Sept. 1, 2002 – Supervisor John Abramson Jr. of the Election System of the Virgin Islands issued on Aug. 29, 2002, this revised list of candidates for the primary election, with name and position as they will appear on the official ballot.
Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands
Senator At-Large
1. Craig W. Barshinger
2. Harry A. Daniel
Senator – District of St. Croix
1. Atty. Ronald E. Russell
2. Juan Figueroa Serville
3. Michael Thurland
4. Elroi E. Baumann
5. Mary Ann Pickard
6. Nemmy Williams-Felix
7. David S. Jones
8. Douglas E. Canton
9. Rev. Malcolm Harris
10. Luther F. Renee
Board of Elections – District of St. Croix
1. Evelyn Messer James
2. Rupert Ross, Jr.
3. Elizabeth "Betty" Lynch
4. Dodson K. James
5. Emilio Rodriguez, Jr.
6. Carmen Marrero O'Reilly
State Chairman
1. Marylyn Stapleton
2. James A. O'Bryan
District Chairman – Island of St. Croix
1. Terrence T. Joseph
2. Irving L. Straun, Sr.
District Chairman – Island of St. Thomas
1. Carla Joseph
2. Elmo A. Adams
Member At Large, Territorial Committee
1. Gloria Canegata Waterman
2. Luis A. "Tito" Morales
3. Gregory R. Francis
4. Marylyn A. Stapleton
5. Carmen Gonzalez
6. Horace T. Brooks
7. Sirri Hamad
8. Glen J. Smith
9. Omar B. U. Henry
10. Cedric M. Prince
Member, Territorial Committee, District of St. Thomas
1. Thomas "Tom" Dunn
2. Pierina Jacobs-McBrowne
3. Elmo A. Adams, Jr.
4. Ervin C. Dorsett
5. June A. Adams
6. Sunil Mohanani
7. Angel "Juanie" Turnbull
8. Gerald E. Hodge, Sr.
9. Michael Farrington
Member, Territorial Committee, District of St. Croix
1. Sonia Boyce
2. David A. Molloy
3. Rupert W. Ross, Jr.
4. Kearney R. Nichols
5. Collin "Massive" Hodge
6. St. Claire N. Williams
7. Arthur C. Petersen, Jr.
8. Raymond T. James, ESQ.
9. Irving L. Straun, Sr.
10. Paul Flemming
11. Cenita "CC" Heywood
Republican Party of the Virgin Islands
State Chairman
1. James A. Oliver
2. April M. Newland
3. Wilma Marsh Monsanto
4. Larence "Lary" Boschulte
Member At-Large, Territorial Committee
1. Herbert Schoenbohm
2. Gladys Orr
3. Reynaldo Callwood
4. Patricia Murphy
5. Hughetta Boulware
6. Frank H. Davis
7. Julio A. Brady
8. April M. Newland
9. Leon Alvin Powell
10. Vincen "Beef" Clendinen
11. Atty. Fred Vialet, Jr.
Member, Territorial Committee, District of St. Thomas/St. John
1. Shirley N. Bronston
2. George Blackhall
3. Alston J. Brewster
4. Roberto Dawson
Member, Territorial Committee, District of St. Croix
1. Humberto O'Neal
2. Reuben Fenton
3. Lilliana Belardo de O'Neal
Independent Citizens Movement
Member At-Large, Territorial Committee
1. Virdin C. Brown
2. Elise Vialet
3. Juan A. Santiago
4. Levron Sarauw, Sr.
5. Andre Ottley
6. Gladys M. Todman
Member, Territorial Committee, District of St. Thomas/St. John
1. Liston A. Davis
2. Gene K. Emmanuel
3. Albion V. Lambertis
4. Elma L. D. Smith
Member, Territorial Committee, District of St. Croix
1. Wilmont A. Edwards
2. David A. Benjamin
3. Alexander A. Petersen, Sr.
4. Mary L. Moorhead
5. Serafin Suarez
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

