Sir Fitzroy “Roy” Augier – 100 not out!

A former member of the academic staff of The University of the West Indies (The UWI), who celebrated his 100th birthday earlier this month, was celebrated by the institution he helped to shape.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, on behalf of The UWI community, paid the following tribute to “Caribbean Renaissance Man and Professor Emeritus of History, Sir Fitzroy ‘Roy’ Augier”, on his 100th birth anniversary:

“On December 17, 2024, Sir Fitzroy “Roy” Augier celebrated his 100th birthday. What a magnificent ongoing innings – 100 not out! Scholar, educator, activist, World War II veteran, and administrator, Roy is a true Caribbean Renaissance Man. He continues to inspire us to reflect on our Caribbean history, how we perceive ourselves – not as how others perceive us, and how that sense of ownership and belonging should help us to fulfil a vision of a strong Caribbean civilisation in the future,” the tribute states in part.

Born in Castries, Saint Lucia, he attended elementary and secondary schools before heading off to serve in the Royal Air Force as a gunner. After the war ended, he completed an MA and PhD in History at St Andrews University in Scotland, then made Jamaica his home for the next seventy years of his stellar century. Jamaica and The UWI were the bases from which he made significant contributions to shaping the direction of teaching and learning across the Caribbean at several levels across the decades.

Following his appointment at the then University College of the West Indies (UCWI) as a Research Fellow at ISER in 1954, Augier joined the Department of History in 1955, and became Professor of History in 1989, the pinnacle of academic achievement in the academy. As The UCWI transformed into The UWI, Roy’s strong sense of regionalism and activism also translated into ensuring that Caribbean History became a discrete subject and how it was taught and researched at the secondary and tertiary levels within the Caribbean. Roy and colleagues such as Douglas Hall, Shirley Gordon, Mary Reckord, Rex Nettleford and M.G. Smith produced seminal publications such as The Making of the West Indies; Report on the Rastafarian Movement; Sources of West Indian History and the UNESCO-sponsored project General History of the Caribbean, forever changing how scholars and people across the globe view the history of the Caribbean, states the tribute issued from the university’s Jamaica offices.

During – and after – his years at The UWI, Roy taught, advised or mentored several generations of Caribbean historians and academics. Verene Shepherd, Brian Moore, Swithin Wilmot and Kathleen Monteith are some of the academics who benefitted from engaging with Roy and other greats such as Elsa Gouveia and Douglas Hall. It was also my honour to benefit from his counsel during my own early years in the Department of History at the Mona Campus, Sir Hilary stated in the tribute.

“ I believe that our research and career trajectories were inspired by the intellectual activism that existed in the Department of History.

“Roy was also integral to the development of the Caribbean Examinations Council from its inception, serving as lead for the Caribbean History Subject Panel in the early years and as Chairman of the Council from 1986 to 1996. He led the way in gaining acceptance by regional stakeholders for the CAPE examinations as a replacement for the British A-levels. CXC qualifications are now accepted for matriculation by leading universities around the world, which must be a tremendous source of pride for Sir Roy, who was affectionately dubbed “Mr. CXC” by many in recognition of his avid championing of the institution…”.