Ralston McKenzie is a

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 the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

n broadcaster and journalist, producer/presenter of the award-winning community service programme '' Sunday Contact.'' The show, on for decades, aired weekly on

RJR 94 FM Radio Jamaica, also known as RJR 94 FM, and formerly Real Jamaican Radio, is a broadcast company in Jamaica with headquarters in Kingston. History On 9 July 1950, a commercial license to operate as a subsidiary of the British Rediffusion Group ...

(Radio Jamaica) and the Internet, linking persons with long-lost family and friends. He has set up Jamaica Contact, a web-based extension of his family search service. Other founding members and directors of Jamaica Contact are the Jamaican nationals Peter Townsend and Nicole McKenzie, and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

national Sven Littkowski. In a media career spanning some 40 years, Mr. McKenzie has served multiple functions at various levels in both television and radio since accepting the grant of a "Leave of Absence" from his pre-clinical studies in 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 ...

Faculty of Medicine at Mona.

Early years

Mr. McKenzie was born in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

, schooled in

Spanish Town Spanish Town (Jamaican Patois: Spain) is the capital and the largest town in the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica, St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica, Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and Briti ...

and then in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

in the early 1950s, a time full of political changes and developments in

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, when his family joined their father – a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

Flight Sergeant in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

on his overseas postings. Returning to Jamaica, Mr. McKenzie graduated from the St. George College in 1959 and resuming studies at the UWI earning a BSc.

Honors Degree Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, o ...

in International Relations. Further studies and a desire to enter the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, or become a career diplomat, took him to the

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where he earned a

Master of Science Degree A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

in International Affairs.

Awards and memberships

Returning again to Jamaica, he joined ''Life of Jamaica'' (now ''Sagicor Life'') in 1987. As a Senior Life Underwriter, he garnered several industry awards including " Top of the Million Dollar Round Table" (1993). Mr. McKenzie has given long years of voluntary service to various community, civic and social organizations, such as the St. Georges Old Boys Association, Press Association of Jamaica, Jamaica Save-the-Children Fund, and the Mel Nathan Institute for Social Development in Hannah Town. He was an active participant in the National Festival of the Performing Arts, a Gold Medal winner and National Champion in Speech and Drama for four years, and served on the board of the

Jamaica Cultural Development Commission 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 the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

. Among several awards in the broadcasting field, he was also awarded the Prime Ministers Medal in the field of Community Development in December 1983. Mr. McKenzie was married for over 35 years, with four children. He is currently a Lector in the

Lay Ministry Lay ministry is a term used for ministers of faiths in Christian denominations who are not ordained in their faith tradition. Lay ministers are people who are elected by the church, full-time or part-time. They may have theological degrees and tr ...

of St. Richards Church on Red Hills Road.

References

External links

Welcome to Ralston McKenzie's Jamaica Contact
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, Ralston People from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican journalists Jamaican male journalists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Fordham University alumni