A retired history professor at The University of The West Indies Cave Hill campus has gifted his former department $100 000, said to be the single largest donation to the department since its establishment over 50 years ago.
Professor John Mayo, and his wife, Mary, made the donation to the Campus, saying it was a delight for them to give this gift.
In a brief virtual ceremony held on Thursday, which brought together senior campus officials and the couple who reside in Australia with a 13-and-a-half-hour time difference, Campus Principal Professor Clive Landis said the gesture of the couple was “humbling”.
“The word humble is so overused; it has almost lost its meaning in today’s culture. But when we were made aware of this gesture, I think we all felt humbled. This was really an extraordinarily generous donation and my job is simple, but at the same time, it’s hard. Because how do you thank someone for a donation of such a magnitude?” Landis said.
“In our academy, we have a tradition of acclamation and so it is my simple job, on behalf of the Cave Hill campus community, to thank John and Mary most sincerely for their donation.”
Head of the Department of History and Philosophy Dr Henderson Carter also expressed his thanks to the couple and gave the assurance that the donation would serve to assist student development both at the undergraduate and graduate level, while popularising the discipline and financing the department’s publications.
“I want to thank you, John, for your character and your example of humility. You spent almost 30 good years in our department and now you are giving back in a tangible way, and we are indeed happy for that donation. I want to say that that donation will help our students in the many endeavours that they will pursue,” Dr Carter shared.
The event was chaired by Professor of History Alan Cobley, who not only shared fond memories of working with Mayo but also joined in thanking him and his wife for their generosity.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank them again on behalf of everyone here for this wonderfully generous donation and to wish them every blessing as they continue this latest chapter in their lives,” said Cobley, former Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education in which the history department is located.
Professor Mayo is an Australian-born educator who joined the Department of History at Cave Hill as a lecturer in October 1977 to teach Latin American History.
He was promoted to senior lecturer in 1993 and became a professor in 2003. He is widely remembered for teaching courses on Latin American and US History to generations of UWI students at Cave Hill until his retirement in 2005.
He has since returned to Australia where he resides with his wife. (PR)
