The VIHC Presents the 2005 Daniel L. Heftel Lecture and Humanist Award
Date: October 24, 2005 | Press Release: #05-007
The Virgin Islands Humanities Council established the Daniel L. Heftel Lecture in the Humanities in 1990 to provide a forum for exploring humanities topics of interest and concern to Virgin Islanders. The lecture is named after civic leader Daniel L. Heftel, a council co-founder.
Daniel L. Heftel was a St. Thomas businessman and civic leader who was well known throughout the Virgin Islands as a humanitarian who labored to improve the lot of his fellow citizens, and as a humanist who appreciated the importance of reflecting on the meaning of our lives, our sense of self-identity, our relations to each other, and our civic responsibilities. List of Lecturers o 2005 ? As a part of the Heftel Lecture Series, the "We The People" Project Panel Discussion entitled, "The Ambiguity of Our U.S. Citizenship" was presented by the Council. o 2004 ? Donovan D. Rypkema, Principal of Place Economics o 2001 ? Dr. Williams W. Cook and Professor Earl Lovelace o 1998 ? Dr. Samuel A. Floyd, Jr. Director of the Center for Black Music Research, Columbia College, Chicago, Illinois. o 1997 ? Dr. Hollis ?Chalkdust? Liverpool, Director of Culture, Trinidad & Tobago o 1994 ? the late Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr., Professor of Jurisprudence, Harvard University o 1993 ? Lorna Goodison, Jamaican Poet, Fiction Writer and Painter o 1992 ? Dr. Charles V. Hamilton, Wallace S. Sayre, Professor of Political Science at Columbia University. o 1991 ? Dr. Ricardo Alegria, Director of the Center for Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. o 1990 - Lynne V. Cheney, former chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Humanist Award In 1992, the V.I. Humanities Council initiated the Humanist Award to give recognition to Virgin Islanders who have made exemplary contributions to the cultural life of the community through the humanities. The award is presented at the Annual Daniel L. Heftel Lecture in the Humanities. The 2005 Humanist Award was presented to Governor Charles W. Turnbull on September 24, 2005. 2005 HUMANIST AWARD RECIPIENT GOVERNOR CHARLES WESLEY TURNBULL, Ph. D. Governor Charles Wesley Turnbull was born on February 5, 1935, at Estate Thomas in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands. His parents were Ruth Ann Eliza and John Wesley Turnbull, poor immigrants from Tortola, British Virgin Islands. He attended the Leonard Dober Elementary School and the Charlotte Amalie High School, from which he graduated in 1952. His higher education was secured at Hampton University, from which he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1958 with honors in history, and a Master of Arts degree in 1959 and at the University of Minnesota where he obtained a doctorate in educational administration in 1976. Governor Turnbull has served the people, especially the youth of the Virgin Islands, in many professional capacities. He has been an elementary school teacher, a secondary school teacher, an assistant principal and principal of Charlotte Amalie High School, assistant commissioner and the commissioner of the Department of Education, adjunct professor, professor and, currently, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of the Virgin Islands. He has also served as a member and Chairman of the Virgin Islands Board of Education. His service in Education spans more than forty years. During his tenure as Commissioner of Education from 1979 to 1987, many achievements were made in the field of public education. The curriculum was upgraded and made more relevant to the needs of the students. A Cultural Education Division was established to promote greater knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of the history and culture of the Virgin Islands and the wider Caribbean. Alternative education and school volunteerism were firmly established, and new ventures were made in the area of vocational and technical education. New schools were built, and double sessions were eliminated. Governor Turnbull has established an exemplary record of community and humanitarian service. He was an elected delegate to all four Constitutional Conventions of the United States Virgin Islands. He served as Secretary of the Second Constitutional Convention in 1972. He also served as a delegate to the 1972, 2000 and 2004 National Democratic Nominating Conventions. He has served or is currently serving as a member of the following organizations: Christ Church Methodist Church, National Governors Association, Southern Governors Association, Democratic Governors Association, Roy Lester Schneider Hospital Board, Virgin Islands Historical Society (founder and president), Association of Caribbean Historians, Caribbean Studies Association, American Historical Association, Organization of American Historians, American Association for State and Local History, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Phi Alpha Theta (International Honor Society in History). He also served or is now offering service as a member of the Phi Delta Kappa (International Honor Society in Education), the History of Education Society (USA), the History of Education Society (UK), the American Association of School Administrators, Education Commission of the States, Council of Chief State School Officers, the Virgin Islands Humanities Council, the Virgin Islands Board of Elections, the Territorial Committee of the Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the St. Thomas-St. John Friends of Denmark, the King Christian IV Guild (Denmark), the Dukes Club, the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, and the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller. Dr. Turnbull has received numerous awards and citations for leadership and service over time. These include the first Alexander A. Farrelly Public Service Award, the Turner Broadcasting System Trumpet Award, the Virgin Islands United Inc. Icon Award, the Caribbean Democratic Alliance Award, the University of the Virgin Islands Social Sciences Division Award, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Award of Excellence, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Leadership Award, the Virgin Islands Board of Education Distinguished Service Award, the U.S. Selective Service System Exceptional Service Award(Silver), the U.S. Customs Service Citation, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Citation of Recognition, and many others acknowledgements of his service and commitment to this community. Dr. Turnbull?s biography is listed in Who?s in Who in America, Who?s Who among African Americans, Who?s Who among America?s Teachers, Who?s among Students in American Colleges and Universities (1957 & 1958), the Dictionary of Caribbean Biography, and in many other prestigious publications. He has published, as well as presented, various scholarly papers and articles in the areas of history, education and culture. He has traveled widely in the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. In addition to travel, his hobbies and interest include reading, historical research, numismatics, and collecting antiques, especially West Indian and African- American. Dr. Turnbull was elected Governor of the United States Virgin Islands on November 2, 1998. On January 4, 1999, he was sworn in as the sixth elected governor. He was re-elected in November 2002. Award Recipients o 2004 ? Athalie McFarlane Petersen of St. Croix o 2001 ? Dr. Marilyn Krigger of St. Thomas o 1998 ? Delta Dorsch of St. Croix o 1997 ? The late Frederik C. Gjessing of St. Thomas o 1994 ? Richard Schrader of St. Croix o 1993 ? Ruth Moolenaar of St. Thomas o 1992 ? Sidney Lee of St. CroixFor further information, call the Virgin Islands Humanities Council at 776-4044.