Kenneth Randolph Vincent John (17 April 1938 – 3 July 2021) was a
Vincentian lawyer and newspaper
columnist. His column "This Week" appeared in national weekly ''The Vincentian'' over a period of thirty-nine years.
Biography
Kenneth Randolph Vincent John was born on 17 April 1938 in Rose Place. He received a
B.Sc.
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
in Government from the
University of the West Indies in
Mona, Jamaica
Mona is a neighbourhood in southeastern Saint Andrew Parish, approximately eight kilometres from Kingston, Jamaica. A former sugarcane plantation, it is the site of a reservoir serving the city of Kingston and the main campus of the Universi ...
, and a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in Government from the
University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univ ...
. He also trained as a
barrister.
From 1964 to 1967, he served as the first Resident Tutor for the University of the West Indies Department of Extra–Mural Studies
(predecessor of the modern-day
UWI Open Campus) in St Vincent and the Grenadines. During his time as Resident Tutor, he oversaw the introduction of
'O' Level examinations in rural areas of the country, and organised public lectures on regional and foreign affairs. He also founded the literary and political magazine ''
Flambeau''.
John, Parnel Campbell, Eddie Griffith, Kerwin Morris and John Cato founded the Education Forum of the People (EFP) in 1969. This organisation became the
Democratic Freedom Movement party in 1974, with John as its leader. The new party participated in
that year's elections, unsuccessfully contesting two seats.
[ Nohlen, D (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', pp601 ] He later served as Chairman of the Public Services Commission. In December 1982, John began writing a column called "This Week" for ''The Vincentian''.
He wrote through 2019, and the paper continued with reprints of older columns.
John died on 3 July 2021.
The National Archives and Documentation Centre featured John's writings and issues of ''Flambeau'' in its July monthly exhibition.
Partial bibliography
* "Political Crisis in St. Vincent" (1967) ''New World'' III (3).
* "Joshua, Ebenezer" (2006) ''Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History'' 3: 1202–1203.
As editor
* ''Search for Identity: Essays on St. Vincent and the Grenadines'' (2006)
* ''Quest for Caribbean Unity: Beyond Colonialism'' (2006)
* ''Home Sweet Home: Musings on Hairoun'' (2007)
References
External links
"This Week: Dr. Kenneth John"- latest columns in ''The Vincentian''
{{DEFAULTSORT:John, Kenneth
1938 births
2021 deaths
Columnists
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines politicians
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines writers
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lawyers