Cayman: Stamp issue celebrating late centenarian presented to his children
Right to Left: Philatelic Bureau Acting Manager Shindi Beput, Ministry of Education Acting Chief Officer Lyneth Monteith, Deputy Premier Hon. Chris Saunders, Supervisor of Elections and Ministry of Border Control & Labour Chief Officer Wesley Howell, Postmaster General Sheena Glasgow.
Grand Cayman, 19 December 2022 – The family of the late Mr. Wellesley Howell was presented with a framed set of the Cayman Islands Postal Service (CIPS) stamp issue featuring the beloved community icon on 29 November.
Mr. Howell’s children Lyneth Monteith and Wesley Howell received the framed sets from Deputy Premier Hon. Chris Saunders, Postmaster General Sheena Glasgow and Philatelic Bureau Acting Manager Shindi Beput.
At 106 years of age, the late Mr. Wellesley Howell was a well-known musician, a saxophonist, who also ran a shoe-making and repair shop of long-standing repute in George Town.
Deputy Premier Saunders noted Mr. Wellesley Howell’s many years of contribution to the Cayman Islands community, and said his legacy lived on in his children who are both senior civil servants.
His son Wesley Howell is the Supervisor of Elections and Chief Officer in the Ministry of Border Control and Labour, and his daughter Lyneth Monteith is the Acting Chief Officer in the Ministry of Education.
Mr. Howell Snr. was born in Jamaica on 7 January 1915, one year into World War I, and was the longest known surviving person in the Cayman Islands at the time of his passing on 22 July 2021.
The stamp issue was requested by members of The Cabinet in tribute to Mr. Howell Sr.’s years, accomplishments, values and his life, both in Jamaica and in the Cayman Islands, to which he moved in 1958.
The stamp issue includes a set of two stamps in denominations of 25 cents and $2 as well as a First Day Cover (FDC) for collectors. The images depict Mr. Howell’s prowess as a shoemaker standing the doorway of his well-known shop on Shedden Road and as a musician, playing his saxophone solo and also in a group on the FDC.
Postmaster General Glasgow said the stamp issue honouring Mr. Howell came about due to The Cabinet’s wish to celebrate this inspiring member of the Cayman Islands community and she thanked the members of his family for sharing the photos and details of his life which made the stamp issue a fitting tribute.
The stamp issue featuring the late Mr. Wellesley Howell is available for sale to collectors at the Philatelic Bureau located in the Seven Mile Beach Post Office.
