Please permit me to add to the many tributes being paid to the late Prof John Spence, in the manner of endorsing the many excellent contributions being posted, especially by Reginald Dumas and Gregory Aboud who have just about said it all.
Apart from his sterling contributions at the university, Senate and the media, and in addition to his pet peeves like agriculture, education and constitutional reform, I particularly admired Prof Spence his his passion for good governance, social justice, equity, and concern for the poor and socially challenged in the society. He had the manner of a gentleman and a feel for the pulse of the nation. I did not know the professor personally, that is until about a year ago when I was blown away after I received a telephone call from him. He had called about an article which I had written about scouting as an avenue for the youth of the nation.
He endorsed my views wholeheartedly and introduced the idea of Rover Scouting, which is adult scouting, for T&T. He even sent me voluminous material on the subject. We differed in our views, as I thought that Rover Scouting would not catch on in T&T, as regular scouting is floundering at the moment. We corresponded for a while and ended our conversations in an absolutely cordial manner with mutual respect, such was the measure of the man–all encompassing and caring for everyone in society.
As one writer said, the void that is left by his departure cannot be filled in any foreseeable way, and sometimes we use the word "icon" flippantly, but in truth it is really deserving in the professor's case. Something important should be named after the professor, or some other suitable memorial, in appreciation of his love for his country; he was a true patriot if there ever was one. My condolences go out to his many friends and his family who no doubt are still reeling from his passing.
Joel Quintal
San Fernando