Juan F. Luis Hospital is experiencing a severe shortage of blood and they need your help. Join the St. Croix Board of Realtors in helping your community.
FAQs about giving blood:
Who can give blood?
Healthy individuals at least 17 years of age who weigh at least 110 pounds and have not given blood in the last 56 days.
Can I get AIDS or any other disease if I give blood?
NO!The procedure itself is very safe! Every donation is taken from a new sterile needle which is immediatly disposed of after that single use. With these procedures you cannot contract the virus that causes AIDS.
Where can I give blood?
Schooner Bay Marketplace
Saturday, September 21st, 2002 – 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
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Sept 13, 2002 – The fate of the territory's street lighting still lies in limbo, as the Public Services Commission decided on Thursday to postpone a decision on the Water and Power Authority's request to add a surcharge of about $1.50 to residential customers' bills to pay for the lighting program.
Since responsibility for the territory's street lighting was transferred from the Public Works Department to WAPA last December, funding for the work has remained unresolved.
When former WAPA executive director Joseph Thomas proposed a surcharge to the Legislature early this year to fund the lighting program, the senators wouldn't hear of the idea of raising residents' electric bills, but they did appropriate $2.8 million to fund the program. Gov. Charles W. Turnbull vetoed the appropriation, but the Senate overrode the veto.
However, WAPA has yet to see a dime of that money, Glenn Rothgeb, WAPA acting executive director, said once again on Thursday, as he has at numerous public meetings before. This was an eventuality Thomas had predicted based on the government's debt owed WAPA for unpaid utility bills.
Rothgeb described the funding issue as a "change of address," meaning the bill goes to the customer instead of Public Works.
Should any of the appropriated government funding become a reality, WAPA would issue a credit on customers' bills, Robert Vodzack, WAPA chief financial officer, told the PSC. Vodzack said WAPA has had "no cash flow since January to maintain the street lights."
The clock is ticking on WAPA's request. If the PSC fails to act on it before Oct. 1, hearing examiner Fred Watts said, the surcharge will automatically go into effect under a V.I. law that gives the PSC 30 days to act on a utility's request. The commission decided to meet again before Oct. 1 to act on the matter.
But that was hardly the end of it.
Lighting on Veterans Drive on St. Thomas — which has seen a number of pedestrian accidents, including fatalities — and on Melvin Evans Highway on St. Croix is inadequate, Desmond Maynard, PSC chairman, said. "People are getting killed on the waterfront — the public suffers," he said.
The WAPA officials said lighting for both roadways is federally funded and that WAPA doesn't receive those funds. Rothgeb said it's easy to see what's what: "The wooden poles are WAPA's and the metal poles are the federal government's." He said responsibility for the federally funded lights falls to Public Works, which receives federal funding for that purpose.
Carole Burke, WAPA board chair, said the utility "is forbidden to provide free electricity, and that's the problem we are facing today." Maynard said the public doesn't see the distinction between lights that are federally funded and those that are not; what they see is that those areas aren't adequately lighted.
After much back and forth regarding who has responsibility for the waterfront and Evans Highway lighting, Maynard left the room and called apparently telephoned Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood. "He says the federal lights are WAPA's responsibility," Maynard said upon returning to the meeting.
Sen. Emmett Hansen II, a non-voting commission member, shook his head. "You can't put up street lights with promises," he said. "If the money had been appropriated, we could avoid all this." Hansen was referring to his own Infrastructure Act of 2001, which would have funded the street lighting with a dedicated portion of property taxes. The measure was vetoed by the governor, and his colleagues did not support an override, even though they had almost unanimously approved the bill itself.
Maynard said the commission members needed more time for review of the surcharge. He noted that Georgetown Consulting Group, recently named to replace AUS Consultants as the entity investigating WAPA rates, is still reviewing the matter.
Rothgeb said after the meeting that WAPA has already spent more than $216,000 on the investigation AUS has been conducting for the last 14 months. He said the PSC brought in Georgetown within the past six weeks while AUS was still working on the investigation. V.I. law requires regulated utilities to pay for the PSC's rate investigation costs. He said the PSC has already assessed WAPA $216,000, but the cost so far is probably "closer to $400,000" including WAPA's own expenses.
All commission members attended the meeting: Jerris Browne, Verne David, Valencio Jackson, Maynard, Luther Renee, Alric Simmonds and Alecia Wells, who are voting members; and Sens. Donald "Ducks" Cole and Hansen, who are non-voting members.

Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

Sept 13, 2002 – The fate of the territory's street lighting still lies in limbo, as the Public Services Commission decided on Thursday to postpone a decision on the Water and Power Authority's request to add a surcharge of about $1.50 to residential customers' bills to pay for the lighting program.
Since responsibility for the territory's street lighting was transferred from the Public Works Department to WAPA last December, funding for the work has remained unresolved.
When former WAPA executive director Joseph Thomas proposed a surcharge to the Legislature early this year to fund the lighting program, the senators wouldn't hear of the idea of raising residents' electric bills, but they did appropriate $2.8 million to fund the program. Gov. Charles W. Turnbull vetoed the appropriation, but the Senate overrode the veto.
However, WAPA has yet to see a dime of that money, Glenn Rothgeb, WAPA acting executive director, said once again on Thursday, as he has at numerous public meetings before. This was an eventuality Thomas had predicted based on the government's debt owed WAPA for unpaid utility bills.
Rothgeb described the funding issue as a "change of address," meaning the bill goes to the customer instead of Public Works.
Should any of the appropriated government funding become a reality, WAPA would issue a credit on customers' bills, Robert Vodzack, WAPA chief financial officer, told the PSC. Vodzack said WAPA has had "no cash flow since January to maintain the street lights."
The clock is ticking on WAPA's request. If the PSC fails to act on it before Oct. 1, hearing examiner Fred Watts said, the surcharge will automatically go into effect under a V.I. law that gives the PSC 30 days to act on a utility's request. The commission decided to meet again before Oct. 1 to act on the matter.
But that was hardly the end of it.
Lighting on Veterans Drive on St. Thomas — which has seen a number of pedestrian accidents, including fatalities — and on Melvin Evans Highway on St. Croix is inadequate, Desmond Maynard, PSC chairman, said. "People are getting killed on the waterfront — the public suffers," he said.
The WAPA officials said lighting for both roadways is federally funded and that WAPA doesn't receive those funds. Rothgeb said it's easy to see what's what: "The wooden poles are WAPA's and the metal poles are the federal government's." He said responsibility for the federally funded lights falls to Public Works, which receives federal funding for that purpose.
Carole Burke, WAPA board chair, said the utility "is forbidden to provide free electricity, and that's the problem we are facing today." Maynard said the public doesn't see the distinction between lights that are federally funded and those that are not; what they see is that those areas aren't adequately lighted.
After much back and forth regarding who has responsibility for the waterfront and Evans Highway lighting, Maynard left the room and called apparently telephoned Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood. "He says the federal lights are WAPA's responsibility," Maynard said upon returning to the meeting.
Sen. Emmett Hansen II, a non-voting commission member, shook his head. "You can't put up street lights with promises," he said. "If the money had been appropriated, we could avoid all this." Hansen was referring to his own Infrastructure Act of 2001, which would have funded the street lighting with a dedicated portion of property taxes. The measure was vetoed by the governor, and his colleagues did not support an override, even though they had almost unanimously approved the bill itself.
Maynard said the commission members needed more time for review of the surcharge. He noted that Georgetown Consulting Group, recently named to replace AUS Consultants as the entity investigating WAPA rates, is still reviewing the matter.
Rothgeb said after the meeting that WAPA has already spent more than $216,000 on the investigation AUS has been conducting for the last 14 months. He said the PSC brought in Georgetown within the past six weeks while AUS was still working on the investigation. V.I. law requires regulated utilities to pay for the PSC's rate investigation costs. He said the PSC has already assessed WAPA $216,000, but the cost so far is probably "closer to $400,000" including WAPA's own expenses.
All commission members attended the meeting: Jerris Browne, Verne David, Valencio Jackson, Maynard, Luther Renee, Alric Simmonds and Alecia Wells, who are voting members; and Sens. Donald "Ducks" Cole and Hansen, who are non-voting members.

Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

Sept 13, 2002 – The fate of the territory's street lighting still lies in limbo, as the Public Services Commission decided on Thursday to postpone a decision on the Water and Power Authority's request to add a surcharge of about $1.50 to residential customers' bills to pay for the lighting program.
Since responsibility for the territory's street lighting was transferred from the Public Works Department to WAPA last December, funding for the work has remained unresolved.
When former WAPA executive director Joseph Thomas proposed a surcharge to the Legislature early this year to fund the lighting program, the senators wouldn't hear of the idea of raising residents' electric bills, but they did appropriate $2.8 million to fund the program. Gov. Charles W. Turnbull vetoed the appropriation, but the Senate overrode the veto.
However, WAPA has yet to see a dime of that money, Glenn Rothgeb, WAPA acting executive director, said once again on Thursday, as he has at numerous public meetings before. This was an eventuality Thomas had predicted based on the government's debt owed WAPA for unpaid utility bills.
Rothgeb described the funding issue as a "change of address," meaning the bill goes to the customer instead of Public Works.
Should any of the appropriated government funding become a reality, WAPA would issue a credit on customers' bills, Robert Vodzack, WAPA chief financial officer, told the PSC. Vodzack said WAPA has had "no cash flow since January to maintain the street lights."
The clock is ticking on WAPA's request. If the PSC fails to act on it before Oct. 1, hearing examiner Fred Watts said, the surcharge will automatically go into effect under a V.I. law that gives the PSC 30 days to act on a utility's request. The commission decided to meet again before Oct. 1 to act on the matter.
But that was hardly the end of it.
Lighting on Veterans Drive on St. Thomas — which has seen a number of pedestrian accidents, including fatalities — and on Melvin Evans Highway on St. Croix is inadequate, Desmond Maynard, PSC chairman, said. "People are getting killed on the waterfront — the public suffers," he said.
The WAPA officials said lighting for both roadways is federally funded and that WAPA doesn't receive those funds. Rothgeb said it's easy to see what's what: "The wooden poles are WAPA's and the metal poles are the federal government's." He said responsibility for the federally funded lights falls to Public Works, which receives federal funding for that purpose.
Carole Burke, WAPA board chair, said the utility "is forbidden to provide free electricity, and that's the problem we are facing today." Maynard said the public doesn't see the distinction between lights that are federally funded and those that are not; what they see is that those areas aren't adequately lighted.
After much back and forth regarding who has responsibility for the waterfront and Evans Highway lighting, Maynard left the room and called apparently telephoned Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood. "He says the federal lights are WAPA's responsibility," Maynard said upon returning to the meeting.
Sen. Emmett Hansen II, a non-voting commission member, shook his head. "You can't put up street lights with promises," he said. "If the money had been appropriated, we could avoid all this." Hansen was referring to his own Infrastructure Act of 2001, which would have funded the street lighting with a dedicated portion of property taxes. The measure was vetoed by the governor, and his colleagues did not support an override, even though they had almost unanimously approved the bill itself.
Maynard said the commission members needed more time for review of the surcharge. He noted that Georgetown Consulting Group, recently named to replace AUS Consultants as the entity investigating WAPA rates, is still reviewing the matter.
Rothgeb said after the meeting that WAPA has already spent more than $216,000 on the investigation AUS has been conducting for the last 14 months. He said the PSC brought in Georgetown within the past six weeks while AUS was still working on the investigation. V.I. law requires regulated utilities to pay for the PSC's rate investigation costs. He said the PSC has already assessed WAPA $216,000, but the cost so far is probably "closer to $400,000" including WAPA's own expenses.
All commission members attended the meeting: Jerris Browne, Verne David, Valencio Jackson, Maynard, Luther Renee, Alric Simmonds and Alecia Wells, who are voting members; and Sens. Donald "Ducks" Cole and Hansen, who are non-voting members.

Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

Following is a statement of the League of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands on the Omnibus Bill for Fiscal Year 2003:
For all the very many years that the League of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands has reviewed and commented on the proposed executive branch budgets and the more often than not accompanying Omnibus Bill wish lists, this year may well be the most difficult.
The Omnibus Bill reflects the thinking and actions of a Legislature which does not have a clear definition of its own role and its related powers. By proposing appropriations which by their nature establish policies, the senators infringe on the role and related powers of the executive branch.
To appropriate funds specifically for particular vendors or employees for services and contracts not included in the proposed executive budget for Fiscal Year 2003 is not the function of the Legislature. Furthermore, to suggest funding sources for these purposes already committed to the Fiscal Year 2003 executive budget appropriations is, at best, careless.
In the executive budget document for each fiscal year, funding is included to meet personal services for government employees. The League is startled to find included in the Omnibus Bill salaries for employees of non-profit, non-government organizations. Such precedent setting is frightening.
Included in the Omnibus Bill are 16 positions for professional staff at Juan F. Luis Hospital at a cost of approximately $1.5 million to be funded from the General Fund while the cost of the fringe benefits of at least $450,000 is not addressed. Again, this is not an executive proposal. Is the staffing of a hospital now a legislative function? Wasn't it the intent of policy and statute, to date, to grant the hospitals full autonomy? Isn't the legislative proposal to create and fund positions retrogressive? What realistic plans exist for true autonomy for the hospitals?
Who proposes such measures to a senator or senators? Are executive policies and procedures so ill-defined or so convoluted as to create the need for other avenues to solve administrative problems?
Adequate funding for the implementation of the plans to extend the jurisdiction of the Territorial Court has not been available for the last 10 years. Perhaps an appellate court would be beneficial to the territory, but where is the adequate funding for such a project? The Omnibus Bill seeks to use the Industrial Development Fund and the Insurance Guaranty Fund, but these funds are already committed in the proposed budget estimates and are essential to balancing the Fiscal Year 2002 Budget — essential, in fact, to the very operations of the V.I. government. Further, the League wonders how an appellate court is germane to industrial development or to the insurance guarantees to the people of the Virgin Islands?
When will the government of the Virgin Islands shelve its crisis-to-crisis management style? When will financial planning based on reality be the base for decision making, for the preparation of budget proposals from the executive branch and for the commitment of resources in the best interest of the whole community?
The Legislature, by its action in voting up the Omnibus Bill without regard for the revenue projections of the executive branch, has dumped the responsibility for fiscal integrity squarely in the lap of Government House. The league of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands urgently pleads for the judicious application of the veto power.

Editor's note: Erva A. Denham is the president of the League of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands.
We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

