Nass­er Khan

To­day marks 64 years since our na­tion achieved its In­de­pen­dence from Britain in 1962. In cel­e­brat­ing this an­niver­sary, we look at those who have con­tributed to the de­vel­op­ment of Trinidad and To­ba­go, those he­roes, pi­o­neers and role mod­els who have used their tal­ents in build­ing our na­tion. We should be proud of them all. Their achieve­ments and ex­cel­lence should be trum­pet­ed, par­tic­u­lar­ly for the sake of young peo­ple, so that they learn about, ap­pre­ci­ate and are in­spired by their con­tri­bu­tions.

There have been many he­roes, pi­o­neers and role mod­els in our na­tion’s his­to­ry.

For a coun­try like ours to have reached where it is to­day, through the pe­ri­ods of be­ing “dis­cov­ered”, fought for, “set­tled” up­on, slav­ery, in­den­ture­ship, labour move­ments, the join­ing of Trinidad with To­ba­go in 1889, to its In­de­pen­dence in 1962 and the more mod­ern era, in­volved many he­roes, pi­o­neers and role mod­els over all those years.

For ex­am­ple, dur­ing the ear­ly years from around the 1770s un­til the ear­ly 1900s, such he­roes, pi­o­neers and role mod­els in­clud­ed Roume de St. Lau­rent, Gros Jean, John Ja­cob Thomas, Jonas Bath and Em­manuel Mzum­bo Lazare, im­por­tant peo­ple who have fad­ed in­to his­to­ry and some of you prob­a­bly have nev­er heard about.

The he­roes, pi­o­neers and role mod­els of Trinidad and To­ba­go are those who have made im­por­tant and pos­i­tive con­tri­bu­tions to our coun­try’s de­vel­op­ment, from the ear­ly days, the gov­er­nors and our na­tion’s mod­ern lead­ers who have paved the way for oth­ers to fol­low.

Such peo­ple in­clude our na­tion­al lead­ers and peo­ple in the var­i­ous fields of hu­man en­deav­our: Agri­cul­ture, Busi­ness, Com­mu­ni­ty, Vol­un­teerism and So­cial Work, Cul­ture, the Arts and Folk­lore, Eco­nom­ics, Ed­u­ca­tion and Lit­er­a­cy, En­vi­ron­ment and Na­ture, Fash­ion and Beau­ty Pageants, Law, Med­i­cine, Oil, Pol­i­tics, Pub­lic Ser­vice, Ra­dio and Tele­vi­sion, Re­li­gion, Sci­ence, En­gi­neer­ing and Ar­chi­tec­ture, Sports, Trade Union­ism, Writ­ing and Jour­nal­ism.

The 400+ in­di­vid­u­als who fall in­to these cat­e­gories are list­ed here­un­der.

Em­pha­sis is placed on those born in Trinidad and To­ba­go and those born else­where but who have spent an im­por­tant part of their lives here, mak­ing im­por­tant con­tri­bu­tions from with­in to our coun­try’s de­vel­op­ment.

For pro­files on these he­roes, pi­o­neers and role mod­els, vis­it the free down­load­able eBook at https://epub.sa­faripub­li­ca­tions.com/firstc­i­t­i­zen­stt/pro­files/2/

Abidh, Clarence

Achong, Bert

Adams, Aubrey

Ag­i­ta­tion, John

Agos­ti­ni, Michael

Ahamad, Nazeer

Ahye, Mol­ly

Ale­ong, Kelvin “Pa”

Ali, Ameer

Ali, Ian

Ali, Sal­isha

Alkins, Al­bert “Bootins”

Al­ladin, M. P.

Al­leyne, Clyde

Al­ston, George

Alves, James, Au­gus­tus

Ames, Stephen

Am­ing, Choy

Anstey, Arthur Hen­ry

An­tho­ny, Michael

An­toine, Glen

Apol­lon, Ray Gold­en

As­soon, Bar­bara

Atwell, Win­nifred

Austin, Ann

Ay­oung, Ed­win

Az­iz, S. M.

Az­iz, Syed, A.

Ba­con, Pe­ter

Bai­ley, George

Bai­ley, Mac­Don­ald

Bartholomew, Court­ne­nay

Bath, Jonas, M.

Bat­too, Ethel­bert “Meg”

Beaubrun, Michael

Bee­by-Thomp­son, Arthur

Beetham, Ed­ward

Be­las­co, Li­onel

Ben­nett, Stephen

Berke­ley, Wayne

Bermudez, Jose M.

Besson, Ger­ard

Best, Lloyd

Be­taudi­er, Hol­ly

Bish­op, Pat

Black­man, Garfield (Ras Shorty I)

Blades, El­bert, R.

