JAMAICAN AUTHOR and educator, Lenford Ruddock, launched his latest book, With the Sound of the Steam Korchie, last Sunday, October 27, at the Ideal Lodge in Englewood, New Jersey.
His latest work chronicles the rise of independent communities in the parish of Westmoreland immediately following Emancipation.
Mr. Ruddock spent 24 years working at the Ministry of Education, and eventually lectured at the University of the West Indies (UWI). He also served as Principal at a number of elementary schools in the island. He is currently a Justice of the Peace in the parish of St. Andrew.
The author is the recipient of the Order of Distinction, which he received from the Govern-ment of Jamaica in 1992. Mico Teachers' College bestowed its Medal of Honour on him in 1986.
Former Brooklyn Councilwo-man, Una Clarke, who was at the launch, congratulated Mr. Ruddock.
"Nobody is as strong, as determined or as knowledgeable as Jamaicans. This book is evidence of that. It has a lot to do with my upbringing as I was born and raised on the Appleton sugar estate in St. Elizabeth. I praise Lennie Ruddock, an educator extraordinaire, for his dedication, professionalism and humour as this book will serve to help our children and our grandchildren appreciate us for generations to come," she said.
In his address, Mr. Ruddock reiterated the importance of "reliving our collective past as Jamaicans, so that we can treasure the events that make Jamaicans who they are."
Mr. Ruddock said he wished that all Caribbean people would "develop a situation in which we help to resurrect our artefacts and to use them to remind ourselves, especially those who are no longer living close to home, what a strong and vibrant history we have."
The official book signing, sponsored by the New York Chapters of the UWI Guild of Graduates and the Mico Old Students Association, is scheduled for today at the Jamaican Consulate in New York City.
