Saint Lucia's Two Nobel Laureates

Sir W. Arthur Lewis won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science in 1979. Born in Saint Lucia in 1915, Lewis graduated with distinction from the London School of Economics and went on to earn a PhD in industrial economics. His life interest—and his influence—was in economic development and the transformation and expansion of university education in the Caribbean. Lewis died in 1991 and was buried on the grounds of Sir Arthur Lewis Community College on Morne Fortune in Saint Lucia.

Sir Derek Walcott was born in Castries in 1930. He was a writer, playwright, and watercolor painter. Omeros—an epic poem about his journey around the Caribbean, the American West, and London—contributed to his winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992. He taught poetry and drama in the United States, Canada, and England and gave lectures and readings throughout the world. In 2016 he was honored by Queen Elizabeth II as the Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia. Walcott died in 2017 and is also buried on Morne Fortune.