-by Kimberly Giddings
Tributes and live performances at the National Cultural Centre on Sunday honoured the life and legacy of Trinidad-born Guyanese author, poet, athlete and corporate executive Dr. Ian Archie McDonald.
Friends and former colleagues reflected on their experiences with Dr. McDonald, remembering his character, his contributions to Caribbean literature and the lasting impact of his work on the region’s literary community.
Poet Al Creighton said, “Ian reflected on his family, his boyhood and his parents, and on his own home in Georgetown while focusing on including his wife and grandson. Throughout all his volumes of poetry there is a re-occurring contemplation of mortality.”
Meanwhile, former chairman of GuySuCo, Vic Oudit, said “One of the distinguishing memories of Ian was the ability to listen, Ian was a great listener and from the lowest sugar worker to the highest manager, Ian would listen and try to fix things.”
Born on April 18, 1933, Dr. McDonald passed away on July 24, 2026.
He was a distinguished poet, writer, newspaper columnist, corporate executive and champion athlete whose contributions left a lasting mark on Guyana and the wider Caribbean.
Describing himself as “Antiguan by ancestry,” McDonald first came to Guyana in 1955.
He went on to hold senior positions in the sugar industry, serving as a director of Bookers and later GUYSUCO before becoming Chief Executive Officer of the Sugar Association of the Caribbean.
Beyond his corporate career, he was widely recognised as a foundational voice in Caribbean literature.