It would indeed be greatly remiss of me, on behalf of the very first class of Northeastern College, Sangre Grande, who wrote the GCE Examinations in 1965, not to continue to "gild the lily" that Winston Cooper was during the time we shared there and even after we all graduated and moved on in our chosen professions.Many have been the accolades showered upon him at his passing and it is our consensus that he deserved every glowing tribute and even more.
It is most unfortunate, however, that our culture seems to often dictate that it is only after someone has passed on that we realise what great contribution/s that person had made, unacknowledged to a great extent while he/she was alive. So it was with our friend, our brother Winston, the epitome of community spirit, exemplar for so many.
It is our sincere hope that his memory would be allowed to live on. Could not our Alma Mater, Northeastern College of Sangre Grande, institute (if this has not already been done) a Hall of Fame at the school whereby pioneers such as Maura Cooseelal, Matthew Toussaint, Sheriff and Indra Ali, Esther Singh, Tyler Ramdhennie, Courtland Bonalde, Radica Jagroo, Jennylyn Lambert and the Big Six, Dr Claudius Fergus, to name a very few, and their achievements and contributions to society could be highlighted and emblazoned for posterity.
We thank you brother, friend, for having been a bright light in our lives during and after our sojourn at Northeastern College.On another note, Winston deserved, more than so many, the highest recognition for his invaluable contribution to our country and our people. Nothing less than the Order of the Republic of T&T we hope will be conferred on him, albeit posthumously.
Eva David-Swain,
Coalmine, Sangre Grande