SOCIETY, SOCIETY: Lovebirds Tanya Shirley and Alan Johnstone find wedded bliss

Tanya Shirley is having the best year ever. Mere weeks after receiving a Silver Musgrave Medal from the Institute of Jamaica, the affable poetess (The Merchant of Feathers, She Who Sleeps With Bones), tied the knot with her Prince Charming (aka Alan Johnstone), who works in finance. The lovebirds said their I Dos before a gathering of close family and friends at the Deer Park Country House on June 17. The blushing bride wore a Louise Graham gown. Guests included Jamaica National’s Dr. Renee Rattray, who paid tribute to the pair in song and UWI’s Dr. Michael Bucknor, who recited a poem Shirley wrote to mark the occasion. 
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Prof. Elsa Leo-Rhynie deserves all the accolades coming her way as she heads into her golden years. On June 23, the former UWI Pro-Vice Chancellor and Principal of the Mona Campus was presented with the Chancellor’s Medal by Sir George Alleyne, who has announced his retirement from the institution. The ceremony took place at UWI’s Regional headquarters, Mona. The Chancellor’s Medal is a special award of distinction presented by the UWI Chancellor to an individual who has made a substantial and lasting contribution to the welfare and development of UWI. Among Prof. Leo-Rhynie’s numerous honours are the National Order of Distinction (received in 2000) and the Order of Jamaica, conferred in 2015. In 2014, the Elsa Leo-Rhynie Hall opened its doors to students at Mona. 
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For countless Jamaicans, especially those of us who grew up in the rural parts, big sisters were like “second mothers.” That’s precisely the kind of bond that Lorna Goodison and Barbara Gloudon shared. “She was the star of the family without a doubt; we all adored her. She was a great example for the rest of us,” Goodison says of her sibling, who is 12 years her senior. There were nine of them in total coming of age in St. Elizabeth, Goodison tells TALLAWAH. “Because of her we grew up going to the theatre and attending concerts and ballet recitals. She brought home a lot of books, so I grew up reading. She introduced us to a wide world.” 
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The long wait is over. Bruce Golding has reportedly submitted the Caricom Review Commission’s multiple-page report to PM Andrew Holness, and inquiring minds are eager to hear the findings.

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