Farewell to a good friend, Alister McIntyre

THE EDITOR, Sir:

It was only a few days ago I wrote you a letter on the death of the Hon. Patrick Rousseau, which you kindly published.

I write you again of the death of another good friend and Caribbean stalwart, Sir Alister McIntyre.

While much is known and undoubtedly will be said about Alister’s role as a prominent regionalist, among other things, as academic, UWI Vice Chancellor and CARICOM Secretary General, much less is known about his important work in the preparation for, and the early stages of the 1974 bauxite negotiations. Perhaps this is due to the fact that he left before the negotiations were ended to take up the position as Secretary General of CARICOM.

His contribution was to give economic logic to the path we were set on, and, specifically, as counterpoint to two heavyweight economists the companies had brought down to support their position. One was Professor Merton Peck, chairman of the Economics Department of Yale and in 1967-8 a member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers; and the other was Professor Charles McGowan, formerly of Yale.

My condolences go out to his wife, Marjorie, and other members of his family.

CARLTON DAVIS