By Kadeem Joseph
Renowned cricketer Sir Anderson Roberts, and noted medical practitioner Dr George Mansoor, are the latest residents to receive honorary doctorates from the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus.
The honours were conferred on Sunday afternoon during the university’s second ceremony since its opening, and the men became the second and third recipients of such an honour.
Dr Ruby Lake-Richards, one of the first 33 medical students to graduate UWI, and the first female, was the first to be celebrated in this way.
She was conferred an honorary Doctor of Science degree.
Sir Andy was bestowed an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree while Dr George A Mansoor was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) degree.
Sir Andy, a celebrated fast bowler, thanked the university for the award, noting that he was not only accepting it for himself, but for his family, friends and devoted fans who have supported him throughout the years.
He said that having seen the creation and destruction of the West Indies Federation, being selected as the first Antiguan and Barbudan to be a part of the team in 1974 gave him the responsibility of ensuring he was a member of “a unified body, minimising friction and representing the Caribbean in its true sense.”
“We saw ourselves as filling the breach that politicians couldn’t. We represented all Caribbean people and we did so proudly. We saw first-hand the pride that a dominant West Indies Cricket team gave to people in the Caribbean and the UK in particular,” Sir Andy recalled, reminiscing on the mantle he carried during the team’s 1975/76 tour of Australia and the team’s dominance then.
The cricketing legend also called on the present crop of players to “respect the legacy and sacrifices that have put them on this world stage.”
Regrettably, Observer media was unable to obtain commentary from Dr Mansoor.