Legal personalities from throughout the Caribbean were at St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral yesterday for the funeral service of colleague Professor Ralph Carnegie, professor emeritus of the University of the West Indies.

In a short tribute, principal of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Sir Hilary Beckles, described Carnegie as an outstanding scholar, effective institution builder, astute administrator, passionate mentor and role model, ethical and principal colleague .

Earliest UWI generations will remember the youthful scholar who intellectually empowered the Faculty of Law at Cave Hill . . . the university s strategic response to the pressing regional need for the legal training of practitioners and the nurturing of academics who were expected to participate in the judicial governance of societies . . . , Sir Hilary said.

Carnegie’s son Martin shared memories of a father, who though consumed by his academic career and continuous travel, still set aside time for the family he loved.

Caribbean Court of Justice President Michael De La Bastide, attorney-at-law Ezra Alleyne and many other former students who sat at Carnegie’s feet and who now occupy prominent legal positions in their respective countries,

as well as several other regional and local legal luminaries, listened with rapt attention to the riveting and insightful eulogy delivered by the newest judge of the Caribbean Court of the Appeal, Justice Winston Anderson.

In a eulogy laced with accolades, Anderson traced Carnegie’s distinguished career which saw him becoming a university professor at a young age, serving Oxford University with distinction, and earning the nicknamned ‘Black Pearl’ for his intellectual genius from his students at that university.

Describing Carnegie as a man generous in his service to the University of the West Indies , Anderson reflected on the late professor’s contribution in the area of law to the entire Caribbean.

He deemed his departed colleague one of the greatest legal brains to have been produced by the Caribbean.

Carnegie was laid to rest at Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens.

He leaves to mourn his widow Jenipher Carnegie and sons Martin and David.

Photo and text courtesy of the Barbados Nation.