UWI pays tribute to former Resident Tutor, Dr Beverley Steele

The University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus has expressed sadness at the passing of former Resident Tutor of the UWI Extra-Mural Department and School of Continuing Studies, Dr Beverley Steele, who died on Monday.

Steele served UWI in Grenada for 32 years from 1973 until she retired in 2005.

A release by UWI today stated that Steele contributed outstanding service to the institution and was significant in the procurement of funds from the Inter-American Foundation for the construction of the Marryshow Folk Theatre, which opened in 1982.

It states that the university’s outreach efforts in Grenada were greatly expanded with the establishment of the creative arts centre, fondly called Marryshow House, after former owner, the illustrious TA Marryshow.

The facility was a focal point not only for plays but also lectures, panel discussions, workshops and meetings.

According to the release, the book Breaking Down the Walls: An Evolution of the Extra-Mural Department, The University of the West Indies 1947-2000, noted that under Steele's tutelage, Marryshow House became 'a hive of productivity'.

As an educator and historian, Steele authored two books; Grenada: A History of Its People; and Grenada In War Time: The tragic loss of the Island Queen and other memories of World War II. Her book Grenada: A History of its People, is highly regarded by Grenadians both at home and in the Diaspora as it provides an avenue for ordinary Grenadians to easily read their history, while also being accepted by the academic community.

The release states that Steele maintains that the book was created with the ordinary Grenadians in mind, to give back to the people their history. Her great commitment to the creative arts in all their expressions, the release continued, is in part motivated by her conviction that “without them, we run the risk of producing graduates who are inflexible and citizens who lack social consciousness”.

The UWI said that Steele was deeply concerned with national and regional pride and did much to instil in Grenadians the importance of honouring and respecting their heroes who built the nation, the only way, she believes, any populace can achieve true maturity.

The release said Steelerevived the memory of Theophilus Albert Marryshow who at one time had apparently been forgotten. She also popularised “heroes” like Pansy Rowley, Betty Mascoll, Buzz Butler, and others in the Truly Discover Grenada Magazine (excerpts from citation written by Dr Francis O. Severin, 2010).

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