The following is the edited remembrance of Ambassador Don Mills delivered by Ambassador Dr Richard L Bernal at his funeral service on April 23, 2015 at the UWI Mona Chapel, Mona:

AMBASSADOR Donald Mills is regarded by many including myself as Jamaica’s greatest diplomat. He was economist and diplomat but much more. His interests, ideals, life, and achievements are multi-dimensional.

As a patriot, his life was devoted to the economic development and social upliftment of mankind, starting with Jamaicans but encompassing the people of the Caribbean, the Commonwealth and the developing countries. His approach extended beyond the economic, placing value on culture and the arts as integral aspects of development. Every aspect of Jamaican life was of interest and concern to him. Everything he did was motivated to the goal of Jamaica’s development and he served in the numerous arenas of government in Jamaica including the Privy Council, the Judicial Services Commission and Chairman of the Natural Resources Conservation Authority.

As a Pioneer Nationalist, he joined the Jamaican civil service at the beginning of World War II, serving mainly in the Colonial Treasury, later as Deputy Director of the Department of Statistics, and subsequently was Director of the Central Planning Unit (1962-1968), the forerunner of today’s National Planning Agency. He was a champion of the generation of pioneering nationalists that took Jamaica from colonialism to Independence through the agony of the failed West Indies Federation. They replaced the colonial civil servants, they created new institutions and they achieved many first for Jamaica. Don was very engaged with people like G Arthur Brown, Ashton Wright, Percy Beckwith, Chappie March, Frank Bernal, Ronald Irvine, AET Henry, and many others fired by a sense of purpose, a nation-building mission. Much of what is good today and taken for granted is based on the foundations laid by this generation.

As a Regionalist, he was an ardent believer in the West Indies Federation and appreciated the advantages of the Commonwealth. He was Chairman of the Commonwealth Foundation; registrar of the University of the West Indies at Mona and member of the Mona Campus Council of the UWI…His concept of regional was not spatial, but in the sense that the countries shared an experience, circumstances and commonality of interests.

As an Internationalist, Don understood that the destiny of a small developing country like Jamaica is affected by external events to a greater degree than in larger or more developed countries. He knew that small states had to help shape the international economic and political environment in which they have to survive and thrive. He was convinced that collaboration regional and international levels was critical to this mission. He was a highly successful activist in the international arena in the G-77, The Non-Aligned Movement and in the United Nations.

As a Diplomat, while serving as Jamaica’s ambassador to the United Nations, his intellectual brilliance, command of international economic issues and his advocacy was held in such high regard that he was elected as chairman, spokesman and chief negotiator of the Group of 77 during the period 1977 to 1978. He was one of the leaders of the struggle for the new international economic order. Other important achievements include Chairman of the UN Security Council and President of the Economic and Social Council. He was also vice president of the Society for International Development and a vice chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the UN Conference on Environment and Development.

The high diplomatic posts he occupied did not result from a careful calibrated campaign of strategy and tactics but as a result of the respect of his colleagues in the UN system. That included his election to chair the G-77.

As Scholar/Author/Pedagogue, Dons’ publications and speeches are too numerous to mention. But many of his ideas were captured in The New Europe, The New World Order, Jamaica and the Caribbean, the Grace Kennedy Lecture 1991 and his autobiographical memoir Journeys and Missions. At Home and Away, which, to date, is the only memoir of a Jamaican diplomat and hopefully will encourage others to write. In addition, he has left a treasure trove of speeches which deserve to be in the National Archives.

He had a phenomenal memory and a mastery of detail which he would share in an anecdotal style of pedagogue supported by detailed material. He had a file of notes, papers and newspaper clippings on every topic that he was involved with…He had the rare ability to synthesize enormous amounts of information while retaining the capacity to surgical cut to the gravamen of complex issues and convince others, including opponents with his eloquence and clarity of exposition.

As a Culturalist/Musicologist, Don listened to all forms of music and was an avid pianist who admired the playing of the Jamaican pianist Don Shirley. No matter where he was posted in the world, he took his piano with him much to the consternation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His love of music led him to collect a fascinating array of musical instruments from all over the world. At any indication of curiosity about his musical instruments he was fond of demonstrating how they were played.

His interest in culture was not confined to music. He was widely read from Dylan Thomas to Louise Bennett. He had fine paintings including by Albert Huie and curios and carvings from all over the world. He contributed to the arts as chairman of the Board of Management of the School of Music; member of the JAMI Awards Trust, Council member of the Institute of Jamaica, and the Board of Directors of the Art Foundation.

As a Civil Servant, among his many awards is the Order of Jamaica (1979), a doctorate from UWI and the Norman Washington Manley Award for Excellence for outstanding service in international relations and diplomacy. But his treasured prize was that of civil servant – servant of the people. When he joined the Jamaican civil service in the late 1940s, it was the most sought after vocation. His age cohort was among the brightest and the best.

Don was not driven by ambition or materialism. His career was a response to the call to serve. The motto of Jamaica College where he received his secondary education epitomizes this. Fervet opus in campis: There is work to be done in the fields. He worked and the work recommended him. He did not chart a career. For example, as he explained, his entry to the international arena was because he “was put into orbit” by ‘a minister of finance who could see the wisdom of no other opinion than his own’.

By way of illustration, he regarded his three missions to Africa as part of the Government of Jamaica’s response to the demands of the Rastafarians as among his most important assignments. His contribution prompted Premier Norman Manley to write a letter to him stating: “…You have been of the greatest possible assistance to me.”

As Family man, he married twice and had four children and grand-children of whom he spoke with love and pride. His activities with the family were varied including camping trips with Ward and Denise in Europe. He was close to his brother the late Professor Gladstone Mills, the urbane pedagogue who championed the West Indies and UWI. He extended the ambit of “family” to include some of his closest friends to whom he was loyal and generous.

He had a ready and unique smile that could appear even in the midst of the most serious discourse. He had a great sense of humour and those who knew still recall and retell many of his jokes and witticisms: one memorable one being: “Because you are paranoid doesn’t mean you are not being followed.”

At the height of his international career he chose to return to Jamaica, his first love. He was a great Jamaican because of his achievements, the principles he subscribed to, the causes for which he fought and his accomplishments. Above all he was a good and decent man who loved his family and country to whom he devoted his life.