Professor Courtenay Bartholomew is the 1985 EXPRESS Individual of the Year.

He was selected last week by a panel of judges, which included W. Sydney Knox, chairman of the Neal and Massy Group of Companies, Dr. Patrick Solomon, and Ms. Anna Mahase, principal of the St Augustine Girls' High school.

Professor Bartholomew's selection was made from a large number of nominations submitted by EXPRESS readers during the months of November and December last year and from nominations made by the panel of judges.

He became the sixth male to win the Award since it was started by the EXPRESS in 1979. The only woman chosen was Nesta Patrick in 1982. Other winners were Fr. Gerard Pantin, executive director of SERVOL, Michael de la Bastide, President Ellis Clarke, Dr. Bal Ramdial and Selwyn Richardson.

Professor Bartholomew, an old boy of Nelson Street Boys' School and St Mary's College, graduated from the University College, Dublin, in 1960 where he won prizes in medicine and surgery. In 1975, he received the Chaconia Gold medal from the Trinidad and Tobago Government for long and meritorious service in the field of medicine.

On May 12, 1983, when he was admitted to membership of the Royal College of Physicians in London without examination, Dr W. Hoffenberg, president of the college, delivered this citation:

"Dr. Courtenay Bartholomew graduated in medicine in Dublin in 1960 where he won prizes in medicine and surgery. After junior appointments there, he returned to Trinidad in 1965 where, apart from a short break in Montreal, he has been ever since, being successively consultant, senior lecturer, Associate Dean in the Eastern Caribbean Medical Scheme and now Professor of Medicine."

"He travels widely, whether accompanying the President or Prime Minister of Trinidad, researching into scorpion sting pancreatitis, lecturing or visiting old colleagues. He has many friends in this country, especially in his own field of gastroenterology and is a member of numerous societies at home and overseas."

"Probably his greatest achievement has been his leadership of the School of Medicine in the Faculty of the University of the West Indies in Port of Spain where he is the inspiration of his colleagues ad students, as many visitors from this college can attest."

"The standard of medicine in the Medical School in Port of Spain is certainly as high as, if not higher than, anywhere in the Caribbean and is comparable with that anywhere else in the world. No one has made a greater contribution to this admirable achievement than Dr Bartholomew."

But medicine has not been his only interest, and while holding the post as honorary consultant at the Port of Spain General Hospital, Professor Bartholomew still finds time for extra-curricula activities involving the restoration of historic churches. He was, in fact, the prime figure behind the work done on the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at Independence Square and the St Francis R.C. Church in Belmont.

However, Professor Bartholomew's most significant contribution to date has been his research in the area of social medicine in which he has been the first to diagnose a case of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) in the West Indies. To continue his research, he has received a grant from the National institute of Health in the United States and has been working with world-renowned Dr Robert Gallo of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Bethesda, Maryland.

His research stems from work done with Dr Waveney Charles in the discovery in Trinidad of eight cases of a new disease called human T-cell leukemia-lymphoma virus (HTLV) and which is supposed to be linked directly with AIDS.

The judges, in selecting Professor Bartholomew, felt that he was an outstanding example to young people in a year that has been called the International Year of the Youth.

Other nominations closely considered by the judges included Clive Pantin, chairman of the New Life Ministries, for his work on a drug rehabilitation programme for addicts, Sr. Francis Xavier-Urich, as an educator and leader of the St Joseph of Cluny Sisters who are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the order in the Caribbean and Ms Benita Toussaint, for he r work with school guard crossing.

The Express Individual of the Year Professor Courtenay Bartholomew is a striking example of what can be achieved by dint of hard work and dedication.

As a schoolboy he grew up on Independence Square, a stone's throw away from the Roman Catholic Cathedral. Always fond of games he performed best at table tennis and actually reached the quarterfinals of the first Island -wide Junior Championship.

But he really only blossomed into his full potential after he specialized in internal medicine. Some accuse him of arrogance, others, sensitive to his special relationships with leading public figures, of having unfulfilled political ambitions, but no one can question his capacity for hard work, his generosity of spirit in making his considerable professional skills available to those who need them and his vast organizational talents.

Professor Bartholomew has become widely recognized internationally for his work on the scorpion and for research work on AIDS. He has in addition written numerous papers, which have been published in medical journals, and is the organizer of the annual medical update, which attracts leading members of the profession to Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean each year. But even these accomplishments do not tell the full story about the man.

Some years ago when the Roman Catholic Cathedral looked grimy and desolate he undertook the task of the refurbishing which transformed it into the tastefully attractive structure it now is. With that experience behind him he was the logical person to whom Fr. Ollivierre should turn when he decided also to transform the St. Francis Church in Belmont.

During the period of renovations and in spite of his demanding professional schedule Dr Bartholomew visited the church as frequently as three and four times per day. The results are singularly impressive and we invite all with an eye for ecclesiastical beauty to visit this beautiful landmark on Belmont Circular Road.

Professor, humanitarian, organizer, community worker par excellence, Courtenay Bartholomew is that rare combination of talents which make him an effective human being. Whatever his weaknesses, and we expect that he too, must have them, he has given the most excellent example to the young people of this country by his tireless efforts on behalf of his community and his vast achievements.

We think our judges have made a most excellent choice and we thank them as warmly as we congratulate Professor Bartholomew, his wife and his family.

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