New book profiles governor general

For some people, Sir Colville Young is the Governor General of Belize but to a great many others Sir Colville is a teacher, a poet, an author and musician, not to mention a highly regarded linguist. But something you may not know is that the Governor General has been bestowed with four honorary degrees, not a minor feat, even for an academic. To make sure Belizeans, present and future, appreciate Sir Colville’s achievements, his colleague and friend, Dr. Betty Flinchum, has written the G.G.’s life story in a book entitled “A Cultural Legacy”.

Dr. Betty Flinchum, Biographer
“It was such a great pleasure to write about Sir Colville because he’s led such an extraordinarily interesting and worthy life. And I felt it needed to be recorded for his Belize, for future Belizeans, for his family, for his friends, for his colleagues, for his former students so I decided when I got time to put it together and I hope this modest effort will influence others to write more about great leaders of Belize.”

“I think this should be a catalyst for us to start to realise that a nation emerges as a great nation when it begins to recognise its great leaders and have its leaders recognised throughout the world. And so I hope this modest effort will begin to get our former students to write about Belizeans, Sir Colville and other great Belizeans.”

Janelle Chanona
“Have you thought about any body else that you would like to play a modest role in recording?”

Dr. Betty Flinchum
“At the moment, no. But this is just the first of many. But I’d be very happy to consider it cause I’m an honorary Belizean, I hope.”

Dr. Flinchum met Sir Colville in the early 1980s when as Director of International Programs at the University of North Florida, she was given a grant through the United States Information Agency to create an educational link with Belize. Through the initiative, Belizeans were able to study at U.N.F., and that relationship continues today.