Following is a statement of the League of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands on the Omnibus Bill for Fiscal Year 2003:
For all the very many years that the League of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands has reviewed and commented on the proposed executive branch budgets and the more often than not accompanying Omnibus Bill wish lists, this year may well be the most difficult.
The Omnibus Bill reflects the thinking and actions of a Legislature which does not have a clear definition of its own role and its related powers. By proposing appropriations which by their nature establish policies, the senators infringe on the role and related powers of the executive branch.
To appropriate funds specifically for particular vendors or employees for services and contracts not included in the proposed executive budget for Fiscal Year 2003 is not the function of the Legislature. Furthermore, to suggest funding sources for these purposes already committed to the Fiscal Year 2003 executive budget appropriations is, at best, careless.
In the executive budget document for each fiscal year, funding is included to meet personal services for government employees. The League is startled to find included in the Omnibus Bill salaries for employees of non-profit, non-government organizations. Such precedent setting is frightening.
Included in the Omnibus Bill are 16 positions for professional staff at Juan F. Luis Hospital at a cost of approximately $1.5 million to be funded from the General Fund while the cost of the fringe benefits of at least $450,000 is not addressed. Again, this is not an executive proposal. Is the staffing of a hospital now a legislative function? Wasn't it the intent of policy and statute, to date, to grant the hospitals full autonomy? Isn't the legislative proposal to create and fund positions retrogressive? What realistic plans exist for true autonomy for the hospitals?
Who proposes such measures to a senator or senators? Are executive policies and procedures so ill-defined or so convoluted as to create the need for other avenues to solve administrative problems?
Adequate funding for the implementation of the plans to extend the jurisdiction of the Territorial Court has not been available for the last 10 years. Perhaps an appellate court would be beneficial to the territory, but where is the adequate funding for such a project? The Omnibus Bill seeks to use the Industrial Development Fund and the Insurance Guaranty Fund, but these funds are already committed in the proposed budget estimates and are essential to balancing the Fiscal Year 2002 Budget — essential, in fact, to the very operations of the V.I. government. Further, the League wonders how an appellate court is germane to industrial development or to the insurance guarantees to the people of the Virgin Islands?
When will the government of the Virgin Islands shelve its crisis-to-crisis management style? When will financial planning based on reality be the base for decision making, for the preparation of budget proposals from the executive branch and for the commitment of resources in the best interest of the whole community?
The Legislature, by its action in voting up the Omnibus Bill without regard for the revenue projections of the executive branch, has dumped the responsibility for fiscal integrity squarely in the lap of Government House. The league of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands urgently pleads for the judicious application of the veto power.

Editor's note: Erva A. Denham is the president of the League of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands.
We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

Following is a statement of the League of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands on the Omnibus Bill for Fiscal Year 2003:
For all the very many years that the League of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands has reviewed and commented on the proposed executive branch budgets and the more often than not accompanying Omnibus Bill wish lists, this year may well be the most difficult.
The Omnibus Bill reflects the thinking and actions of a Legislature which does not have a clear definition of its own role and its related powers. By proposing appropriations which by their nature establish policies, the senators infringe on the role and related powers of the executive branch.
To appropriate funds specifically for particular vendors or employees for services and contracts not included in the proposed executive budget for Fiscal Year 2003 is not the function of the Legislature. Furthermore, to suggest funding sources for these purposes already committed to the Fiscal Year 2003 executive budget appropriations is, at best, careless.
In the executive budget document for each fiscal year, funding is included to meet personal services for government employees. The League is startled to find included in the Omnibus Bill salaries for employees of non-profit, non-government organizations. Such precedent setting is frightening.
Included in the Omnibus Bill are 16 positions for professional staff at Juan F. Luis Hospital at a cost of approximately $1.5 million to be funded from the General Fund while the cost of the fringe benefits of at least $450,000 is not addressed. Again, this is not an executive proposal. Is the staffing of a hospital now a legislative function? Wasn't it the intent of policy and statute, to date, to grant the hospitals full autonomy? Isn't the legislative proposal to create and fund positions retrogressive? What realistic plans exist for true autonomy for the hospitals?
Who proposes such measures to a senator or senators? Are executive policies and procedures so ill-defined or so convoluted as to create the need for other avenues to solve administrative problems?
Adequate funding for the implementation of the plans to extend the jurisdiction of the Territorial Court has not been available for the last 10 years. Perhaps an appellate court would be beneficial to the territory, but where is the adequate funding for such a project? The Omnibus Bill seeks to use the Industrial Development Fund and the Insurance Guaranty Fund, but these funds are already committed in the proposed budget estimates and are essential to balancing the Fiscal Year 2002 Budget — essential, in fact, to the very operations of the V.I. government. Further, the League wonders how an appellate court is germane to industrial development or to the insurance guarantees to the people of the Virgin Islands?
When will the government of the Virgin Islands shelve its crisis-to-crisis management style? When will financial planning based on reality be the base for decision making, for the preparation of budget proposals from the executive branch and for the commitment of resources in the best interest of the whole community?
The Legislature, by its action in voting up the Omnibus Bill without regard for the revenue projections of the executive branch, has dumped the responsibility for fiscal integrity squarely in the lap of Government House. The league of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands urgently pleads for the judicious application of the veto power.

