Dozens Gather In Brooklyn To Bid Adieu To Former Caribbean Ambassador Sir Dr. Lamuel Stanislaus

Dozens gathered in a Brooklyn Catholic church on Sat. Sept. 24, 2016 to pay final respects to Sir Dr. Lamuel Stanislaus. (NAN Image)

By NAN Staff Writer

News Americas, BROOKLYN, NY, Fri. Sept. 23, 2016: Hundreds, including Grenada Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell, packed a Brooklyn, NY church Saturday morning, September 24, 2016, to pay their final respects to former Caribbean Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sir Dr. Lamuel Stanislaus.

Sir Stanislaus, 95,  life was celebrated at a funeral mass at the St. Francis of Assisi/St. Blaise Roman Catholic Church in Brooklyn, NY that was presided over by Monsignor Paul Jervis Pastor. He was later laid to rest at Canarsie Cemetery, also in Brooklyn, NY.

The former Grenada ambassador passed away last Sunday, September 18, 2016 in Brooklyn, NY. Sir Stanislaus was Grenada’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Representative at the United Nations from 1985-1990 and again from 1998-2004. He was at one time Grenada’s longest serving diplomat before he retired some years ago.

Born in Petite Martinique, Sir Stanislaus was the recipient of numerous professional, civic and political awards, both at home and abroad. Those included the Insignia of Commander of the British Empire from her Majesty the Queen of England, (CBE), the Lifetime Achievement Award from the District Attorney of Brooklyn, and in April of this year, the United States Congress commemorated his 95th birthday, with a proclamation.

In February 2016 at Grenada’s Independence Celebrations, he was deservingly granted the highest honor of Grenada, Knight Commander KCNG.

Sir Stanislaus became known at the UN as a seasoned, substantive and eloquent voice on behalf of his country, and on occasions when he was delegated to speak on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean countries (GRULAC). He also served for a year as a Vice-President of the UN General Assembly, during which he was appointed to act for a month in the absence of the President, receiving highest commendation for the conduct of the business of the General Assembly for that month. Another highlight of Dr. Stanislaus’ tenure was the persuasive statement made before the Decolonization Committee which resulted in the invitation to the then Chief Minister of Montserrat to come to the UN to plead his case for additional help for his volcanic ravaged island. His legacy to his country, however, and to eleven other small Commonwealth countries at the United Nations is what is known as the Small States Joint Office at the UN, where the larger Commonwealth States have given well appointed shared offices to smaller Commonwealth States, rent free for the past twenty-five years and counting.

In commenting on the pioneering effort and the persuasive skills of the Ambassador from Grenada, which made the Joint Office possible, The New York Times recently referred to this unique arrangement as “The United States of Tiny.”

Dr. Stanislaus was educated at Grenada Boys’ Secondary School  (1933-1938) and immigrated to the United States in 1945 to attend Howard University in Washington. He majored in chemistry and physics as an undergrad and went to Howard Dental School and graduated with a BS (summa cum laude) in 1948, and the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) in 1953. After graduation, he took a job doing pediatric dentistry in Newark, N.Y., in upstate Wayne County and was engaged in the private practice of Dentistry in New York City for 32 years before going to the UN.

He was one of the architects of the West Indian Labor Day Parade and was good friends with founders Carlos Lezama and Rufus Gorin and with many of the city’s politicians at that time, including late Rep. Shirley Chisholm and, Congressman Charles Rangel, late former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton and late former Gov. Mario Cuomo.

Sir Stanislaus is survived by five children – Lamuel, Galen, Karen, Eugene and John and seven grandchildren.