Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Aug 08, 2025

HOA pays tribute to the late Cyril Lewis Walters

HOA pays tribute to the late Cyril Lewis Walters

Members present at today’s sitting of the House of Assembly made touching contributions regarding the life and service of Cyril Lewis Walters, a former legislator who passed last week.
He served as a member of the Legislative Council from 1986-1994 during which time he served as Minister for Education and Minister for Health. Walters has been credited for enhancing the education system in the territory.

Acting Premier Kye Rymer noted Walters was a man who displayed an exemplary determination and resilience of a true Virgin Islander.

“Honourable Walters has left a solid and deeply etched legacy. His absence will be felt, and he will be missed. We thank him for his dedicated service and for contributions to the development of the Virgin Islands that are far beyond our ability to fully comprehend and for which we are eternally grateful,” Rymer said.

Opposition Leader Julian Fraser said the late legislator made his impact on several sectors of the Virgin Islands.

“He was a teacher. He finished that run. He became a public worker. He finished that run and then he came over to politics and finished that run too. He then went into business. But nowhere along the line did anyone say he was incompetent as a political leader because he wasn’t. He was an accomplished leader,” Fraser added.

Minister for Health Marlon Penn also highlighted the many years of service Walters contributed to the development of the territory.

“He served as the Minister for Education and Minister for Health at the same time. I think he was the Deputy Chief Minister at the time when he served as the Minister for Education and Health. Two mammoth portfolios. It shows the giant of a man the late Cyril Walters was. A man who exemplified what the word service meant,” Penn noted.

Ninth District Representative Vincent Wheatley and Minister for Education Sharie de Castro both touched on the former educator’s 30-plus years as an educator in the territory.

“To hear Honourable Walters would have served for some 30-plus years shows he was passionate about education and development of the citizens of this territory. History shall record the immeasurable impact he would have made throughout the education sector in the Virgin Islands,” de Castro noted.

Meanwhile, Territorial At-Large Representative Shareen Flax-Charles extended condolences on behalf of her family noting Walters will be greatly missed.

Labour Minister Melvin Turnbull noted that while he did not have a personal relationship with Walters, he has become familiar with his life and the length and quality of service he rendered to the Virgin Islands.

“One of the things that caught my attention is that he was not just teaching in Tortola or in his community of East End/Long Look. He traversed the waters to go to Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke and for 15 of those 34 years, he served as a principal. It is that type of dedication and commitment that builds and has built the foundation for the culture that we know today of these Virgin Islands,” Turnbull said.

Territorial At-Large Representative Carvin Malon noted the former legislator exemplified the meaning of service to the community. He highlighted the sacrifice Walters’ family had to make in his quest to serve the people of the territory.

Attorney General Dawn Smith also made contributions about the impact Walters’ work as Education Minister had on her career and life goals.

“I do recall like both my parents he was a member of the Lions Club. What I will never forget and what will stick in my mind when I hear the name; he was Minister for Education. It was during his time in office that I had the opportunity to access tertiary education and later qualified as a barrister in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in the Virgin Islands,” Smith said.

Deputy Speaker Neville Smith noted Walters contributed greatly as a teacher and a politician. He said it hurt him to know the younger generation might not be aware of his contribution to development.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
×