IN honour of Hugh Lawson Shearer’s 80th birthday, a group of family and friends on Monday launched a foundation that will facilitate research and provide scholarships for students attending the University of the West Indies (UWI).

Shearer, former prime minister and president of the Bustamante Industrial trade Union (BITU), was honoured during a moving ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel Kingston, which was attended by scores of trade unionists, relatives and close friends who spoke of him in glowing terms.

Shearer, who is confined to bed, gave 60 years of public contribution to Jamaica, particularly in the fields of politics and trade unionism.

Bank of Nova Scotia managing director, William “Bill” Clarke, started the foundation with a $6.5 million donation. Clarke also pledged his bank’s commitment to stage a dress-down day on the Friday closest to Shearer’s next birthday. The bank, he said, will double the proceeds of this event and donate the funds to the Martha Brae Basic School.

The money, which will be spread over a three year period, will be managed by a nine-man committee chaired by Shearer’s wife, Dr Denise Eldemire-Shearer.

The objectives of the foundation are:

* to encourage, promote and propagate the trade unionist and political principles, philosophies and thoughts of Hugh Shearer;

* to support the development of trade unions through the support of educational and research activities;

* to support the work of the trade union movement in Jamaica;

* to relieve poverty, suffering and distress among senior citizens;

* to offer scholarships, tenable at UWI, in the fields of trade union research education, basic school education and caregivers education to look primarily at senior citizens and the work of caregivers, and

* to educate the people of Martha Brae in the parish of Trelawny.

“Hugh never forgot Martha Brae, where he was born, and so he would like the foundation to focus on basic school education at Martha Brae so we want to carry that theme forward,” his wife explained.

“We (also) want to continue his work in the trade union field, in terms of his roles of negotiation and discussion, his ability to discuss rather than to confront,” added Eldemire-Shearer, who explained that it took three years of planning to get the foundation launched.

Meanwhile, UWI vice-chancellor, Professor Rex Nettleford, glowingly praised Shearer and fed the audience anecdotes about him, hailing him as an essential trade unionist — but not a politician.

Said Nettleford:”Shearer remained a living testimony (to the fact) that the vast majority of us came from the sugar cane plantation. He understood that very well and later the union was to achieve fundamental things for the worker.”

Adding that he brought good values to his work, Nettleford compared Shearer with the late former prime minister and union leader Michael Manley, saying they were both democrats.

“But they were very important in sending a particular message to Jamaica that we can get together (as one) no matter what our differences and I hope the foundation can do just that,” he said.

The BNS’ Clarke, said Shearer — whom he described as frank and outspoken — still possessed a repository of knowledge. He expressed the wish that his life and work be documented through the foundation’s research.

Veteran journalist Hartley Neita told the Observer that a book on Shearer that he is currently writing will be published in August.

Both Prime Minister P J Patterson and Opposition leader Edward Seaga could not attend. Their messages were, however, read by Shearer’s sons Lance and Howard respectively.

Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) vice-president, Pearnel Charles, said it was a great way to honor a trade union leader so that students will follow the tremendous Shearer character and benefit from it.

Senior BITU vice-president, Ruddy Spencer, contended that the foundation was the least that could be done to ensure that his (Shearers) memory lives on.