Reginald Dumas dies

RETIRED diplomat, head of the public service and Newsday columnist Reginald Dumas has died.

Dumas, 88, passed away on the night of March 7 at the Scarborough General Hospital, Tobago, days after major surgery for a gastro-intestinal condition.

Last week, his daughter, Sonja Dumas, made a public appeal on social media for blood for her father, who was warded in a weakened condition in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

In an interview with Newsday on March 5, Sonja said her father had got the blood he needed.

She thanked the donors and others for their assistance.

In a post on her Facebook page on March 7, Sonja said, “My father transitioned tonight. he fought an extended challenge of gastrointestinal failure over the past few weeks at the Scarborough General Hospital. We thank the various medical, surgical and anaesthesia teams for their herculean efforts to bring him back to health.

“We thank, too, all the friends, allies, family members and strangers who donated blood and helped in various ways as advocates for his recovery.”

Sonja said her father leaves behind a legacy of integrity and honesty “that I hope to follow as long as I am on this planet and perhaps beyond. He is my ancestor now, looking down on me, guiding me.”

She added, “For many, he was a great diplomat, a great orator and great political analyst. He fought tirelessly for good governance. His generosity touched countless people, as did his wit (which was often acerbic).”

But Sonja said her father had his flaws.

“He was not in any way perfect. He was more stubborn than ten mules put together and could dismiss you with a short tart phrase when he’d had enough of what he thought was nonsense.

“But his heart was huge and his mind brilliant.”