00:00The grandson of Venezuelan immigrants, Robert Bermudez transformed himself into a household name from an industrial bakery owned by his family.
00:09He attended St. Mary's College from 1964 to 1969, and although he never went to university, his talent for business saw the brand grow, extending from local markets into the Caribbean and Central America.
00:22At CIC's Hall of Fame 14th Biennial Induction Ceremony, Bermudez was the first inductee, and Dr. Anthony Watkin notes that his skills saw him become a director at many companies, including Massey Holdings.
00:35He also responded to the call of public service, serving as the chairman of the Tourism Development Company, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association, and later on as chancellor of the University of the West Indies from 2017 to 2024.
00:53Also inducted into CIC's Hall of Fame is prominent attorney Martin Daly, senior counsel, who credits in part fathers Leonard Graf and Roland Casnell for his early foundation in education.
01:04Education wasn't about chicken boxes and pass an exam only. It was about leading people out in the circle.
01:11Ainsworth Mohamed, long-standing manager of Republic Bank Exeter Steel Orchestra, and internal medicine specialist consultant Dr. Lennox Peer, a former medical director of the Sangra Grande Hospital, who focused on improving health standards and better remuneration for junior staff.
01:30And Dr. Richard Clark, who is described as a physician that gives of himself, serving as the medical officer of the Living Water Hospice for the past 40 years, while balancing his own private practice.
01:43He was in attendance to patients at the hospice daily, more than once per day. In his own private practice, he has been known to offer his medical services without charge to people who, under normal circumstances, would not be able to afford visits to a private doctor.
02:00Among the inductees who have transitioned this life is Mark Lokwan, the chemical engineer who made invaluable contributions to TNT's energy sector for many years, including being the chief executive officer of the National Gas Company.
02:15But Lokwan was as heavily vested in Culture and the Arts, a panist, and a pan-music producer, whose pieces were performed on the panorama stage.
02:25He believed that for the steel pan to fulfill its potential, it was critical for panists to become musically literary.
02:32He founded the music literary trust in 2004 to document the arrangements produced for the panorama competition, and to teach young people to read music and provide scholarships for their further musical education.
02:47Politician Dr. Emmanuel Hussain, a former health minister from 1987 to 1991, and Alwyn Chow, a former managing director of the then Trinidad Publishing Company, now have their spot in CIC's Hall of Fame as well.
03:05Archbishop Jason Gordon says there is a lot of darkness in the country, but he sees the importance of getting young and older alike to see what he refers to as a covenantal relationship between citizen and nation.
03:17So that we understand this is we ting. We fight for this thing. This is our place.
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