Gail Saunders

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

or Diane Gail North Saunders (March 10, 1944 – June 30, 2023) was a prominent Bahamian historian, archivist, author and athlete. Saunders established the Bahamian National Archives and was the director from 1971 until 2004. She was the president of the Bahamas Historical Society from 1989 until 1999. 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. She authored books about Bahamian history including ''Historic Bahamas'', ''Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People,'' and ''Race and Class in the Colonial Bahamas, 1880-1960''. 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 The Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC or CACGs) are a multi-sport regional championship event, held quadrennial (once every four years), typically in the middle (even) year between Summer Olympics. The games are for 32 countries and ...

Early life and education

Diane Gail North was born to Edward Basil and Audrey Virginia (Isaacs) North on March 10, 1944. During her high school and college years, she was a superior scholar and athlete. North represented the country on the sprint relay team at the

1962 Central American and Caribbean Games The ninth Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Kingston, the capital city of Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of t ...

, in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Jamaica. 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. North earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1966 from

University of Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick un ...

and a postgraduate certificate in Education from the

University of Leicester The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...

in 1967. She taught history at Government High School for two years. North married

Winston Saunders Winston Vernon Saunders, Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, CMG (3 October 1941 – 25 November 2006) was a The Bahamas, Bahamian educator, lawyer, actor, playwright and cultural director. Early life In his youth, Saunders atten ...

in 1968. The couple relocated to England for further schooling. She studied at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

and worked at the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

in the Public Record Offices to study the process for archiving. When the couple moved back to the Bahamas in 1969, Winston took a position as deputy headmaster at Highbury High School, while Gail took a position at the library in the Ministry of Education, where she organised the records of the old Board of Education to make the first deposit in the National Archives. Saunders also studied under historian Michael Craton at the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...

to earn a doctorate.

National archives

The Ministry of Education asked Saunders to establish the Bahamian National Archives. The archives were held at the Eastern Public Library (the Eastern Post Office) for 16 years. Saunders was the director from 1971 until 2004 and director-general of the archives until her retirement in 2008. Saunders was also president of the Association of Caribbean Historians, president of the Caribbean Archives Association, and an executive member of the International Council on Archives.

Writing

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

Later life and death

After retirement from the National Archives, Saunders remained active in academic pursuits as a scholar-in-residence at the

College of the Bahamas The University of The Bahamas (UB) is the national public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas with campuses throughout the archipelago. The main campus is located in the capital city of Nassau, on the island of New ...

. Saunders died at her home in western

New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in The Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. On the eastern side of the island is the national capital, national capital city of Nassau, Bahamas, Nassau; it had a population of 246 ...

on 30 June 2023, at the age of 79. She was predeceased by her husband, who died in 2006. A state-recognised funeral was held for her on Friday 21 July 2023 at Christ Church Cathedral, Nassau. The Tribune, one of two Nassau daily newspapers, noted on passing:

History was important to Dr Gail Saunders. And Dr Gail Saunders was important to our history.... Dr Saunders did not just record what happened in our nation’s history but examined what it meant, and fundamentally helped to define our understanding of race and class in the Bahamas. Her passing comes as we approach a landmark in history – 50 years as an independent nation....May those who follow her live up to the impact she has made on the Bahamas – and may she rest in peace.

Honours

Saunders was made a ordinary officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in 2003. 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 ...

awarded her an honorary degree in 2004. Saunders was also inducted into the Bahamas National Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. In the 2019 National Honours, she was appointed as a Member of the

Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction (OD) is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Ac ...

for her exemplary service to the Bahamas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:North-Saunders, Gail 1944 births 2023 deaths Alumni of Newcastle University Alumni of the University of Leicester Bahamian female sprinters Bahamian historians Bahamian women historians Bahamian women writers Bahamian writers Competitors at the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games Officers of the Order of the British Empire University of Waterloo alumni Women archivists