The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security on Tuesday unveiled a portrait of the late Minister within the Ministry of Education Dr Desrey Fox in honour of her contributions to Guyana.
“Dr Fox was recognised for her accomplishments as an outstanding daughter of the land, icon and for the legacy she has left behind,” the Government Information Agency (GINA) said, while noting that the billboard was mounted as the nation observed International Women’s Day.
Several ministers, Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) students, University of Guyana (UG) lecturers and students and others attended the unveiling of the billboard, which was mounted at the junction between the CPCE and UG at Turkeyen. Minister of Human Services and Social Security Priya Manickchand told the audience that she hopes Fox’s achievements will inspire persons, young and old to be all they can be no matter where they hail from.
There were also plans to mount portraits of two other outstanding Guyanese women: Kowsilla, who was killed at Leonora and Buxtonian Winifred Gaskin, who was a pioneer of women’s issues.
Meanwhile, GINA said Fox was born on January 2, 1955 at Waramadong Village, Upper Mazaruni District. She attained a Masters of Arts and a PhD in Linguistics from Rice University, an MA in Environmental Anthropology from the University of Kent at Canterbury and a BSc in Sociology from UG. She was an Associate Researcher at the University of Oregon, Co-coordinator of the Amerindian Research Unit, Linguistics and Amerindian Studies lecturer at UG, and Curator of the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology.
