– A quantum of love from a kaleidoscope of humanity
“The challenge is to participate in, and contribute to, humanity, as one no more worthy, nor less worthy, than any other. We have a good example in Desrey – for Desrey, being a member of a larger group in no way compromised her membership of a smaller group, but rather, it enriched the larger grouping with the special contribution of the smaller group.

She was, without any self-consciousness, an Akawaio, an Amerindian, a Guyanese, a woman, a member of the larger human race – all at the same time, without any of the ‘hang-ups’ or conflicts which many others could not avoid, nor overcome.”

Those were the words of acting President Sam Hinds, who himself epitomizes all those qualities he speaks about, and so can identify with the unique personality that was Dr. Fox’s, which saw only good in persons, strove for harmony and integration, and sought to achieve this with grace of spirit and a compassionate understanding of the human equation and condition.

Defining the unique legacy of Dr. Desrey Clementine Fox is a daunting proposition, because she threw the net of her interests, achievements, and relationships wide, and, as PM Sam said, she was “a member of the human race”, which is a stunning portrait of a complete woman.

I will like to qualify that to “she was a phenomenal member of the human race”.

I only had a nodding acquaintance with Dr. Fox and had no idea of the depth and breadth of the personality of this unique Guyanese woman who is a child of our first peoples; but I listened in amazement as the tributes enunciated her many and diverse qualities, and I regret that I have never taken the time to know this amazing woman, whose life seemed to be a paean of service to others, and an empowering mechanism in itself for the vulnerable and downtrodden, especially the community of indigenous peoples, not only in Guyana, but encompassing the total spectrum of first peoples the world over.

More than anyone, she blitzed the myth rumoured by the truly ignorant, that Amerindians are a backward community of people unable to integrate within the wider society, because she excelled at whatever she attempted, especially in academia, and she, more than most, worked hard at bringing to the forefront of public awareness the unique collective Amerindian identity and experience, and while she had to blaze trails to enable her own achievements, she has also paved the way to facilitate others within her community to walk on those trails with supreme awareness of their unique strengths and capacities for achievement within the wider framework of society.

Dr. Fox’s research and publications were phenomenal. Included among them, to quote friend and colleague, Al Creighton, who said, inter alia, in his tribute at her funeral: “Just to give a sample of research produced, I will mention her Study of Income Generating Livelihoods in Indigenous Communities (2003/2004), a paper Wading Mermaids, Women in Crisis (2004), the translation of the Guyana National Pledge into 9 Amerindian languages, the chapter Amerindians in a book titled Guyana published in the UK by Arif Khan and launched in 2006.

She collected data towards a reference grammar and a dictionary of the Akawaio language, continued data collection towards establishing a writing system for Akawaio, and worked closely with Prof Spike Gildea of the University of Oregon.”

However, Professor Creighton acknowledged that anything said during these observances lauding Dr. Fox’s achievements would be only a superficial chronicle at best, qualifying: “An account of the career of Dr Desrey Fox at the University of Guyana is a record of talent, uniqueness and unfathomed potential. It is a document of a rare combination of origins, native ability, interests, determination and professional training, of boundless promise untimely interrupted by tragic circumstances.”

Tragic indeed, because persons who encapsulate her absolutely selfless giving, her passion to empower others and to create a better society in which her fellow man can live harmoniously – in so many diverse ways, have deemed her “irreplaceable”.

But the truly defining legacy of Dr. Desrey Fox is encapsulated in what two young persons represents, eleven-year-old Kimone McPherson and young QC Hinterland Scholarship awardee, Ms. Colleen Poole, who brought everyone to tears when she herself broke down while attempting to enumerate the many facilitating and empowering mechanisms Dr. Fox had engineered for the enhancement of the lives and lifestyles of the community of people who had once been so sidelined that they were deprived of many essential services and opportunities for upward advancement – the Amerindian people, because Dr. Fox further propelled the Government’s impetus for hinterland development with her unique hands-on, personalised approach and her gift for problem-resolution, using creative ways to bring to the forefront the capacities for individuals to achieve personal growth and thus ultimately contribute to community and national growth.

The talent of pre-teen, Kimone McPherson, may have forever remained undiscovered were it not for her passionate dedication to the youth development programmes and the establishment of the National Schools’ Choir and the National Schools Steel Orchestra.

The concept of diverting schoolchildren away from negative influences and pursuits is not a new one, because the education of the older generation was redolent of many extra-curricular activities that in no way diminished their academic pursuits, but worked in an adjunctive way to form complete personalities, and Junior Education Minister Fox’s programmes formulated in an attempt to restore these pursuits in the school system is a boon to this nation, given the current direction of a large percentage of the school population toward violence and immorality.

The rhythmic drumming of Kimone McPherson, at age eleven, as the National Schools’ Steel Orchestra accompanied the National Schools’ Choir at the Umana Yana during Minister Fox’s funeral held everyone in thrall, but more than that, it has given direction to a little boy’s life in a way that could take him to the heights, and Education Minister Shaik Baksh has given the assurance that he will not allow her dreams to go unfulfilled and her efforts and plans to die without fructification.

She impacted – and how!
As a daughter, a sister, a mother, a grandmother, a member of the Akawayo tribe and the Amerindian community, a daughter of Guyana, and, more importantly, a daughter of the universe.

Dr. Fox was truly an iconic indigenous woman of superlative substance and hers is the kind of story from which legends are born and of which epic movies are made.

Having reached the pinnacle of public life did not deter her from doing simple things for loved ones, such as cooking a favourite meal for a brother, or taking her beloved baby grandson with her on a trip out, the last one of which proved so tragically fatal.

The huge turnout of persons in attendance at her funeral, and the diversity of humanity that was represented, was an indication of how well-beloved this daughter of Guyana was.

The Members of Parliament from the opposition benches in attendance were so obviously genuinely regretful of the death of this woman who strongly opposed them in Parliament, and Opposition Leader Robert Corbin’s tribute was so sincere, that one cannot help but wish that this spirit of togetherness could prevail when they are deciding the fate of the nation together, but, like the death of Dr. Jagan did, the death of Dr. Desrey Fox served to bridge the divides within the ranks of the nation’s leaders. If only….

The last act of Minister within the Ministry of Education, Hon. Dr. Desrey Clementine Fox, (although an unwitting one) was to save the life of her grandson, because the baby fell on top of her when they were both catapulted out of the vehicle as a result of the fatal crash that took her life.

Fittingly, her body cushioned her grandson and saved him from serious injuries, thus saving his life. By all indications, she would have considered the loss of her own life cheap at the price.
It was the perfect way for an inherently selfless giver to say farewell.