The Editor, Sir:

Recently, columnist Orville Taylor wrote an article about two of our unsung heroes, namely, Monsignor Gladstone Wilson and Bishop Gibson.

I have always known that these were two great Jamaicans and also wondered when we would ever give them the honour due.

Do we know that Monsignor Gladstone Wilson was the seventh-most educated man in the world?

This is someone who was born in a small island. I wonder what Mr. Watson thinks of this feat; maybe he thinks it is just an aberration, after all, our brains are just the size of a bean.

These two unsung heroes have done so much for the education of the common man and yet we are unaware of this fact.

It is said if you want to hide anything from Jamaicans, you should put it in a book. We are not readers, we are talkers and we must all begin to correct this trend by starting in our schools, giving them complete biographies of these, our 'unsung heroes'.

This very small country has produced so many brilliant men and women and we as a people are so blasé about this gift given to us all. There are many other heroes out there waiting to be recognised for the yeoman service they have given to this country, especially in the field of education.

Men like A.S. Clarke, founder of St. John's College; W.A. Powell, founder of Excelsior College; and Mr. Hazlewood of Waltham College. There are many many more whose names I do not know who have given their all without expecting reward.

'Brand-name' schools

The present generation do not understand how lucky they are to be attending the so-called 'brand-name' schools. In my days, most parents could not afford to send their children to these schools and it was people like A.S. Clarke and others, who stepped up to the plate and provided education for people who could not afford the fees of the 'brand-name' schools. I, personally, am extremely grateful because I am a product of St. John's College and Excelsior College.

The opportunities are all here for our young ones and they should grasp them and with the knowledge gained, move up the ladder - but at all times remembering the land of their birth.

I am, etc.,

Barbara Cover

Kingston 6