User:Prince of harlem

THOMAS CLAYTON BAPTISTE ( 1935-2010 ) Happens to have been one of the most colorful and gifted of ALL Dominican Footballers. He learnt his Football at his ancestral home in Newtown Savannah and also the Windsor Park. He was unaminously voted as THE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER NOT ONLY FOR DOMINICA BUT THE WINDWARD ISLANDS AT THE 1966 POPHAM TOURNAMENT WHICH WAS HELD IN GRENADA. THEREIN HE WAS ALSO UNAMINOUSLY VOTED AS CAPTAIN OF THE WINDWARD ISLANDS FOOTBALL TEAM. THE FIRST AND ONLY DOMINICAN TO HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SUCH A FEAT. MR BAPTISTE WAS THE FOUNDER OF THE FAMOUS COMBERMERE FOOTBALL TEAM OF ROSEAU which was amongst the best organised SPORTS CLUB and most formidable football team in Dominica during the 1950's to 1960's period. The club partipated in a wide variety of sporting activities including Football, Athletics and Cricket. Many of its members went on to represent the nation and region in different sporting disciplines especially Football.

THOMAS C BAPTISTE is also a peoples person and did contest GENERAL ELECTIONS IN DOMINICA IN APRIL OF 1975 under the Dominica Labour Party ticket. History will record that he lost the elections against future Prime Minister Dame Mary Eugenia Charles thanks to a record number of spoiled ballots to his name. He ran a very dignified campaign with his theme being " clean I come clean I go". He served as President of the Dominica Labour Party when Dominica was ushered into Political Independence on 3rd November 1978. Its interesting to note that MR BAPTISTE never saw the need to continue into National Politics and turned down opportunities which subsequent governments had advanced to him to become part of the Cabinet of ministers. Howvere he did play a very pivotal role in ensuring that Dominica was not plunged into CIVIL UNREST during the MAY 29TH 1979 CONSTUTIONAL OVERTHROW OF THE DOMINICA LABOUR PARTY ADMINISTRATION.

MR THOMAS C BAPTSTE WAS A QUALIFIED PUBLIC HEALTH INSPECTOR AND FOOD SPECIALIST. HE RECEIVED HIS TRAINING FROM THE WEST INDIES SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH NOW THE DEPRTMENT OF HEALTH SCIENCE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES MONA CAMPUS. HE ALSO MEMBER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF HEALTH. MR BAPTISTE SERVED AS CHIEF PUBLIC HEALTH INSPECTOR OF DOMINICA AND ALSO SERVED AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT THE ROSEAU CITY COUNCIL ( TOWN/CITY CLERK) WHERE HE SERVED FOR OVER 4OYEARS FOR WHICH HE WAS HONORED. MR BAPTISTE ALSO MADE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN DOMICA AND AGAIN RECEIVED RECOGNITION FOR THIS.

MR THOMAS CLAYTON BAPTISTE HAS TOUCHED THE HEART AND LIFEBLOOD OF DOMINICA IN A VARIETY OF AREAS. HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE NATIONS SPORTING HALL OF FAME. HE WAS ALSO THE RECIPIENT OF A MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD FOR HIS OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT especially in the fiellds of health and sports. BAPTISTE was a First Class Qualified Cricket Umpire and has been considered to be one of the persons who paved the way and richly influenced ICC SPECIALIST-ELITE UMPIRE FELLOW DOMINICAN BILLY DOCTROVE.