Editor's note: Erva A. Denham is the president of the League of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands.
We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

Sept. 13, 2002 – A small group of Virgin Islands residents, armed with tape recorders and cameras, is on a mission to help capture a bit of history that otherwise might go unrecorded — the fascinating life stories of some of the territory's renowned and lesser known musicians who are keeping V.I. traditional music alive.
This cadre of researchers represents a cross segment of St. Thomas and St. John communities. It includes actors, university professors, an elementary school principal, a steel pan musician, an historic preservation planner, and a self-described local food manufacturer entrepreneur. Despite their diverse backgrounds, they all have one thing in common and that is a genuine interest in preserving the stories of Virgin Islanders who are the musical tradition bearers of the culture.
For four hours each day for a week in June, these nine residents attended the free "Documenting Living Treasures" workshop sponsored by the Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute (AMRI), the Caribbean branch of Columbia College Chicago's Center for Black Music Research. AMRI will be located on St. Thomas and will serve as a research facility to discover, study, and document black music in the Caribbean region and in particular the Virgin Islands. The workshop, the first in a series to be conducted throughout the Virgin Islands, was held at the V.I. Cultural Heritage Institute and funded in part by the V.I. Humanities Council.
Workshop instructor Johann Buis, the Center's International Initiatives coordinator, gave the participants a crash course in conducting field research as well as training on ethical issues that may arise when recording the life stories of the local musicians. The goal is to have each workshop participant complete an oral history project on a local musical tradition bearer by October. The projects then become part of the resource libraries of both the Center and the Adams Institute.
Two St. John residents, Carla Sewer, Carabana Theatre's artistic director, and Cheryl Miller, owner of Mango Mamma, made the daily trek to the workshop.
"I wanted to do it because I wanted to document our culture. Our culture is diminishing with each generation," Miller said. Miller also plans to use the same research approach to document the cultural heritage of Virgin Islands foods, particularly how they are used medicinally.
For one participant, the timing of the workshop couldn't have been more perfect. Steel pan musician Aben Marrero was asked earlier this year by the Carnival committee to write a paper on the history of steel pan in the Virgin Islands. Marrero took advantage of the opportunity to attend the workshop, believing that it will help him develop and shape his project.
In addition to the workshop's historical value to the community at large, this seminar had a unique hook for drawing applicants. Unlike most workshops in which participants pay to attend, AMRI paid the participants to attend. Each person who completed the workshop received $100 and will then receive an additional $100 for completing an oral history project. Those who choose to present their project at the next workshop, which is expected to be held early next year, will receive an additional $100. The tradition bearers who agree to be subjects of the projects will also be compensated.
"We value the time and effort of the resident researchers and the tradition bearers. The stipends are just small tokens of our appreciation and recognition of their work. These payments pale in comparison to the value of the tradition bearers, and researchers' contributions to their communities, the V.I. culture, and the importance of documenting and preserving these treasured stories as historical accounts," said Rosita Sands, Director of CBMR.
Wanda Mills, one of the workshop participants and the territory's historic preservation planner at the Historic Preservation office, is conducting projects on two tradition bearers: radio personality and drummer Irvin "Brownie" Brown and saxophonist Alwyn "Lad" Richards.
"I am really excited about this project. The documentation of oral histories is something that we really need in the Virgin Islands. It also gives me the opportunity to use my skills in documenting oral history," Mills said.

