Toronto – The Don Mills Library in Toronto was the venue on May 5th for a wonderful Celebration of Life and successful launch of the memoir, An Accidental Life, of Guyanese-born Professor Dr Harold Drayton who passed away in Maryland, USA on March 11, 2018.
An alumnus of Queen's College and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, Dr Drayton is remembered for responding to the call in 1962 of then Premier Dr Cheddi Jagan to return and head the "university project." In less than 10 months of his return the UG was operational with classes starting in October 1963. Dr Drayton served as Deputy Vice Chancellor in 1963 and Professor and Head of the Department of Biology from 1963 to 1972. The political climate of the country under the People's National Congress regime forced him to leave the UG and his native Guyana with a heavy heart.
The book launch was sponsored by the University of Guyana Guild of Graduates, Ontario (UGGGO) and had an attendance of over 90 individuals representing a wide cross-section of the Guyanese community in Toronto, including alumni from the UG, Queen's College, Bishop's High School and relatives of Dr Harold and Vonna Drayton. Also in attendance was Steve Connolly who was born in the town of MacKenzie, now Linden, in then British Guiana to Canadian parents. Mr Connolly is the author of two books on Guyana – Children of Watooka and Journey Back to Watooka, the latter just off the press.
Speakers included Guyana's Consul General in Toronto Ms Choo Anyin, Prof. Alissa Trotz of the University of Toronto, Dr Vonna Drayton, wife of the late Prof. Drayton, Harry Hergash, Taharimoon Alºi and Jeanette Singh of the UGGGO, and Kemahl Khan of the Queen's College Alumni Association. Messages were read from Allison Drayton, daughter of Dr Drayton and his relatives Fay Mendoza and Eve Drayton.