School to be renamed after late musician, educator

Residents of North Leeward are being asked to say which school in the area should be re-named in honour of the late Leopold David Anthony, who died on Monday, September 26, at the age of 95.

While paying tribute to the renowned musician and educator at his funeral service at the Kingstown Methodist Church on Saturday, October 1, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said he will suggest to Cabinet that a school in the North Leeward area be named in honour of Anthony.{{more}}

Gonsalves said such a gesture would be a “fitting and permanent memorial,” as people tend to have short memories in relation to those who render outstanding service to the community. After these people die, they and the contribution they made are quickly forgotten by everyone, except family.

He does not want this to be the case with the late musician and educator.

“People must ask, ‘Who was this man Leopold Anthony’,” the Prime Minister said.

Anthony was born in the North Leeward village of Troumaca on September 15, 1921 and attended the Troumaca Government (Primary) School before winning a scholarship at the age of 11 to the then Boys Grammar School.

After completing the Boys Grammar School, Anthony entered the teaching profession, beginning his career at the Westwood Methodist School. Shortly after the end of the Second World War, he migrated to Aruba.

On returning to St Vincent, Anthony experimented with farming before returning to the teaching profession. He was among the first Vincentians to be trained locally at the Teacher’s College. He taught at several schools, particularly in the North Leeward community – Chateaubelair, Rose Hall, Troumaca, Westwood and Spring Village, finally retiring in 1975 as head teacher of the Troumaca Government (Primary) School.

He saw both education and sports as vehicles to take people out of poverty. He was so passionate about sports that when the government of the day proposed to build the now Troumaca Ontario Secondary School on the lone playing field in the village, he became embroiled in a public fight with the government. He was alone in this struggle, as the villagers were anxious to have a secondary school, even if it meant depriving them of their playing field. He believed to his death, that sporting facilities are essential for the overall development of a community.

There are eight schools in North Leeward — Troumaca Ontario Secondary, Petit Bordel Secondary, Spring Village Methodist, Westwood Methodist, Troumaca Government, Rose Hall Government, Chateaubelair Methodist and Fitz-Hughes Government.

Visit Searchlight’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/Searchlight1) to give your opinion about which school should be named the Leopold David Anthony Memorial School.