moulded to promote and sustain his nation’s hospitality heritage. In this regard, he saw himself as a practising diplomat, always determined to showcase the goodness of Jamaicanness. The man, the land, and the social plan were strategically interwoven. Better must come, he would insist. Supporting the struggle was his refrain. To this end he was always willing to promote robust intellectual discourse while mediating resulting ideological conflict. He defended and celebrated the value propositions embedded in the episteme of all sides, and always sought resolution [preferably over a game of dominoes] that promoted the humane and progressive path. He was my respected brother and friend of 40 years. We met in 1979 at ‘G. Beck’. Fresh from graduate school in Britain, I chose his Mona as the place to plant. He had risen through the academic ranks and was being prepared by the Faculty of Social Sciences to inherit the leadership mantle from the great humanist scholar, Professor Gladstone Mills, who had mentored many in the values of academic conversation with civility. Edwin emerged as the champion of the Mills manifesto. Wearing this crown across the Caribbeanhe taught, befriended and guided generations of students in the science of improving the public administration of the region. He was an icon of integrity for permanent secretaries from The Bahamas to Belize and Barbados. The theses of his lectures linger in the minds of many, there constituting a community of the caring and committed. His is a rich and enduring legacy. Near 20 years after formal academic retirement, his voice resonates across The UWI-verse, and beyond. There was also the sacred place called Sabina Park, where he would linger from time to time marooned beyond the reach of academia. Happiness would consume his being; Michael running in, Viv walking out! Edwin would erupt and touch the sky. He was in heaven. Fly away home, brother, your work here is done. The university community celebrates its seminal son, and coveys its condolences to his beloved Maria Jones, their families, and legions of loved ones. PROF SIR HILARY BECKLES Vice-Chancellor, The University of theWest Indies ‘An icon of integrity’ PROF SIR HILARY BECKLES G ood day, ladies and gentlemen: It is my honour to stand with you today to give tribute to the life and legacy of the late Professor the Hon Edwin Jones, on behalf of The Mico University College. I, along with The Mico family, including the chairman, president, board of directors, staff, students, alumni and batchmates, mourn his passing and extend condolences to his wife Maria and the Jones family. As we commiserate with those who grieve the loss, we balance that with quite discerning celebration of the life he led and legacy left by this exceptional man… this outstanding Miconian! Whenwe think of Professor Edwin Jones, the words innovative, pioneer and mastermind come to mind. Professor Jones was amember of the graduating batch of 1962 and was considered as a scholar and luminary. He read for aTeachingDiploma at TheMico and served the community thereafter inmyriadof impactful ways. His legacy boasts the Institute of Technological and Educational Research (ITER), the Executive Masters in Educational Management, and the Mico CARE Centre. ITER, which was designed and conceptualised by Professor Jones in collaboration with Professor Claude Packer, started in 2010with the main goal to build a research culture that enables The Mico to undertake high-quality research in areas of educational policy, development and management, with special reference to Jamaica and the Caribbean. Professor Jones served as the first director at ITER and was tireless in playing his part in accomplishing its goals and vision. In 2009, in another of his pioneering moves, Professor Jones helped to establish a partnership between the Mona School of Business and Management and The Mico University College, which resulted in the implementation of the ExecutiveMasters in Educational Management. Amaster’s degree programme that is now offered at the Mico Graduate School of Education. The Mico University credits Professor Jones’ breadth of knowledge, temperament, vision and his transformational leadership skills. He always had a way of conceptualising innovative strategies and initiatives. That brings me back to the time when he helped to orchestrate theMico CARE Centre’s Special Education Conference under the theme ‘Cultivating a GrowthMindset: Equipping Our Teachers with Strategies That Make Instructions Stick’. His deep passion for research was displayed in how well he supported this initiative and others under theMico CARECentre. Professor Jones’ contributions were not limited to The Mico University College. He made significant impact as a nation- builder in his roles as educator, adviser, public servant, as well as a contributor in the private and public sectors. For his service to the nation, Professor Jones received a National Honour: The Order of Distinction in the Commander Class for his contribution to The UWI and public service in 1998; then in 2005, he received the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service, and in 2007 he was bestowed the Order of Jamaica for excellence in academia and public service. Among his many accolades, we celebrate above all his belief in research and its necessity in forming the foundation of public policy; his generosity; his ability to hone and nurture talent and his capacity to inspire confidence. He has gone ahead but his legacy carries on stupendously. And, to our brother, colleague and friend, we say, Rest in Power. It was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who said, “Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time.” May we all endeavour to live a full life and leave a rich legacy behind. Thank you DR RODERICK KARL JAMES Chancellor, The Mico University College ‘Pioneer, mastermind’ DR RODERICK KARL JAMES