The American Foundation of the University of the West Indies has named three Jamaicans in its list of thirteen Caribbean Luminaries for 2005. They are, Managing Director of LASCO, Lascelles Chin; Head of the Port Authority of Jamaica, Noel Hylton and Boxer Mike McCallum. Caribbean Luminaries are individuals from the past 100 years who have left their indelible mark on the Caribbean region and the world. Both individually and as a group, these luminaries signify the progress made during the 20th century and represent some of the significant contributions made by the Caribbean Diaspora. The honour programme, which began in the year 2000, highlights an array of luminaries each year.
The awards are presented at a gala dinner held in New York each year. Also recognised by the UWI Foundation were corporate honorees the Bank of Nova Scotia and Verizon while actress Sheryl Lee Ralph was named as an individual honoree. The Vice Chancellor’s Achievement Award was also presented at the function. Inaugurated last year, the award recognizes deserving individuals of Caribbean heritage who are ‘Rising Stars’ in their respective fields, or persons who have made significant contributions to, or brought to prominence, issues that affect the Caribbean. The recipients included Director of the Cancer Research Centre at the MAYO Clinic, Professor Franklyn Prendergast, Deputy Borough President of Brooklyn the Hon. Yvonne Graham and Vice President and General Manger of General Electric, Wayne M. Hewitt