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14th Legacy Awards Gala held in New York

Published:Sunday | February 13, 2011 | 12:00 AM
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Dr Michelle Johnson, associate cardiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, with her AFUWI 2011 Caribbean Luminary Award.
From left: Janet Rolle, chair of the gala committee of the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies, 2011 Bob Marley Awardee Suzanne dePasse, and recipient of the Vice-Chancellor's Award, Brenda Blackmon.
From left: Former mayor of New York David Dinkins greets Archibald Campbell, bursar/chief financial officer of the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies, during the 14th annual Legacy Awards Gala at New York's The Pierre Hotel on January 26.
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American entertainment industry mogul Suzanne de Passe, former president of Verizon Patrick Gaston, and NY9 News co-anchor Brenda Blackmon were among honourees celebrated at the 14th annual Legacy Awards Gala of the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI).

The gala, held annually in New York, took place this year at the Pierre Hotel, on Wednesday, January 26. The aim is to raise funds to support scholarship programmes at the UWI and is its premier fund-raising event in the United States. Formerly of Motown and a co-chair of de Passe Jones Entertainment, de Passe is credited with discovering Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five, Lionel Richie and The Commodores and numerous other multimillion-dollar selling artistes. She is the first female to receive the AFUWI Bob Marley Award, presented annually to individuals whose contribution to the advancement of arts and culture transcends boundaries of race, colour, creed and geography, uniting people world-wide in a spirit that embodies the essence of Marley's music and lyrics.

Gaston, now serving as a senior advisor to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, received the AFUWI special award in recognition of his outstanding professional accomplishments, as well as his years of dedicated service and commitment to AFUWI's mission. Blackmon, a four-time Emmy Award winner, and celebrated broadcaster, was one of three recipients of the Vice-Chancellor's Achievement Award.

Escoffrey lauded

Also honoured was acclaimed Jamaica-born artist and author, Michael Escoffrey who has over 160 solo exhibitions, participated in over 200 group shows world-wide and has had his work published in over 70 books in nine languages. The third awardee was Jeanine Liburd, executive vice-president, corporate communications and public affairs for BET Networks, who has had a distinguished career in communications, including previous senior positions at Viacom.

AFUWI also presented four Caribbean Luminary Awards to: Barbados-born Kaye Foster-Cheek, senior vice-president, global human resources for Onyx Pharmaceuticals; Jamaica-born Dr Michelle Johnson, associate cardiologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and mentor to scores of Caribbean medical students; the late Trinidadian Carlos 'Mr Carnival' Lezama, who presided over the West Indian American Day Carnival Association for 34 years and whose shared vision of carnival is now immortalised in the annual Brooklyn Labour Day Carnival; and Jamaica-born Ambassador Carlton Masters, president and chief executive officer of Goodworks International LLC. At Goodworks, he negotiates and coordinates all client engagements and provides strategic counsel to governments throughout Africa and the Caribbean. He also plays a lead role in partnering Fortune 500 companies with Caribbean and African nations.


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