The Tribune

TWENTY TWO outstanding people who have contributed to the development of nation building in The Bahamas will be honoured at the Atlantis ballroom tomorrow evening at a gala celebration when they will receive the 2016 R E Cooper Sr National Meritorious Service Award.

The award, which was established in 1985 by The Mission Baptist Church, recognises and celebrates the national contributions of “Elevators of Humanity” - individuals who are national mentors, defending the downtrodden with passion and zeal with an open and compassionate spirit.

The award organisers said that although many of these individuals do all within their limited means and influence to encourage others to reach their personal and professional zeniths, their contributions and philanthropic exploits are seemingly devoid of gratitude, and often they are eclipsed by others who are less principled but more popular and more partisan, relegating them to archaic categories of unsung heroes and heroines.

It is a posthumous honour and tribute to the late founding pastor of The Mission Baptist Church, Dr R E Cooper Sr, who was a Bahamian hero, scholar, theologian and social reformer, one who loved his faith and country, serving faithfully and meritoriously for 40 years until his passing in 1980. Despite his numerous accomplishments his primary concern was to ensure the elevation of the ordinary man, whose talents were unexplored and who was often overlooked in his professional and vocational fields.

“Dr Cooper believed in education and he wanted to see our independent country, The Bahamas, educated,” a statement from the award organisers said. “He was instrumental in thousands of Bahamians being educated. Not just through his efforts in establishing the Prince William High School, but also in getting hundreds of Bahamians scholarships to go to colleges and universities in the United States. He was truly a trailblazer and pioneer.”

The 22 honourees - who all have similarities with the late Dr Cooper in that they are trailblazers and pioneers with love of their fellow man - come from all walks of life, including education, medicine, business, politics, entertainment, philanthropy, broadcasting, sports and policing. They are George Myers, Herbert Brown, Dr Xernona Clayton, Senator Gregory Burrows, Father George Clements, Alphonso Elliott, Dr Albert Ferguson, Percival “Vola” Francis, Eric “King” Gibson, Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade, Stephanie Hanna, Andrew Ingraham, Godfrey Kelly, Clinton McCartney, Steve McKinney, Dr Sidney McPhee, Fred Munnings Jr, Raphael Munnings, Elaine Williams-Pinder, Cynthia “Mother” Pratt, Basil L Sands and James Schaeffer IV.