Dear Editor,

Jamaica Theological Seminary (JTS) offers its most sincere condolence to the family of the late Dr Alfred Maxwell Watt Sangster and takes this opportunity to express gratitude to God and pay tribute to Dr Sangster for all the work he did in helping JTS pursue its vision and mission.

Dr Sangster’s contribution to the JTS community spanned over three decades. He was welcomed as the speaker at JTS’s 1972 graduation and again two decades later at the 1992 graduation, which was held jointly with Caribbean Graduate School of Theology (CGST).

He made countless other trips to the campus at 14-16 West Avenue, attending meetings of the board of governors, which he joined in 1972, and on which he served faithfully and with enviable distinction until 2005. For a few years JTS and CGST shared a president, and Dr Sangster also served on the Joint Finance and Administration Committee. Those who worked on the JTS board and committees with him were aware that he served on several other boards and committees, quite a few with national prominence, and came to have a sharpened appreciation of why so many looked to him for leadership and other kinds of involvement.

We pay tribute to Dr Sangster for his vision-driven contribution to the deliberations and decisions of the board. He famously often repeated that great ideas need landing gear as well as wings, but this never deterred him from bold and imaginative thinking. He was a pioneer of sorts, ever exploring new horizons, unafraid of giant thoughts, with a self-belief and grounded optimism that lifted him beyond that which afflicts so many others entrusted with leadership — the crippling of the fear of failure — to creative and innovative pursuits.

We pay tribute to Dr Sangster for his listening skills. His meticulous note-taking was clearly one of his ways of processing what others were saying, and that active, analytical processing was reflected in his reliably and rigorously thoughtful and thorough solution-oriented contributions.

We pay tribute to Dr Sangster for his wit and sense of humour — whether accompanied by his sometimes explosive body-shaking laughter or his sneaky chuckle. His anecdote-enabled points were often quite thought-provoking. For example, we can still hear him saying, “The best kind of management is management by walking about,” or “Don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty.”

We pay tribute to his fervently followed insistence that JTS must be student-centred. He was clearly convinced that any college that wanted to be successful must have this approach at the core of it modus operandi.

We pay tribute to Dr Sangster the man — the Christ-follower. A man of integrity and sound character, committed to moral clarity as a decision-making guide. A man of humility, who seemed to take delight in literally serving tables and collecting the used plates afterwards; a man for whom there seemed no task too menial to be undertaken; a man with service in his bloodstream.

We celebrate the fact that his accomplishments as a distinguished scientist and administrator did not ‘get to his head’. His unstoppable self-confidence was twinned with servant humility. His strength and assertiveness were wrapped in a gracious, wise, understated, empathetic demeanour. His down-to-earth manner, generosity of spirit, and patience were the drivers and accompaniments for his frequent outreach to others in the community as counsellor, advisor, and peacemaker.

Walk good Alfred — friend, brother, fellow labourer. The JTS community gives thanks to God who shared you and your purpose-driven life with us.

“Well done good and faithful servant… come and share your Lord’s pleasure.” (Matthew 25: 23 — New International Version)

Linroy Marshall

Board chairman, Jamaica Theological Seminary

linroyjmarshall@hotmail.com