THOMAS BAPTISTE HAS SERVED ON MANY STATUTORY BOARDS THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF MANY ADMINISTRATIONS. HE WAS A KEEN CARNIVAL ORGANIZER AND WAS ONE OF THE MOST SORT OUT CALYPSO JUDGES IN DOMINICA. HE WAS RECOGNISED BY THE DOMINICA CALYPSO ASSOCIATION FOR HIS OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF CALYPSO IN DOMINICA. A FORMER SPORTS JOURNALIST AND SPORTS COMMENTATOR. HE WAS ALSO ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE DOMINICA FOOTBALL REFEREES ASSOCIATION AND NOT ONLY CAPTAINED DOMINICA BUT ALSO SERVED ON THE DOMINICA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION AND CRICKET ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE AND MANAGED MANY NATIONAL SPORTING TEAMS. AT THE FETE CHARLOTTEVILLE IN 2008 MISTER BAPTISTE WAS HONORED BY HIS NEWTOWN COMMUNITY FOR HIS CONTRIBUTION IN THE AREA OF PUBLIC HEALTH. HE ALSO WAS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE FORMATION OF THE NEWTOWN FISHERIES COOPERATIVE AND WAS HIGHLY REGARDED AS A COMMUNIY LEADER. HE WAS PART OF A DISTINGUISHED PANEL OF EXPERTS FROM NEWTOWN THAT WAS CHARGED WITH THE RESPONSIBITY OF GUIDING THE PROCESS OF THE REVIVAL OF THE SPIRIT OF FOOTBALL IN NEWTOWN ; THE HOME OF FOOTBALL IN DOMINICA. MR THOMAS CLAYTON BAPTISTE ALSO JOINED FORCES WITH HIS NEWTOWN ANCESTRAL ROOTS AND CAPTAINED THE ARSENAL TEAM OF NEWTOWN WITH THE LIKES OF HIS GREAT FRIENDS such as CECIL BERKEY-BOLIN PETERS, TOM WEBB, MC MILLAN JNO BAPTISTE, OWEN SHILLINGFORD AND HAROLD BOE GAGE TO INFLICT A MOST HUMILIATING DEFEAT ON HIS FORMER CLUB COMBERMERE ( 5-0 )BEFORE A MASSIVE CROWD AT THE WINDSOR PARK. DUE TO THE IMPUT AND ADVISE OF HIS GOOOD FRIEND AND CLUB MATE CECIL J LAROCQUE BAPTISTE RETURNED TO THE CLUB HE FORMED AS CAPTAIN AND RETIRED FROM THE GAME NOT TOO LONG THEREAFTER. BAPTISTE WAS SAID TO BE THE MOST COMPLETE FOOTBALLER THE NATION HAS SEEN AND MASTERED ANY AND EVERY POSITION THE HE WAS CALLED UPON TO PLAY WHETHER AT THE LOCAL OR NATIONAL LEVEL. ESSENTIALLY HE WAS A MIDFIELD GENRAL AND MASTER DEFENDER YET IF THE GAME SITAUTION WARRANTS HIS IMPUT IN A STRIKING POSITION HE WOULD GO FORWARD TO GET THE JOB DONE !

MR THOMAS BAPTISTE WAS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE DOMINICA DEFENCE FORCE AND SERVED AS DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF THE DOMINICA POLICE SERVICE COMMISIION. WHILE IN JAMAICA MR BAPTISTE ALSO SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE JAMAICA DEFENCE FORCE. MR BAPTISTE DIED OF A SUSPECTED MASSIVE HEART ATTACK LAST APRIL 2010 AT THE PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL AFTER A SHORT ILLNESS. ITS REPORTED THAT HE WAS DOING WELL AND WAS PREPARING HIMSELF FOR DISCHARGE WHEN HIS CONDITION TOOK A SUDDEN TURN FOR THE WORSE. MR BAPTISTE WAS QUITE POPULAR AND WELL LOVED. HE IS THE FATHER OF TWO OUTSTANDING JURISTS HER LADYSHIP EVELINA BAPTISTE CHIEF MAGISTRATE OF DOMINICA AND FORMER REGISTRAR-GENERAL OF THE OECS AND ALSO OECS COURT OF APPEAL JUSTICE HON DAVIDSON KELVIN BAPTISTE. LEFT TO MOURN MANY CHILDREN AND HIS WIFE OF 53 YEARS JUDITH V BAPTISTE NEE JNOLEWIS ( JOHN LEWIS ). THOMAS BAPTISTE WAS THE SON OF MITA HERMANCIA PHILIP OF NEWTOWN AND PETER PEDRO BAPTISTE OF NEWTOWN.

MR BAPTISTE DOES HAVE VERY DEEP FAMILY ROOTS IN ST MARTIN WHERE HIS GRAND FATHER CAME FROM hypolyte baptiste whose mother was a MARLIN). THOMAS BAPTISTE is part of what is commonly referred to the WILLIAM ( PAY-WIN ) MITCHEL generation/family reputed to be amongst the biggest family in Dominica. WILLIAM MITCHEL IS SAID TO HAVE FATHERED 100 KIDS AND HE IS A DIRECT DECSNDANT OF Dominica's most feared MAROON LEADER JACO !