January 4, 2026 marked the fifth anniversary of the passing of Gordon “Butch” Stewart, Jamaica’s ebullient, generous, and patriotic businessman. This month, in his honour, the Jamaica Observer publishes a series of articles recalling actions of “The Chairman” that inspired the nation:

IN more than 100 years, no great disease had struck mankind with the level of ferocity than the novel coronavirus did.

Leaving a confirmed seven million dead, COVID-19 ploughed through humanity as if it were the coming apocalypse in popular fables.

Few countries, if any, had been left unscathed by COVID-19, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. The disease, as if to send a signal, took its most terrible toll with a confirmed 1.2 million deaths on the richest, most powerful nation — the United States.

Latin America and the Caribbean, per capita, experienced the greatest losses, suffering both large learning blows and significant mortality shocks, according to the World Bank. Jamaica buried 3,700 people of the 156,865 afflicted locally by COVID-19, which destroyed jobs, widened inequalities, and deepened poverty as a result of forced, nationwide lockdowns.

As he had always done when Jamaica was hit by crisis, Gordon “Butch” Stewart, the phenomenally successful businessman and patriot — known especially for founding the Caribbean’s leading hotel chain, Sandals and Beaches resorts — asked himself how he could help the hurting masses.

“I looked for areas where the Government was trying hard but struggling to reach the people who needed the greatest assistance, especially those in remote parts of the country. It struck me that the quickest possible way was through the networks established by individual Members of Parliament (MPs),” Stewart told a journalist.

He decided to offer $31.5 million to be shared up equally among the 63 MPs — $500,000 each — charging them to prepare care packages of critical basic need items for their most vulnerable constituents.

While the cash-strapped MPs to whom the needy Jamaicans were turning gave thanks for the care packages, the idea did not go over well in some quarters. Critics, including the Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal, argued that using politicians as the “vehicle of philanthropy” was inappropriate and could be used for political gain.

A similar criticism was made by a then-prominent Gleaner columnist.

The Integrity Commission cautioned MPs against accepting such private cash donations for distribution, suggesting that while Stewart’s spirit was “good and generous”, the method risked compromising political integrity.

Some community members expressed concern that aid funnelled through political channels might not reach those in the most remote areas who truly needed it, fearing it would only be distributed to political supporters.

From his vantage point, Stewart saw the overwhelming expressions of gratitude by the suffering people — including senior citizens who noted, in some cases, that restricted mobility and hilly terrain had made it nearly impossible to have essential groceries delivered to them — as clear evidence that the gesture made sense.

“Moreover, I could not see how any politician could make any important gain from this gesture when all 63 MPs from both political parties were involved and received the same amount of money. I have not heard any complaints to this effect from any community, which suggests that it has worked beautifully,” he said.

Many Jamaicans who were not in need of assistance but liked what they saw, and large numbers on social media, expressed pride, describing Butch Stewart’s actions as an example other large hotel owners should follow to “be their brother’s keeper”.

Stewart was highly encouraged by a letter to the editor written by Glenville Morris of St Elizabeth who wrote: “I don’t know why your columnist, Mr Christopher Burns, in his
Sunday Observer article titled ‘Bigger than ‘Brogad’ alone’, felt the need to apologise for congratulating Mr Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart for his generosity towards the people of Jamaica.

“Mr Burns wrote in what I think was an excellent column: ‘…those who know me well also know that I do not have to (nor do I) sing for my supper. Hence, and unsurprisingly, this column wishes to thank Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, chairman of Sandals Resorts International, for the very significant $31.5-million contribution ($500,000 to each of the 63 Members of Parliament) to assist those in need as a result of COVID-19.

“This is not the first time that Stewart (or his company) has given back substantially to Jamaica. He not only launched the Save the Dollar initiative, but he also funded it at a time of dire foreign exchange shortage.

“When somebody demonstrates benevolence, it should be congratulated. The thousands of ordinary people who receive the care packages are whom we should be thinking of at this time.

“I admit I was very surprised when I heard the announcement that Mr Stewart was giving $31.5 million to finance care packages for Jamaicans hit hard by COVID-19. The surprise was not about him giving the money but because all his hotels are closed and not earning any revenue. Most hotels are busy fretting how they’re going to recover.

“You know a good man with a good heart when he does something for others, not only when things are rosy but at times of stress and loss to himself. There is a word for it — sacrifice. This man’s love for his country knows no bounds. Whenever Jamaica is down he never fails to do something to lift our spirits. Proud of you, Butch Stewart. That’s why you are so blessed.”

But the hotel mogul’s generosity was not yet exhausted. Working through his Sandals Foundation, he offered the historically significant Carlisle Inn, a 52-room hotel in Montego Bay, St James, to the Jamaican Government for use as a COVID-19 incubation and quarantine centre for Jamaicans who needed to be quarantined upon arrival back home.

The Carlisle Inn, which guests liked to refer to as Baby Sandals, was, with the Bay Roc hotel, now Sandals Montego Bay — the first hotel bought by Stewart to start the Sandals empire. At the time, of course, all hotels were closed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, through the foundation and the ‘We Care’ initiative, Stewart pledged a further $5 million to finance the purchase of 40 ventilators for patients at Cornwall Regional Hospital and throughout the western health-care system.

He also used his platform, including his Jamaica Observer newspaper, to advocate for national unity and adherence to health guidelines at that critical time. Touched by the gesture, Minister of Health Dr Christopher Tufton called the foundation’s support a “model of corporate responsibility”.

But the move by Stewart that would probably be the most talked about was his pledge, during the hotel closures, not to lay off thousands of affected employees but instead to pay 40 per cent of their basic salary, plus fringe benefits, even while there was no income.

In addition, Sandals distributed care packages containing crucial items such as flour, rice, eggs, and canned goods to employees from its resort freezers.

For the educational relief offered, school principals and parents lauded the donation of digital tablets, noting they were vital for “at-risk” students who otherwise faced “educational disenfranchisement” due to the digital divide during remote learning.

As the end of that dreadful 2020 approached, those who were more observant would have noticed that Stewart’s voice was no longer giving comfort and helping to guide the nation, due to illness. And on January 4, 2021 the great man passed.

But his DNA had also passed on to his son, Adam Stewart, who seamlessly took on the work of caring for the nation his dad had so cherished. With no time to spare, the new executive chairman gave his all to help lead the tourism resilient corridors that would prepare Jamaica and the Caribbean to recover from COVID-19 once the doors of the region’s countries were again opened.

The resilient corridors allowed visitors to enjoy more of the country’s unique offerings safely, as many COVID-19-compliant attractions were authorised for visits by the health authorities under a programme that stood out as the only one of its kind in the Caribbean.

In the first week of April 2021 Adam Stewart declared triumphantly at a Mayberry Investors’ Forum: “I think, for sure, the worst is behind us.”

He had completed Butch Stewart’s work.

Next Sunday, final in the series: The Ian Fleming International Airport takes flight

Adam Stewart completed “Butch’s” work.