The Summit of Tradition Bearers
To culminate the workshop, the AMRI held a free public Summit of Tradition Bearers honoring five local musicians for their lifetime contributions to the V.I. musical heritage. Dr. Gilbert Sprauve, who recently retired as a University of the Virgin Islands linguistics professor, served as the moderator and paid tribute to five musical treasures: Richards and James "Jamesie" Brewster of St. Thomas, Delita O'Connor of St. John, and Stanley Jacobs and Eldred Christian of St. Croix.
The summit was an opportunity not only to honor the dynamic five but also to allow the public to interview the musicians and hear some of their rich and colorful stories of their lives. The musical talents of the honored tradition bearers ranged from spiritual to secular. Whether the songs were hymns, quelbe, or calypso, those attending the summit at the Frenchman's Reef Hotel were certainly entertained.
O'Connor, known for her powerful voice, is recognized for her spiritual singing at churches and particularly funerals in St. Thomas and St. John as well as for hospital shut-ins. To show what type of spiritual singing she enjoyed, she warmed up the audience with "Stay Between the White Lines" and then later sang "What Will You Be in a Million Years?" On both songs, her a cappella singing was quickly augmented by her fellow musicians, who joined in by drumming on the table and playing their instruments, creating an impromptu spirit-filled jam session.
Richards, the V.I. dean of saxophone who never leaves home without his instrument, was asked to play one of his favorite songs. Given his diverse musical background and training, having been a member of the V.I. Orchestra and the V.I. Community Band in the 1930s and '40s playing classics and marches, Richards graced the audience with the famous Irish evergreen song, "Danny Boy." But he quickly returned to his calypso roots with its social commentary and colloquial double entendres and challenged the audience to name the tune after playing a few bars of "Pum Pum in de Air."
Sprauve told the audience made up of friends, musicians, educators, historians, and supporters of traditional music, young and old, that Stanley Jacobs has dedicated his band to the preservation of the indigenous music. He explained that the 10 Sleepless Knights, which includes Eldred Christian as the lead vocalist and one of the band's original members, is the band of choice for quadrille dances and cultural events throughout the territory.
When asked for their views on the changes in music today, particularly with regard to the growing popularity of electronically produced sounds, Richard responded by saying, "Everything has to change, but the music of Stanley and 10 Sleepless Knights will be around for a long, long, time." Jacobs' Six Pack band, a smaller band comprised of only traditional instruments, provided the musical entertainment and demonstration for the Summit.
With everyone warmed up from O'Connor's and Richards' musical performances, it didn't take a lot of coaxing to get Jacobs and Christian to duet on an old-time favorite, "We Ain't Start No War," a song from the 1960s referring to Muhammad Ali's opposition to the Vietnam War. Not to be outdone, Christian eagerly jumped at the opportunity to imitate the fancy foot work of Alphonso "Phonsa" Williams, a famous quadrille dancer. Jacobs and Brewster, without missing a beat, provided the back-up music.
The most colorful storytelling of the evening, however, came from Brewster, the King of Quelbe. He recounted how as a little boy he used to scrape the squash behind his grandmother during the scratch band practices with his father in St. Croix. He also explained that the reason he decided to make his own signature banjo-guitar out of a sardine can was because he was not allowed to touch his father's banjo guitar.
Although the tradition bearers had different musical backgrounds and journeys, they all played one single chord. In perfect harmony, they called for the inclusion of the traditional music in the school curriculum and stressed the importance of passing on the tradition to the younger generations. They also expressed a need for a musician's union that will ensure that local musicians are hired to play at the hotels and events where outside musicians are now almost exclusively used. But until that happens, Brewster's commitment to his music typifies the dedication and drive of tradition bearers.
"Only time I will stop playing this music is when my two eyes close. I am not giving up this cultural music," Brewster said.
A videotape copy of the summit will also be part of the reference material holdings at the Adams Institute. AMRI will be located at the Alton Adams original family residence at the head of Education Street and is expected to open later this year.
Editor's note: Janet Mescus was site manager of the Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute, St. Thomas, when she wrote this article.
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Sept. 13, 2002 – A small group of Virgin Islands residents, armed with tape recorders and cameras, is on a mission to help capture a bit of history that otherwise might go unrecorded — the fascinating life stories of some of the territory's renowned and lesser known musicians who are keeping V.I. traditional music alive.
This cadre of researchers represents a cross segment of St. Thomas and St. John communities. It includes actors, university professors, an elementary school principal, a steel pan musician, an historic preservation planner, and a self-described local food manufacturer entrepreneur. Despite their diverse backgrounds, they all have one thing in common and that is a genuine interest in preserving the stories of Virgin Islanders who are the musical tradition bearers of the culture.
For four hours each day for a week in June, these nine residents attended the free "Documenting Living Treasures" workshop sponsored by the Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute (AMRI), the Caribbean branch of Columbia College Chicago's Center for Black Music Research. AMRI will be located on St. Thomas and will serve as a research facility to discover, study, and document black music in the Caribbean region and in particular the Virgin Islands. The workshop, the first in a series to be conducted throughout the Virgin Islands, was held at the V.I. Cultural Heritage Institute and funded in part by the V.I. Humanities Council.
Workshop instructor Johann Buis, the Center's International Initiatives coordinator, gave the participants a crash course in conducting field research as well as training on ethical issues that may arise when recording the life stories of the local musicians. The goal is to have each workshop participant complete an oral history project on a local musical tradition bearer by October. The projects then become part of the resource libraries of both the Center and the Adams Institute.
Two St. John residents, Carla Sewer, Carabana Theatre's artistic director, and Cheryl Miller, owner of Mango Mamma, made the daily trek to the workshop.
"I wanted to do it because I wanted to document our culture. Our culture is diminishing with each generation," Miller said. Miller also plans to use the same research approach to document the cultural heritage of Virgin Islands foods, particularly how they are used medicinally.
For one participant, the timing of the workshop couldn't have been more perfect. Steel pan musician Aben Marrero was asked earlier this year by the Carnival committee to write a paper on the history of steel pan in the Virgin Islands. Marrero took advantage of the opportunity to attend the workshop, believing that it will help him develop and shape his project.
In addition to the workshop's historical value to the community at large, this seminar had a unique hook for drawing applicants. Unlike most workshops in which participants pay to attend, AMRI paid the participants to attend. Each person who completed the workshop received $100 and will then receive an additional $100 for completing an oral history project. Those who choose to present their project at the next workshop, which is expected to be held early next year, will receive an additional $100. The tradition bearers who agree to be subjects of the projects will also be compensated.
"We value the time and effort of the resident researchers and the tradition bearers. The stipends are just small tokens of our appreciation and recognition of their work. These payments pale in comparison to the value of the tradition bearers, and researchers' contributions to their communities, the V.I. culture, and the importance of documenting and preserving these treasured stories as historical accounts," said Rosita Sands, Director of CBMR.
Wanda Mills, one of the workshop participants and the territory's historic preservation planner at the Historic Preservation office, is conducting projects on two tradition bearers: radio personality and drummer Irvin "Brownie" Brown and saxophonist Alwyn "Lad" Richards.
"I am really excited about this project. The documentation of oral histories is something that we really need in the Virgin Islands. It also gives me the opportunity to use my skills in documenting oral history," Mills said.
The Summit of Tradition Bearers

