Throughout his career, his dreams and aspiration helped to put T&T on the map of those rich with talent. And despite his departure of this world before he could fulfill his dream of enhancing the quality of arts in this country, international actor Sullivan Walker left a legacy for many to take note of. Though the United States was his stomping ground, Walker's final resting place was the country of his birth in the city where he was born. Last Friday, tributes poured in from artistes and friends at his funeral service held at the San Fernando Creative Arts Centre. He received a service indicative of his life, filled with poetry, drama, music and dance. Walker, who died of cardiac arrest at his New York City home on Carnival Monday, lay in his coffin while a number of his many feats on the big screen were aired on large screens.
His daughter Keela Walker delivered a eulogy that was full of life, highlighting his achievements and the rewards of determination. She described the hardship her father faced in his early days in New York, when he earned a meagre $75 per week performing his first role at the Harlem School of Arts in the play, A Season in the Congo. She said the roles were slow in coming then, and when Walker was not working he would stay at home to write, direct, and cast his own creation. The actor's widow, Carol Mark Walker, lamented the lack of support her husband got during the filming of his last production, Caribbean Woman. She said his only shortcoming was that he died before fulfilling his dream in opening a school of art in T&T. She described her husband as a man who demanded respect and who did things in his own way. Among the tributes was that of special adviser in the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism and local masman, Dawad Phillip, who described the actor as a beacon of T&T's rich culture. The entire service was an artistic tribute, which served as a fitting way to honour a man who had contributed so much to the arts.
