Senate mourns Prof Harold Ramkissoon

MEMBERS of the Senate paid tribute on November 26 to former independent senator Prof Harold Ramkissoon, who died on November 15.

Ramkissoon, 82, served in the Senate from June 18, 2010-August 1, 2013.

He was educated at Presentation College, San Fernando, UWI, the University of Toronto and the University of Calgary.

He later became a professor in applied mathematics at the UWI.

His biography on the Parliament's website said Ramkissoon made notable contributions to understanding micropolar and mico-continuum fluids and Marangoni instabilities and played a pivotal role in the advancement of science in the region.

The awards Ramkissoon achieved for his work in maths included the Chaconia Gold Medal, the Academic Gold Medal from Simon Bolivar University in Venezuela and the First Caricom Science Award.

Leader of Government Business, Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne said, "This is a son of the soil of who we must all be proud of."

He told senators Ramkissoon brought the discipline he learnt from his humble upbringing in South Trinidad and his academic career to the Senate.

Browne said Ramkissoon was not shy of speaking and contributed to discussions on matters of national importance, and the Parliament's record showed Ramkissoon contributed to debates on 26 bills and several motions during his time in the Senate.

He said Ramkissoon taught many people their origins or the circumstances of their upbringing were not hurdles to them achieving great things in their lives or contributing to national development.

Opposition Senator Wade Mark remembered Ramkissoon as an intellectual titan, saying Ramkissoon was the authority on mathematics locally and internationally.

Mark also recalled Ramkissoon was a mentor, teacher and friend to many people.

"He was an individual of high ethics, morals and integrity."

Mark said in his public life, Ramkissoon never lost his moral compass.

Independent Senator Hazel Thompson-Ahye said how a person lived is more important than how they died, and Ramkissoon's was "a life well lived."

Senate President Nigel de Freitas agreed with all of the tributes other senators paid to Ramkissoon.

He said Ramkissoon was a person who was committed to public service, lived an extraordinary life and left an enduring legacy.