To culminate the workshop, the AMRI held a free public Summit of Tradition Bearers honoring five local musicians for their lifetime contributions to the V.I. musical heritage. Dr. Gilbert Sprauve, who recently retired as a University of the Virgin Islands linguistics professor, served as the moderator and paid tribute to five musical treasures: Richards and James "Jamesie" Brewster of St. Thomas, Delita O'Connor of St. John, and Stanley Jacobs and Eldred Christian of St. Croix.
The summit was an opportunity not only to honor the dynamic five but also to allow the public to interview the musicians and hear some of their rich and colorful stories of their lives. The musical talents of the honored tradition bearers ranged from spiritual to secular. Whether the songs were hymns, quelbe, or calypso, those attending the summit at the Frenchman's Reef Hotel were certainly entertained.
O'Connor, known for her powerful voice, is recognized for her spiritual singing at churches and particularly funerals in St. Thomas and St. John as well as for hospital shut-ins. To show what type of spiritual singing she enjoyed, she warmed up the audience with "Stay Between the White Lines" and then later sang "What Will You Be in a Million Years?" On both songs, her a cappella singing was quickly augmented by her fellow musicians, who joined in by drumming on the table and playing their instruments, creating an impromptu spirit-filled jam session.
Richards, the V.I. dean of saxophone who never leaves home without his instrument, was asked to play one of his favorite songs. Given his diverse musical background and training, having been a member of the V.I. Orchestra and the V.I. Community Band in the 1930s and '40s playing classics and marches, Richards graced the audience with the famous Irish evergreen song, "Danny Boy." But he quickly returned to his calypso roots with its social commentary and colloquial double entendres and challenged the audience to name the tune after playing a few bars of "Pum Pum in de Air."
Sprauve told the audience made up of friends, musicians, educators, historians, and supporters of traditional music, young and old, that Stanley Jacobs has dedicated his band to the preservation of the indigenous music. He explained that the 10 Sleepless Knights, which includes Eldred Christian as the lead vocalist and one of the band's original members, is the band of choice for quadrille dances and cultural events throughout the territory.
When asked for their views on the changes in music today, particularly with regard to the growing popularity of electronically produced sounds, Richard responded by saying, "Everything has to change, but the music of Stanley and 10 Sleepless Knights will be around for a long, long, time." Jacobs' Six Pack band, a smaller band comprised of only traditional instruments, provided the musical entertainment and demonstration for the Summit.
With everyone warmed up from O'Connor's and Richards' musical performances, it didn't take a lot of coaxing to get Jacobs and Christian to duet on an old-time favorite, "We Ain't Start No War," a song from the 1960s referring to Muhammad Ali's opposition to the Vietnam War. Not to be outdone, Christian eagerly jumped at the opportunity to imitate the fancy foot work of Alphonso "Phonsa" Williams, a famous quadrille dancer. Jacobs and Brewster, without missing a beat, provided the back-up music.
The most colorful storytelling of the evening, however, came from Brewster, the King of Quelbe. He recounted how as a little boy he used to scrape the squash behind his grandmother during the scratch band practices with his father in St. Croix. He also explained that the reason he decided to make his own signature banjo-guitar out of a sardine can was because he was not allowed to touch his father's banjo guitar.
Although the tradition bearers had different musical backgrounds and journeys, they all played one single chord. In perfect harmony, they called for the inclusion of the traditional music in the school curriculum and stressed the importance of passing on the tradition to the younger generations. They also expressed a need for a musician's union that will ensure that local musicians are hired to play at the hotels and events where outside musicians are now almost exclusively used. But until that happens, Brewster's commitment to his music typifies the dedication and drive of tradition bearers.
"Only time I will stop playing this music is when my two eyes close. I am not giving up this cultural music," Brewster said.
A videotape copy of the summit will also be part of the reference material holdings at the Adams Institute. AMRI will be located at the Alton Adams original family residence at the head of Education Street and is expected to open later this year.
Editor's note: Janet Mescus was site manager of the Alton Augustus Adams Music Research Institute, St. Thomas, when she wrote this article.
Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.