Remembering Edwin Samuel Jones, OJ, CD

THE SUNDAY GLEANER, MAY 2, 2021 | FEATURE1 I I7 TRIBUTE TO PROF EDWIN JONES FEATURE The UWI community celebrates Professor Edwin Jones, PhD, CD, OJ, Emeritus Professor of the University of the West Indies. Professor Jones was passionate about quality of leadership in the public and private domains, seeing it as essential to effective management and lasting change. “A class act is closed and is finally to be celebrated.The return of Professor Edwin Jones to his ancestral land invokes reflections on his time with us. The University of the West Indies, not only here at Mona, but everywhere, was enriched by his many gifts—his social compassion, personal humility, deep sense of caring, brilliance in the classroom, public advocacy for social justice intertwined with economic growth and efficiency, and his lifelong commitment to the importance of good public service.” - Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice Chancellor,The UWI. “The UWI is eternally grateful to Prof. Edwin Jones whose contribution to the Faculty of Social Sciences andMona School of Business andManagement has been tremendous. He was a teacher, researcher, administrator, mentor and a friend to many. The lives he touched extend far beyond our borders.Many lives have been positively influenced by Prof Jones, to that end, collectively,The UWI, Jamaica, the Caribbean and the world are poorer for his passing.” - Professor Dale Webber, Principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor,The UWI, Mona. The UWI conveys its deepest condolences to Mrs Jones, the family and legions of loved ones. not only to institution-building, but also to the building, the upliftment, of the individual persona. He guided us all, and with his keen sense of humour and judgement, he promoted caution among the impetuous, confidence among the hesitant, vision among the impatiently myopic. He was always thoughtful and worked diligently to encourage friendships – or at least to avoid academic warfare – among his more cantankerous colleagues. He faced triumphs and challenges with equanimity. He exuded style and sophistication in speech, decorum and dress, often redefining the concept of the natty professor. And most of all, as he soared to the dizzy heights of achievement, he uplifted us all. Edwin Jones, the Prof, we bid you farewell with tears, respect, and love in our hearts. Rest well, intellectual giant of the people. STEPHEN VASCIANNIE GIANT CONTINUED FROM I 6 PROFESSOR EDWIN JONES ... I FIRST met Edwin Jones in London in 1998, shortly before I took up a lectureship in public administration at The UWI. Over the next two and a half years, I was privileged to see Edwin the professor up close. I left Jamaica in 2001, but our friendship continued to develop over the next 20 years. In a small country such as Jamaica, much more than in the UK, it is possible to grasp the broader impact of one’s academic activity on the wider society. Edwin modelled the professorial vocation to me, as he did to all his colleagues and students. One thing that stands out is how teaching, scholarship and public service were never, for Edwin, distinct activities. Rather, they were connected strands in realising Edwin’s vision of a public service capable of leading an independent Jamaica. This same vision also underpinned the time and care he took in mentoring students and younger colleagues. The greatest of teachers, Edwin never gave away the answers. What he did was something far more valuable. He listened to your articulation of a problem, correcting any errors or misconceptions, and filling in any missing pieces. He would then delight in seeing you formulate your own answers. His seriousness of purpose never obscured his warmth of personality, and a mischievous sense of humour would surface from time to time. Testament to the latter is that several of my former colleagues still labour under the belief that I came from the largest sheep-farming family in Scotland. I will miss my guide, philosopher and friend. LINDSAY STIRTON Professor of Public Law Sussex Law School School of Law, Politics and Sociology University of Sussex Brighton, UK ‘The greatest of teachers’ His seriousness of purpose never obscured his warmth of personality, and a mischievous sense of humour would surface from time to time.