by Gabriel J. Christian, Esq.
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of the President Emeritus of the Dominica Academy of Arts & Sciences (www.thedominica-academy.org) Dr. Clayton Arthur Shillingford (April 25, 1936 – May 23, 2024).
Photo credit: Dominica News Online featuring
A distinguished cadet, athlete, scholar and graduate of the Dominica Grammar School, Clayton graduated with honors in Mathematics and Botany from University College of the West Indies (later University of the West Indies). He went on to earn an MS in Botany from Kings College London and received his PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champagne. A former senior plant scientist and researcher at the Dupont Laboratory in Delaware Clayton spent a lifetime volunteering with the South Florida Dominica Association, the Dominica Academy and was a founding member of Rebuild Dominica, Inc.
Early founders of Rebuild Dominica, Inc. at Evangel Assembly on August 29, 2015 (L-R): Major Francis Richards, Stephen Mathews (Trinidad &Tobago), Dr. Clayton Shillingford and Pastor Bell
It was his desire to aggregate the scattered human resources of Dominica’s Diaspora in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and partner with Dominicans at home and the government for the development of Dominica and the wider Caribbean. While the Dominica Academy had many successes, true partnership with the Dominica government remained elusive. He leaves to mourn his wife Margaret Shillingford, his daughter Gillian Palacios-Shillingford and grandchildren, several siblings, family members and friends.
The members, friends and supporters of the Dominica Academy and Rebuild Dominica render a heartfelt salute to a stalwart patriot and civic leader. We shall remember him.
More details on the life and times of Dr. Clayton Arthur Shillingford can be found in the article below:
https://thedominican.net/2012/03/clayton-shillingford-development-work.html.
In the photo below from the Imperial Museum, London Clayton is seen in a 1950s photo taken at the Dominica Grammar School. The student next to him is the late Fulbright Scholar, Dominica’s first native born college educated Director of Agriculture Dr. J. Bernard Yankey, who obtained his PhD. in agronomy from the University or Wisconsin at Madison.
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