Dr. Leonard Shorey remembered

Hundreds gathered at the Chapel of Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens yesterday to pay their last respects to the late educator, Dr. Leonard Shorey.

 

Dr. Shorey, who passed away at age 91 on April 4, was the former head of the Extra-Mural Department of the University of the West Indies, which later transitioned to the Open Campus.

 

The service, which was officiated by Reverend Dr. Marcus Lashley, was brief and honoured the requests of the late Dr. Shorey, who one year ago outlined all of his funeral arrangements.

 

Among the officials in attendance at the afternoon service were Pro-Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Andrew Downes; Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Senator Harcourt Husbands; Veteran Economist, Sir Frank Alleyne; Veteran Journalist, Tony Cave; and Principal of the Christ Church Foundation School, Robert Cumberbatch.

 

Delivering reflections on her father’s life on behalf of the family, Brenda Pope described her dad as a “Barbadian gem” and a “diamond dad”. Pope told the gathering about some of the many ways her father shone in his public, professional and personal life. Included in the areas she highlighted was how he shone as an individual, an educator and as a father.

 

As an educator, she said the husband and father of four daughters contributed heavily to the educational life of the Caribbean and he had a “wonderful sense of language”. She stated that the family was proud of his work.

 

“Although particularly well-known for his work in adult education, we are especially proud of his work at all levels of the education system including the regional primary educational project, being a founding member of PAREDOS and for his ongoing service on the boards of numerous educational organisations. This service was a strong influence on all of our own community-mindedness.”

 

Meanwhile as a dad, she stated he challenged his children “to see things differently and to approach anything we did positively and with an 

analytical mind”.  

 

Pope additionally told the gathering that Dr. Shorey loved his country and he “was first and foremost a citizen of Barbados”. He took pride in his homeland and did his part to make it the best it could be. 

 

She additionally said he was not afraid to voice his opinion amongst friends, colleagues or the wider public, whether it was a popular or unpopular view. Some of these views were shared by the Harrison College alumnus in his weekly column in The Barbados Advocate, which he wrote for a “near two decades”.

 

The late Dr. Shorey, who was known for his signature trademark of the “Shorey bow ties”, which were made by his wife, Pope said he was a gadget and science fiction fanatic, a lover of Days of Our Lives and was also well known for his “Leonard Sunshine Marmalade”. (MG)