Bo­du, Jose and Igna­cio

Boldon, Ato

Boos, Karl

Bor­de, Hugh

Bor­de, Pierre

Bourne, Desmond

Bovell, George III

Br­ere­ton, Brid­get

Brier­ly, John

Brins­ley, Hurbert

Brown, George

Bryan, Fitz Vaughn

Bryn­er, Lord

Bul­brook, John

Bur­roughs, Ran­dolph

But­ler, Knol­ly

But­ler, Tubal Uri­ah

Cam­bridge, Thomas

Camps-Campins, Adri­an

Can­ning, Ernest

Capildeo, Pun­dit

Capildeo, Rudranath

Carr, An­drew

Car­ring­ton, Ed­win

Castagne, Patrick

Castil­lo, Paul

Caz­abon, Michel Jean

Cha­con, Jose Maria

Cham­bers, Ash­ton

Cham­bers, George

Chan Tack, An­tho­ny

Chang, Carlisle

Charles, Ahamad

Charles, Da­reem

Charles, Joseph

Charles, Rudolph

Cheva­lier, Er­rol

Chu Foon, Patrick

Cipri­ani, An­dre

Cipri­ani, Arthur An­drew

Cipri­ani, Mikey

Clarke, El­lis

Clarke, H. A.

Co­dal­lo, Al­fred

Com­mis­siong, Janelle Pen­ny

Con­nor, Edric

Con­stan­tine, Learie

Cope, Fran­cis

Craw­ford, Hase­ly

Crick, Daisy

Crop­per, An­dre

Cur­van, Clarence

Cut­teridge, Joseph

Daa­ga, Makan­dal

Daniell, Alvin

Dar­went, Wal­ter

Davis, Mar­cus

Davis, Regi­nald

De Barcelona, Thomas

De Berrio, An­to­nio

De Berrio, Fer­nan­do

De Boissiere, William

Deen, Shamshu

De­Foe, Daniel

De Leon, Leo

De Li­ma, Ylde­fon­so A.

De­mas, William

De Sil­va, Bren­da

De St Lau­rent, Philippe-Rose Roume

De Suze, Joseph

De Ver­teuil, An­tho­ny

De Ver­teuil, Louis

De­vi, Cham­pa

Devine, Wins­ford

Dook­ie, Man­nie

Dop­son, Syl

Dou­glass, Raphael

Dou­glas, Wal­ter

Dow­land, Kaye

Dumb­ell, Tho­ra

Dun­can, Ju­lian

Dun­can, Sel

Duprey, Cyril

Ec­cles, William

Ed­in­bor­ough, Fe­lix

Ed­wards, Ju­lia

El­der, Ja­cob

El­liot, Samuel Ebenez­er

Fer­nan­dez, Den­zil

Ffrench, Richard

Fitzwilliam, Wendy

Forde, Christo­pher

Fran­cis, Frankie

Fran­cis­co, Slinger (Mighty Spar­row)

Fran­cois, El­ma

Fras­er, Li­onel

Free­man, William

Gabriel, Ros­alind

Gar­cia, Phillip (Lord Ex­ecu­tor)

Gaskin, Mol­ly

Ghany, Sam

Ghouralal, Samuel

Gib­bon, Roger

Gilkes, George

Git­tens, Bob

God­dard, George “Son­ny”

Gomes, Al­bert

Gon­salves, June

Gor­don, Arthur

Gor­don, William

Graf, Leonard

Grant, Ged­des

Grant, George

Grant, Ru­pert (Lord In­vad­er)

Grant, Ken­neth

Gray, Adel­bert

Grif­fith, El­ton

Gup­py, Robert

Hall, Wes

Hanoomans­ingh, Hans

Hardy, Fredrick

Har­ris, Lord

Hart, Ed­mund and Lil

Has­sanali, Noor

Hen­nessey, Allyson Hezeki­ah

Hing Wan, Ed­win

Ho­choy, Solomon

Ho­choy, Thel­ma

Hold­er, Boscoe

Hong Wing, Chang

Ho­sein, F. E. M.

Hug­gins, George, F.

Hugh­es, Frank

Hull, Bar­bara

Ibrahim, Mo­hammed

Im­bert, Mau­ra

Ince, Win­ston

In­gram, William

Jaleel, S. M.

James, Alphon­so

James, C. L. R.

Jan, Al­ice

Jean, Gros

Jef­fers, Au­drey

Joseph, Ed­ward

Kauff­man, Joey

Keenan, Patrick

Ken­ny, Ju­lian

Khan, Ibrahim

Khan, Ish­mael, M.

