Remembering a gem, Jeanne - ICWI legend laid to rest

Jeanne Robinson was one of Jamaica's most original personalities, and her death has left a huge hole in the hearts of many.

For just over 30 years, she was executive director of the ICWI Group Foundation where her education, international experience and self reliance served her in good stead.

There she brought her considerable talents and enormous energy to bear on science in early education through sports and drama, and everyday life through the 'Smile' programme jointly with the Miami Institute of Science, and many other initiatives driven by her creativity and resourcefulness.

Before joining ICWI, Robinson served as associate director of the Special Children's Individualised Learning Systems Foundation in Houston, Texas, and executive director of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf, among several other roles.

Throughout her life she was an active volunteer for the interests of the handicapped, and friends and family remembered her as a straightforward individual, given to unrecorded acts of generosity and with the ability to see problems in the light of farce rather than tragedy.

In remembering Robinson at her funeral recently, friends and family members said her passing has left a gap not only at the ICWI Group, but in the ranks of those she motivated, mentored and inspired.