By John Myers, Jnr. Staff ReporterFROM HIS boyhood days in the rural St. Andrew district of Pigeon Valley, Milton Altamont Pinnock, now a giant in the field of public health and education, knew he had to succeed and make an impact on the lives of the people around him.
Notwithstanding the dire economic conditions under which he grew up and the significant sacrifices he had to undertake to assist his younger siblings, he made good of every opportunity to climb the academic ladder.
Born on October 28, 1939, Mr. Pinnock is the third of six children for Wentworth and Citrian Pinnock, a small farmer and housewife respectively.
Groomed with strong Christian principles and unlimited determination, he overcame many obstacles to receive his education, including having to discontinue schooling at the age of 13.
Now, Mr. Pinnock is the holder of a Master's degree and several diplomas and certificates in the field of Public Health and Administration, Environment, Disaster Preparedness and Management, having undertaken several courses at the University of the West Indies (UWI), University of Guyana and the University of Alabama in the United States.
He is the author of many books, professional papers and articles on environmental health and related topics. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Health and has been a full-time tutor/lecturer in the Department of Community Health and Psychiatry at the UWI since 1981.
Mr. Pinnock was awarded the Governor-General's Achievement Award for St. Andrew during a function at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston, last Wednesday.
Speaking with The Gleaner yesterday, Mr. Pinnock said he was thrilled to have received the prestigious award. "I feel very elated and humbled at the same time, realising that there could be so many other people out there who also deserve an award and I'm singled out among many," he said.
For Mr. Pinnock, pursuing a career in public health and teaching was a dream come true. During a stint as Public Health Inspector for Kellits, North Clarendon, from 1965-1971, he organised evening classes for school "drop-outs" in the Jamaica School Certificate (JSC) and General Certificate Examinations (GCE), free of cost. Within four years, the number of students rose from 12 to 96.
Mr. Pinnock, the father of a son and two daughters, said the award serves "as a shot in the arm because I really feel more committed to the cause and want to reach out and touch as many people as I can in my own small way."
