Veteran journalist and Stabroek News columnist Cecil Griffith died last evening at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital following a prolonged illness.
Griffith’s name traces back to the early developments of broadcasting in Guyana having served as Editor-in-Chief of the former Guyana Broadcasting Service.
He was also the Caribbean’s news correspondent for the Voice of America (VOA).
The Guyana Press Association (GPA) in a statement said that a number of Griffith’s colleagues saw him in hospital and he was obviously ill but mentally alert and filled with his usual humour and so the association said it is shocked by his passing.
Griffith, who was a former president of the GPA, will long be remembered for his sterling contribution to print and broadcast journalism and the wider media fraternity through the association that later awarded him at its 60th anniversary celebration.
“His formal and informal roles in promoting the importance of training as well as imparting knowledge and experiences to young media workers will continue to be cherished by those he interfaced with,” the GPA said.
Even after retirement Griffith continue to play an active role in the profession he so loved through his column City Council Round Up in Stabroek News and his weekly television interview programme One-on-One on the National Communications Network (NCN).
One of his closest friends and colleagues Clem David said his death represents a huge loss to the media fraternity.
“He was my boss at one time and so this is a personal loss too