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Diane Gail North-Saunders, OBE ( née North; March 10, 1944 – June 30, 2023) was a Bahamian historian, archivist, athlete, and author. [1] [2]

North-Saunders established the Bahamian National Archives and was the director from 1971 until 2004. [1] She was the president of the Bahamas Historical Society from 1989 until 1999. [1] North-Saunders was president of the Association of Caribbean Historians, president of the Caribbean Archives Association, and an executive member of the International Council on Archives. [3]

She authored books about Bahamian history including Historic Bahamas, [3] Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People, [4] and Race and Class in the Colonial Bahamas, 1880–1960. [5]

North-Saunders was also one of the four women to first represent the Bahamas in an international sports competition as a member of the sprint relay team at the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games. [3]

Early life and education

Diane Gail North was born to Edward Basil and Audrey Virginia (Isaacs) North on March 10, 1944.[ citation needed] During her high school and college years, she was a superior scholar and athlete. [3] North represented the country on the sprint relay team at the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games, in Kingston, Jamaica. [3] At the event, along with Althea Rolle-Clarke, Elaine Thompson, and Christina Jones-Darville, she was one of the four women to first represent the Bahamas in an international sports competition. [3]

North earned a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1966 from University of Newcastle upon Tyne and a postgraduate certificate in Education from the University of Leicester in 1967. [1] She taught history at Government High for two years. [1]

North married Winston Saunders in 1968. [1] [6] The couple relocated to England for further schooling. [1] She studied at University College London and worked at the British Council in Public Record Offices to study process for archiving. [1] When they moved back to the Bahamas in 1969, Winston took a position as deputy headmaster at Highbury High School. [1]

Upon returning to the Bahamas, North-Saunders took a position at the library in the Ministry of Education where she organized the records of the old Board of Education to make the first deposit in the National Archives. [1]

Saunders studied under historian Michael Craton at the University of Waterloo to earn a doctorate. [1]

National archives

The Ministry of Education asked North-Saunders to establish the Bahamian National Archives. [1] The archives were held at the Eastern Public Library (the Eastern Post Office) for 16 years. [1] North-Saunders was the director from 1971 until 2004 and director-general of the archives until her retirement in 2008. [1]

Saunders was president of the Association of Caribbean Historians; president of the Caribbean Archives Association and an executive member of the International Council on Archives. [3]

Writing

Saunders authored books about Bahamian history including Historic Bahamas, [3] Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People (Volume 1 and 2) with Michael Craton, [4] and Race and Class in the Colonial Bahamas, 1880–1960. [5]

Later life and death

After retirement from the National Archives, Saunders remained active in academic pursuits as Scholar-in-residence at the College of The Bahamas. [1] In 2006, her husband, Winston Saunders, died. [6]

North-Saunders died on 30 June 2023, at the age of 79. [7]

Honours

Saunders was awarded the Commonwealth honour of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003. [8] The University of the West Indies awarded her an honorary degree in 2004. [9] She was inducted into the Bahamas National Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. [10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "National Profile: Dr. Gail Saunders". The Nassau Guardian. 2011-11-28. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  2. ^ "Dr. Gail Saunders". The Bahamian Project. 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Prominent historian once a track and field star". The Nassau Guardian. 2012-06-20. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  4. ^ a b Stone, Michael C. (January 2002). "Review of Craton, Michael; Saunders, Gail, Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People, Volume Two: From the Ending of Slavery to the Twenty-first Century and Craton, Michael; Saunders, Gail, Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People, Volume One: From Aboriginal Times to the End of Slavery". www.h-net.org. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  5. ^ a b "thebahamasweekly.com - Dr. Gail Saunders presents a copy of new book to the Governor General". www.thebahamasweekly.com. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  6. ^ a b "On the Passing of Winston Saunders". Blogworld on Wordpress. 2006-11-27. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  7. ^ Historian Dr Gail Saunders dies age 79, PM pays tribute to 'beacon of light'
  8. ^ "Commonwealth honours". 2002-12-31. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  9. ^ "THIRTEEN TO RECEIVE HONORARY DEGREES | Marketing and Communications Office, The University of West Indies at Mona". www.mona.uwi.edu. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  10. ^ Ingraham, Felicity (November 28, 2013). "21 Inducted into 2013 Bahamas National Sports Hall of Fame". www.thebahamasweekly.com. Retrieved 2017-11-19.