PM – Norma Keizer is arguably the most distinguished UWI graduate from SVG

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has described the late Norma Keizer as a woman of exceptional ability and integrity.{{more}}

Taking time out from his duties in Haiti, the prime minister called a local radio station to publicly offer condolences to the family of the deceased woman.

Gonsalves made a telephone call to the WE FM ‘Shake Up’ programme, hosted by Clem Ballah, on Tuesday morning, after it was announced that the former Headmistress of the Girls’ High School and former editor and co-founder of SEARCHLIGHT had passed away in the early hours that morning.

He was at the time attending an intersessional meeting of the CARICOM heads of government.

“I called specifically… to convey the profound condolences of the government and people of St Vincent and the Grenadines, and on behalf of my family and myself to the family of Norma Keizer….

“Last night, I called to find out about her, as I often do, and I spoke to her daughter, and her daughter told me she was in a difficult condition,” Gonsalves pointed out.

“I asked her please to whisper in her ear, to tell her that Ralph called to say that he loves her and I in fact loved her very much. And I called this morning to find out how she had survived the night, only to be told that some time close to three this morning or thereabouts, the good Lord took her home.

“My heart goes out to them and I am in solidarity with them.”

The prime minister said that the passing of Keizer has affected him personally, and that the contributions which she made over the years would resonate through her children, as well as the thousands of students in St Vincent and around the world, whom she had taught over the decades, including himself.

“She has moulded a very good family, and I know they will be very strong, and that her children are also making a very important contributions in diverse fields in this country….

“She taught me history when I was in form six, and I’ve always seen her as a woman of exceptional ability and integrity; she was a splendid wife and mother, a titan in our community, a woman of real nobility and humility….

“Norma Keizer, I have always insisted, is arguably the most distinguished graduate of the University of the West Indies that St Vincent and the Grenadines has produced,” he stated.

“We have had several distinguished university graduates from UWI, but Norma Keizer is probably, in my view, the most exceptional, the most outstanding.

“…and I feel like part of me is gone.”(JJ)