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FST remembers Dr Lawrence Alan Eyre

Photo: Father Gregory Ramkissoon (left), Alan Eyre (centre), Dr Vernon Mulchansingh (right)

The Faculty of Science and Technology remembers our former colleague, Lawrence Alan Eyre, who passed away on June 3rd 2020. Alan Eyre was one of the founding members of the Department of Geography and lectured in the Department until his early retirement in 1990. Born in Yorkshire, in the UK, he migrated to Jamaica early in life where he built a successful career and a loving family.

Alan was an iconic figure throughout his time in the Department. He had many strings to his bow - lecturer, researcher, churchman and never one to shy away from controversy. His publications encompassed inner city urban geography and shanty towns, gleaned from his church work experiences and intimate knowledge of poor urban communities in the 1970s. In the 1980s he became a passionate environmentalist (one of Jamaica’s first) and iconoclastic in his concerns about deforestation, especially in Jamaica. He published extensively on deforestation and was invited to speak on the topic to the UN in New York in the late 1980s.

Alan made a significant contribution to the Jamaican Geographical Society and was an inspiration in organizing numerous field trips, hikes and other outdoor activities. He also served as its President and edited its newsletter. Alan will be fondly remembered by former colleagues, and generations of geography students across the entire Caribbean. To say he was a character is to diminish his reputation: his showmanship and his flair for story-telling, especially during lectures which were often delivered without notes, is almost legendary.

See a tribute to Dr. Eyre written on the occasion of his retirement from The UWI http://www.jamaicabicentenary.org.jm/geoggeol/JGS/Jamaican%20Geographer/JGS3.pdf (page 2 onwards).

Published on 15 Jun, 2020

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