Dame Calliopa Pearlette Louisy (born 8 June 1946) is a Saint Lucian academic, who served as governor-general of Saint Lucia from 19 September 1997, until her resignation on 31 December 2017. She is the first woman to hold the vice-regal office, as well as the longest-serving governor-general in the history of

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

Biography

Born in the village of

Laborie Laborie is a village on the south coast of Saint Lucia. It was originally called l'Islet a Caret after the Loggerhead sea turtles that were found in the area. The name Laborie is named after Baron de Laborie who was the French governor of Saint ...

, Saint Lucia, Louisy attended the Laborie Infant School and Primary Schools. In 1960 she proceeded to the St. Joseph's Convent on the Javouhey Scholarship. In 1966, a year after the completion of her secondary education she was awarded the

Canadian International Development Agency The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA; in French: ''Agence canadienne de développement international''; ''ACDI'') was a federal Canadian organization that administered foreign aid programs in developing countries. The agency was me ...

(CIDA) scholarship to pursue a bachelor's degree in English and French at the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

at Cave Hill,

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. In 1972, she was awarded the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan to pursue a

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in linguistics, in the field of Didactics at

Université Laval (; English: ''Laval University)'' is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university traces its roots to the Séminaire de Québec, founded by François de Montmorency-Laval in 1663, making it the oldest institutio ...

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

, Canada. In 1991, she proceeded to the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

in the United Kingdom, where she read for a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

degree in education. Louisy has contributed significantly to the development of Education in Saint Lucia, having spent most of her professional life in the teaching profession. During the periods 1969–72 and 1975–76, she taught at the St Joseph's Convent. From 1976 to 1986, she served as a tutor of French, and was subsequently appointed as Principal of the St. Lucia A Level College. When the A Level College and Morne Technical School merged into the

Sir Arthur Lewis Community College Sir Arthur Lewis Community College is the only community college in the island country of Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is ...

, she first served as Dean, and was subsequently appointed as the Vice Principal and Principal of the college. In 1999, Louisy was awarded the Honorary degree of

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

(LL.D.) by the

. On 16 July 1999, she was appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George. In 2011, she received an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLB) from the University of West Indies.

Honours

National honours

– : Grand Cross of the

Order of Saint Lucia The Order of Saint Lucia is an order of chivalry established in 1986 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Saint Lucia. The order is bestowed by the governor-general on behalf of the sovereign. The governor-general has the right to exercise all powers and ...

(GCSL)

Commonwealth Honours

– : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (GCMG) * – : Dame of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of St. John (DStJ)

Papal honours

– : Dame of the Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great (DSG)

References

External links

Office of the Governor General
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louisy, Pearlette 1946 births Alumni of the University of Bristol Dames Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Governors-general of Saint Lucia Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Lucia Dames of St. Gregory the Great Living people People from Laborie Quarter Saint Lucian educators 20th-century Saint Lucian women politicians 20th-century Saint Lucian politicians Université Laval alumni University of the West Indies alumni 21st-century Saint Lucian women politicians 21st-century Saint Lucian politicians Saint Lucian dames Female governors-general