The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune. 

It was in 2003, just shy of adulthood, that I had the great fortune of meeting the late Patricia Glinton-Meicholas. I was eighteen years old—an idealist tossed into the deep end—newly appointed to the Council of the then College of The Bahamas. I found myself seated among giants, including Sir Franklyn Wilson (as he now is) as Chair, alongside Dr. Earl Cash, the Reverend Angela Palacious, the late Audrey Ingraham-Roberts… and Patricia Glinton-Meicholas.

Even in that impressive company, Patti stood apart—not by volume or force, but by depth. Measured in speech, sharp in insight, and profoundly grounded in the Bahamian experience, she was a mind and a spirit not easily forgotten.

Patti—The Gaulin Woman—was no ordinary person. She was unapologetically Bahamian—fiercely proud of our culture, our land, and our people. She loved this country in its entirety: every rock, every tree, every whisper of bush medicine and memory. And through her writing—whether academic, poetic, or theatrical—she dedicated her life to the preservation of our story, our spirit, and the linguistic cords that bind us together. She chronicled The Bahamas not merely as it was but as it felt. She gave us back to ourselves, page after page.

In time, Patti would receive accolades. These honours were hard-fought—often delayed—but we are thankful that some recognition came. If there is any silver lining in that, it is this: each award stood as a testament not to popularity but to sheer skill and unflinching effort. Critical critique of culture rarely wins friends, but Patti’s work was never for applause. It was for truth, for posterity, for us.

And yet, beyond all of this, Patti was, quite simply, a decent human being.

A decent human being.

When I was preparing to leave for university, I received an envelope from her. Written on the front: “For your taxi fare from the airport.” That quiet act of kindness has never left me. Nor have her words upon my return: urging me to cling to the idealism of my youth—the belief that we Bahamians can do anything, be anything, and compete with the best anywhere in the world because we are the best in the world!

She believed that. Not sentimentally, but fully. She believed in us. And through that belief, she inspired so many, myself included, to believe in themselves.

Patricia Glinton-Meicholas was a national treasure. A cultural guardian. A moral compass. And a true friend.

May her name be etched not only in the annals of Bahamian literature but in the hearts of every generation she sought to lift. We are richer for her presence and poorer for her passing. But oh, what a gift it was to know her.

My heartfelt condolences go out to her husband, son, family and to all who knew and loved her.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon her.

May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Tavares K LaRoda

Former Student Representative (2004)

Council of The College of The Bahamas

New Providence

April 13, 2025.