My hero and friend Gordon “Butch” Stewart has left this world for greener pastures but my heart- felt admiration and love of this Caribbean icon compels me to let the world know about this son of Caribbean soil.
This man rose from very humble beginnings in Jamaica to the pinnacle of business success by vision, an ever positive attitude and a work ethic second to none but he never lost his humility and love for the working men and women of the Caribbean. A simple act that I witnessed illustrates the essence of “Butch” Stewart.
One night while enjoying a delicious dinner with some dignitaries at one of his Sandals hotels I observed “Butch” get up excuse himself and proceed to walk through the kitchen of every restaurant at the hotel to mingle with the staff and thank them for the excellent work they were doing for the hotel’s guests. He did this with the humility of a beggar and when my wife and I were departing after dinner feeling really honoured to have been invited to dine with the “Chairman” as we all called him he thanked us repeatedly for joining him for dinner.
I thought to myself “something isn’t right here, we should be the ones thanking him” but he never saw it that way. I will forever thank God for the life of Gordon “Butch” Stewart and I will pray for the continued success of his son Adam and the Stewart family and for the entire Sandals team. They are a beacon to Caribbean people that says anything is possible in the Caribbean. We can be the best in the world if we put our minds to it.
Ralph (Bizzy) Williams