King, Leslie

Kir­ton, Joyce

Kissoon, Fred­die

Knowles, Ralph “Ra­phie”

Ku­gler, Hans

Ku­mar Har­bance

Ku­mar, Ran­jit

La Bor­de, Harold and Kwailan

La Ronde-West, Giselle

Lai Fook, Arthur

Laird, Col­in

Lal­la, Charles

Lane, Thel­ma

Lara, Bri­an Charles

Laugh­lin, Ken

Lazare, Em­manuel Mzum­bo

Le Blanc, Nor­man

Lee He­ung, Stephen and Elsie

Lee Lum, John

Leo­taud, An­toine

Lewis, Arthur

Lewis, Christi­na

Lewis, Joey

Lewis, Lystra

Lovelace, Earl

Luces, Granny

Lu­cie-Smith, Paula

Mac­Far­lane, Bri­an

Macleod, Hen­ry

Ma­haraj, Ke­w­al

Main­got, Rhon­da

Maison­neuve, Ju­lian

Mal­lett, Fred­er­ick

Man­nette, El­liot

Man­ning, Patrick

Maraj, Bhadase Sagan

Mar­cellin, Mano

Ma­resse-Paul, Bel­vidiara

Ma­resse-Smith, Edgar

Mar­shall, Bertram “Bertie”

Massy, Charles

Mathu­ra, Pat

Mavro­gorda­to, Ol­ga

McBurnie, Beryl

Mc­David­son, Muriel Don­awa

McE­near­ney, Charles

Mc­Shine, Arthur

Mc­Shine Halsey

McWilliams, Irvin

Meah, Gookool

Meah, Ruknudeen

Meil­ing, Esau

Miles, Gene

Mills, Therese

Min­shall, Pe­ter

Mo­hammed, Ka­malud­din

Mo­hammed, Moean

Mo­hammed, Nazeer

Mo­hammed, Sham

Moon Sam­my, George

Mor­ris, Ken

Mor­ton, John

Mor­ton, Sarah

Muham­mad, Farouk

Mul­hauser, John

Mur­phy, Max

Naipaul, Vidia

Neal, Hen­ry

Noel, Claude

Nor­ton, Noel

Og­den, David

O’Reil­ly, Lennox

Pad­more, Mar­jorie

Pan­day, Bas­deo

Pan­dit, Doon

Pan­tin, An­tho­ny

Pan­tin, Clive

Pan­tin, Ger­ard

Par­do, Frank

Patrick, Colvin

Pawan, Lennox

Per­manand, Jean

Per­sad, Taran

Per­sad-Bisses­sar, Kam­la

Philip, Michael Maxwell

Phillips, Jes­si­ca

Phillips, Karl Hud­son

Pierre, Hen­ry

Pierre, Jean

Poon-King, Theo­do­sius

Popo, Sun­dar

Proud­foot, Don

Quam­i­na, Eliz­a­beth

Queve­do, Ray­mond

Rag­bir, Charles

Ra­hamut

Ra­mad­hin, Son­ny

Ra­maya, Narsa­lo

Ram­goon­ai, Dru­patie

Ra­mon-For­tune, Jose

Ram­per­sad, Frank

Rawle, Richard

Red­head, Carl

Reina­gle, Philip

Richards, Maxwell

Rien­zi, Adri­an Co­la

Roach, Clif­ford

Roberts, Ald­wyn (Lord Kitch­en­er)

Robin­son, A. N. R.

Robin­son, William

Roodal, Tim­o­thy

Rose, B. H.

Rose, Ca­lyp­so

Rust, Ran­dolph

Ryan, Fin­bar

Sab­ga, Ab­dou Y.

Sa Gomes, Ed­uar­do

Sa­landy, Giselle

Salden­ha, Harold

Sama­roo, Jit

Sama­roo, Nor­man

Samuel, Gene

Saun­ders, Ram­sey

Sawh, Lall

Scott, Bernadette Laugh­lin

Scott, W. H.

Selvon, Samuel

Seuk­er­an, Li­onel, F.

Sewlal, Enos

Sharpe, Len “Boogsie”

Siegert, Car­los-Luis-Al­fre­do

Si­mon, Kade (Lord Bryn­er)

Si­mon, Win­ston “Spree”

Smith, Kei­th

Sood­een, Charles

Span, Nor­man “King Ra­dio”

Spence, John

Spence, Leslie

Stew­art, Leslie

Stollmey­er, Con­rad

Strass­er, Wil­fred

Street­ly, Fred­er­ick

Sylvester, Ray

Syne, As­gar­al­li

Swann, Harold

Teelucks­ingh, Saran

Telfer, Mervyn

Teshea, Is­abel

Thomas, John Ja­cob

Tikas­ingh, El­isha

Tripp, Edgar

Valasquez, Cito

Voisin, Daisy

Wal­cott, Clotil

Wal­cott, Derek

Wal­cott, Keshorn

Walke, Olive

Ward-Red­man, Hazel

Warn­er, Charles, W.

Warn­er, Kath­leen “Aun­ty Kay”

Watkins, Wat­ty

Wat­son, Ed