Gregory Roberts | Prof Lalor was a giant of a man

The recent passing of Professor Gerald ‘Bunny’ Lalor forced to my mind a belated acknowledgement of the immense contribution of this giant of a man to my life, Jamaica, and the Caribbean. The years have given me the confidence to express my deepest appreciation for this man.

My career as a student at the university of the West Indies allowed me to interact with three principals Prof Robinson, with whom the extent of our commonality was that we were both from St. Mary; Professor Lalor, with whom I served on several university and campus committees; and Prof Hall, whose interview for the position was among the last duties I performed as then president of the Guild of Undergraduates. Given the fact that I spent three years being an antagonist of Professor Lalor’s, I feel as qualified as any to share some insights into the man.

Professor Lalor was an astute negotiator and approached his duties leading the administration and management of the Mona Campus, tackling the daily grind of the institution while preparing the university for the challenges of the future. As a member of the Finance and General Purpose Committee of the campus during the turbulent period of the early 1990s, meetings started and ended with the gloomiest of pictures of the high and expensive overdraft that the university ran up with its bankers. The fact that Professor Lalor would paint these pictures and still crack jokes had me wondering if this was a crazy scientist at play. In time I realised that he was focused on the big picture and had a view of the future and the capacity of the institution and the country to weather these storms.

Among the first tasks I had as treasurer of the guild in my first year as a student of economics was to lead the negotiations on hall fees. Student representatives, we strode into the room clothed with notions of radicalism and righteous indignation to do battle against the principal and his bursar. One deputy hall chairman carried a hockey stick and one visually impaired student representative was among the most strident in his articulation of the position of the students. The student side was adamant that given the conditions of the halls, there was no basis for the university to increase fees. The principal and his bursar could only point to the cold financial reality of an institution on the brink of bankruptcy. The first meeting was stone cold as the student team refused to drink even the proffered juices. The first meeting ended without either side shifting.

HONEST RESPONSE

The second meeting was by no means warmer. Careful analysis of the bursar’s figures showed that there were a number of miscalculations. We approached the meeting holding the lofty position afforded by proven intellectual prowess and moral uprightness. We were right. The university was ‘wikid and tief’. The opening statement by the principal was met with derision as he contradicted an earlier position. This was pounced upon and quickly pointed out by the aforementioned deputy hall chairman from Chancellor Hall. As everyone waited to see what would be Professor Lalor’s reaction, he simply, with the most innocent of looks and an innocuous smile, said, “ I lied”. This admission of moral fallibility left us divided in our reaction. While some were willing to go on the attack, it no longer made sense to do so. We were effectively disarmed by his statement - that was, in fact, honest.

My own impression from that meeting was that this was a man with whom students could do business as he was unlikely to lie again, knowing that we had every reason never to trust him. The eventual outcome of the rest of meetings included a lower increase in hall fees than the university was seeking, and for the first time, zero increase in off-campus fees - monies paid by non-resident students even though so few of them even got the chance to use the facilities of the halls of residence. In the race of types of taxations without representation, off-campus hall fees took the cake.

From a student-welfare perspective, Professor Lalor was instrumental in the emergence of the bus system for students, arguably one of the most monumental services available to students. When I first broached the concept of a bus system for university students, Professor Lalor took the opportunity to remind members of the Finance and General Purpose Committee that this issue was perhaps the most vexing one for students. He cited a study that had predicted that an enrolment of 9,000 students was a tipping point at which the transport infrastructure would be unable to facilitate students getting on to campus. He eked outfrom the Finance and General Purpose Committee the commitment that they would support the proposal of a bus system as long as it was self -sufficient and did not require support from the budget of the institution.

BIRTH OF UWI BUS SYSTEM

I met with the bursar, Prof Don Robotham, and Prof Rex Nettleford, whose support I felt would be critical. Professor Robotham looked at my feeble proposal and warned me that no public-transport system in the world could be self-financing. It was clear that my presentation was unconvincing and my figures lacked credibility. Professor Lalor silenced the doubting Thomases and had the committee give the bus system its blessing. And so the 1995-96 academic year saw the birth of the University of the West Indies’ bus system – by students, for students. There has never been any doubt in my mind that he saw that the financial viability of the project I presented would never stand up to scrutiny. But his support was unwavering. Seven months later, no longer having the burden of student representation on me, he asked that I document my experience of setting up the bus system and have it published in The Gleaner. I wanted nothing more than to be free of the emotional trauma and did not write a single sentence on the subject.

From his pioneering research as a young scientist studying the logwood dyes, to setting up the region’s first Centre for Nuclear Sciences, to bringing the Internet to Jamaica, Professor Lalor was visionary. In 1994, very few could perceive the extent to which access to information would change the world. Professor Lalor saw this with unparalleled acuity and openly said that the university had to lead the charge into this new era. It may take a generation of historians to aid the unravelling of the contribution of Professor Gerald ‘Bunny’ Lalor to Jamaica and the Caribbean.

Gregory Roberts, PhD, is a UK-based foodpreneur and consultant. Send feedback to g3210ster@gmail.com.