Musgrave honourees collect awards

Curtis Campbell, Gleaner Writer

The Musgrave Medals award ceremony, hosted at the Institute of Jamaica, East Street, Kingston, recently was filled with the thrill of accomplishment and entertainment.

There was a musical display from Afro Roots, the East Street Junior Centre Drummers. After the singing of the National Anthem, it was time for presentation of the coveted awards.

The presentation of the Youth Musgrave medal was done by the Hon Ronald Thwaites, minister of education, to 14-year-old Richaydo Farquharson for his exploits as a young entrepreneur. Farquharson operates 14 bee colonies in Porus, Manchester.

"Sometimes it is stressful, but I just have to go with the flow," Farquharson told The Gleaner.

Professors Horace Fletcher and Edward Baugh were the gold-medal awardees, Fletcher for his work in the medical sciences and Baugh for his role in literature.

Also falling under the umbrella of literature, the Calabash International Literary Festival received a silver medal for its contribution to development in the field. Other silver medal awardees include Dr Pauline Christie for her work in linguistics and Herbert Morrison Technical High School Band for its contribution to the teaching and development of music.

Professor Bryan McFarlane received a silver medal for his work in art, along with Emanuel 'Rico' Rodriquez, who received his silver medal for music, and John Henry Thompson, who was awarded a silver medal for his work in science.

The bronze-medal awardees were Dr Ellen Campbell-Grizzle for her work in the field of science, Arlene Patricia Ononaiwu for library development, Ebony Patterson for the arts, Dr Donald Shirley for music, and the Poetry Society of Jamaica for its work in the field of literature.

The Musgrave Medals are named after former Governor of Jamaica Sir Anthony Musgrave. The works of the awardees must have some relevance to the West Indies, especially Jamaica.

Professor Fletcher did the closing remarks on behalf of the awardees, and said everyone is special in their own right, noting that he tried his hand at music and sports before finding out that medical science was his real calling.

There were performances by the Institute of Jamaica, Greater Portmore Junior Dancers and the Wareika Trombone Trio.