Dear Editor,
Guyana and the world have lost a remarkable soul in Ian McDonald. Tributes will surely pour in for this extraordinary man — perhaps the most accomplished individual in our Region — whose talents spanned an astonishing range: a brilliant writer and poet, a titan of the global sugar industry, a sportsman and devoted lover of all sports (especially tennis and cricket), a philanthropist, and a member of countless boards, organisations, and NGOs, always guided by a deep commitment to fairness and upliftment of the people of Guyana.
Yet as vast as his achievements were, they pale in comparison to the character of the man himself. Ian was, above all, the absolute epitome of decency. He moved through life with humility and wisdom, leaving everyone he met feeling seen, valued, and inspired.
I first met Ian in 1987, when he was GuySuCo’s revered Director of Administration and Marketing and I had just joined as Livestock Development Officer, at a time when the industry was being urged to diversify into other crops and livestock. Our friendship came easily — perhaps because we were both Trinidadian by birth — though I suspect it also reflected his generous patience with my many requests for feedback and support in an industry dominated by “sugar men”.
At the time, I could not have imagined that I would succeed him at GuySuCo in 2002, when he became the Chief Executive Officer of the Sugar Association of the Caribbean. His were enormous shoes to fill, yet his guidance, mentorship, and steady insight never wavered as we worked with the Government of Guyana, the CARICOM Secretariat, and the African and Pacific nations to navigate the turbulent waters created by the European Union’s dismantling of the Sugar Protocol trade arrangements. I can still hear him, in a rare departure from his usual composure, reminding negotiators that the EU had committed, under non-reciprocal preferences, to purchase sugar indefinitely at guaranteed prices and quantities. It was a hard-fought struggle, shaped by World Trade Organisation’s challenges to those preferences, and it ended in an Economic Partnership Agreement that Ian lamented as leaving us unavoidably on the back foot. With more than five decades of service to the industry, Ian understood sugar so deeply that he could have written the book, the script, and the footnotes.
From then on, our friendship was enriched by family moments, celebrations, and Ian’s familiar promise that he would make Steve and me love poetry. He carefully chose his favourites, printed them, and sent them to us with handwritten notes—often indecipherable—about the beauty of the prose within. We received each of his publications hot off the press, forming a collection we will cherish forever. Our conversations ranged widely, always without rancour, across religion, politics, sports, art, culture, and music, reflecting the depth of his curiosity and his remarkable gift for retaining detail. For Ian, reading was like breathing in, and writing was like breathing out.
Watching Ian and Mary together, and spending time with them in their beautiful, tranquil home in Bel Air Gardens, brought such warmth. They were inseparable and deeply devoted to each other — proud of one another’s accomplishments and wholly committed to their family. His “Poems for Mary” stands as a beautiful testament to his deep and abiding love for his life’s partner. In later years, our conversations often centered on his children, and joyful anecdotes about Jacob, Zoey, Ben and Darrain that left us laughing. He loved them all, completely and utterly.
My heart is heavy with sadness at Ian’s passing, but it is also full of gratitude for the privilege of knowing him. It is rare to encounter a person who embodies both greatness and gentleness in equal measure.
Thank you, Ian, for your unwavering integrity and for a legacy that lives on not only in your publications, but also in the hearts of all who had the honour of knowing and loving you. Yours was truly a life well lived.
Our deepest condolences to Mary, his sons, siblings, grandchildren and all the members of his family. May his memory continue to be a blessing, and may you feel surrounded by love and comfort in the days ahead.
Rest in Peace, dear friend.