His Excellency, Sir Colville Norbert Young

His Excellency, Sir Colville Norbert Young, G.C.M.G., M.B.E., D. Phil. was born in Belize City on November 20, 1932; His Excellency became the Governor-General of Belize in 1993. Prior to this position, he served his country as an academic, author, teacher, musician, playwright, and noted linguist. Sir Colville came to us through a musical family and has continued to keep the musical and cultural traditions of Belize alive. He is one of Belize's most acclaimed creative writers. His published works include the popular collection of folk wisdom and Kriol, Creole Proverbs of Belize; two volumes of verse; and Pataki Full, a collection of his short stories published by Cubola Productions. His collection of poetry, From One Caribbean Corner, was published in 1983 and is now out of print.

Sir Colville's musical contributions include the cantata "Ode to Independence" and "Missa Caribeña." He is a steel pan player and the founder and former conductor/arranger of the University College of Belize Steel Band (now the Pantempters Steel Band). He collects and arranges Belizean folks-songs. Apart from pioneering the Kriol language and his musical work, he is a noted educator who taught for many years and served as President of the former University College of Belize. Sir Colville represents the Head of State of Belize, the Queen of England. He was appointed Governor-General of Belize on November 17, 1993, and knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on her royal visit to Belize in 1994.

Biographical information attained from the Belize Poets Society and A Cultural Legacy.

Evan X Hyde

Evan Anthony Hyde was born on April 30, 1947, in Belize City, Belize. He obtained his primary school education at Holy Redeemer School, before moving on to St. John's College High School in Belize City. Hyde was among the first students to attend St. John's College Junior College from 1964-1965, after which he was granted a scholarship to study at Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire from where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English in 1968. Particularly excelling at creative writing he initially settled on a writing career, but as events unfolded in his life this was somewhat altered. While undertaking a teaching position at the Belize Technical College, Hyde's exposure to the teachings of the Black Power movement in the United States caused him to link up with other young intellectuals to try to influence the course of Belize's development. Forming the United Black Association for Development (UBAD) in 1969 which became a political party, he was a candidate in coalition with the National Independence Party in 1971 City Council elections. Having lost that bid, he was also not successful when he contested general elections in the Collet Division in 1974, and again in City Council elections in 1977 with the People's United Party. He also taught for a while at Wesley College, a high school in Belize City. After UBAD's dissolution in 1974, Hyde turned to journalism full-time, devoting his efforts to the Amandala, a weekly newspaper that he founded in August 1969. Growing with media technology, in 1989 he and his family created KREM Radio and later KREM Television. Today Hyde is chair of the UBAD Educational Foundation, owner of the Library of African and Indian Studies, and majority shareholder in the Kremandala media empire.

Lawrence Vernon

Mr. Lawrence Vernon, born on May 19, 1937, was educated at Ebenezer Primary School and Wesley College.  He became employed with the Public Library Service in 1956, rising through the posts of Junior Assistant Librarian and Assistant Librarian.  He obtained the degree of Associate of the (British) Library Association in 1963, and was appointed Chief Librarian in 1978 until his retirement in 1992.

In February of 1992 Lawrence was offered the post of Associated Librarian at the University College of Belize.  While there he went on to hold the post of Library Director from 1993 to 1996, and Associate Librarian from 1996 to 2003.  In 2003 he resigned to take up the present position of Principal Librarian at the Belize National Library Service.

Apart from being a career librarian, his interests include writing short stories, some of which have been published.  His research interests are on the history of Belize's political parties (published in "Readings in Belizean History", 1987), and on the ethnic groups of Belize (published as "Cultural Groups of Belize", 2006).

He has been voluntarily involved in key positions with the Council of Voluntary Social Services, Excelsior High School, and the Belize Library Association.

Mr. Vernon is married with three children.

Ion Cacho

Ion Cacho affectionately known as BuTcH or M.O.B. was born on June 12th, 1973 and is the fifth child of Mr. Ivor Cacho, Sr. and the late Mrs. Almira Cacho (deceased 1994) who were both teachers at the Holy Redeemer Primary School.  Ion attended Holy Redeemer Primary School with his other siblings and was a part of the school's active clubs which included the cub scouts, scouts and alter boys.  Upon graduating from primary school he was accepted to St. John's College and completed with his Diploma in Business in 1991.  He then pushed on to St. John's Junior College where he was a member of the student government (Asst. Program Organizer) and where he later received his Associate's Degree in Business Studies. 

    

A few days prior to his graduating from SJCJC his mom died which forced him to start to seek gainful employment.  His first job came as a Library Assistant at the National Library Service of Belize where he was placed to work in the National Collection Department.  This was just the right experience that was needed as he quickly developed an interest in research.  He later enrolled at the University College of Belize part-time where he successfully completed two and a half years in Business Administration but due to mounting pressures at home and lack of funding he dropped out.  Never dissuaded a few years later (2001) he took a course at the University of the West Indies in Counseling (Intro.) and has recently been enrolled in the first class for the Advanced Counseling course which started this year, 2009.

     

As an employee of the Library Service Ion became a member of the Public Service Union and one of the liaison officers in the library services throughout the country. He took part in many of the workshops, protests, and demonstrations for the right of workers.  He has served two terms as Counselor on the PSU Executive body and is presently a nominee of the PSU to the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) where he is presently serving his second term as an elected Trustee to the Executive of the NTUCB.  Ion is the NTUCB representative to the National Coordinating Committee of the CARICOM-CIDA Trade and Competitiveness Project, alternate on the NHI board and alternate to the newly formed housing committee Central Division and a Justice of the Peace.

     

Ion is presently employed at the University of the West Indies, Open Campus, in Belize where he is a Library Assistant.  He is the proud father of one child, Malia Rhianna Cacho. Ion enjoys, collecting postcards, reading, traveling, music, research, poetry or spending time with friends where he grew up (Zacaranda).

Joseph O. Palacio

Dr. Joseph O. Palacio, an anthropologist by profession, Dr. Joseph Palacio was born in the village of Barranco in southern Belize. As a child, he lived in Maya, Creole and Garifuna villages with his father and brother who were both teachers. This was his first introduction to living among different sets of people, which later proved helpful as he delved deeper into anthropology. After completing junior college, Dr. Palacio worked in the government service in the Co-operative and Forestry departments. He received his academic training in Canada gaining a first degree in Philosophy and Sociology at the University of Toronto. He completed his Master's degree in Anthropology with specialization in Archaeology at the University of Manitoba. He returned to Belize and took up a position with the Department of Archaeology, before going to the University of California at Berkeley to do his doctorate in Social Anthropology. Returning to Belize once more, Dr. Palacio took up an appointment as Resident Tutor of the University of the West Indies School of Continuing Studies (UWISCS) in 1982. In this position he generated an active program of study in community development aimed at persons who normally would not enter a university. He also promoted research on refugees, migration, indigenous peoples and history, all the while maintaining a strong current of Garifuna studies. Becoming involved in the process of promoting and affirming the indigenous heritage of the Caribbean, Dr. Palacio participated in the formation of the Caribbean Organization of Indigenous Peoples (COIP) in the late 1980s. After many years at the UWISCS, Dr. Palacio retired, and went on to become involved in such research topics as the Maroons of Jamaica and their similarities with the Garifuna; and the use by the Garifuna of marine resources.