Gail North-Saunders

Diane Gail North-Saunders, OBE (née North; March 10, 1944 – June 30, 2023) was a Bahamian historian, archivist, athlete, and author.[1][2]

North-Saunders established the Bahamian National Archives and was the director from 1971 until 2004.[1] She was the president of the Bahamas Historical Society from 1989 until 1999.[1] North-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.[3]

She authored books about Bahamian history including Historic Bahamas,[3] Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People,[4] and Race and Class in the Colonial Bahamas, 1880–1960.[5]

North-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.[3]

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.[3] North represented the country on the sprint relay team at the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games, in Kingston, Jamaica.[3] 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.[3]

North earned a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1966 from University of Newcastle upon Tyne and a postgraduate certificate in Education from the University of Leicester in 1967.[1] She taught history at Government High for two years.[1]

North married Winston Saunders in 1968.[1][6] The couple relocated to England for further schooling.[1] She studied at University College London and worked at the British Council in Public Record Offices to study process for archiving.[1] When they moved back to the Bahamas in 1969, Winston took a position as deputy headmaster at Highbury High School.[1]

Upon returning to the Bahamas, North-Saunders took a position at the library in the Ministry of Education where she organized the records of the old Board of Education to make the first deposit in the National Archives.[1]

Saunders studied under historian Michael Craton at the University of Waterloo to earn a doctorate.[1]

National archives

The Ministry of Education asked North-Saunders to establish the Bahamian National Archives.[1] The archives were held at the Eastern Public Library (the Eastern Post Office) for 16 years.[1] North-Saunders was the director from 1971 until 2004 and director-general of the archives until her retirement in 2008.[1]

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.[3]

Writing

Saunders authored books about Bahamian history including Historic Bahamas,[3] Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People (Volume 1 and 2) with Michael Craton,[4] and Race and Class in the Colonial Bahamas, 1880–1960.[5]

Later life and death

After retirement from the National Archives, Saunders remained active in academic pursuits as Scholar-in-residence at the College of The Bahamas.[1] In 2006, her husband, Winston Saunders, died.[6]

North-Saunders died on 30 June 2023, at the age of 79.[7]

Honours

Saunders was awarded the Commonwealth honour of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003.[8] The University of the West Indies awarded her an honorary degree in 2004.[9] She was inducted into the Bahamas National Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.[10]

References
  1. "National Profile: Dr. Gail Saunders". The Nassau Guardian. 2011-11-28. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  2. "Dr. Gail Saunders". The Bahamian Project. 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  3. "Prominent historian once a track and field star". The Nassau Guardian. 2012-06-20. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  4. Stone, Michael C. (January 2002). "Review of Craton, Michael; Saunders, Gail, Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People, Volume Two: From the Ending of Slavery to the Twenty-first Century and Craton, Michael; Saunders, Gail, Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People, Volume One: From Aboriginal Times to the End of Slavery". www.h-net.org. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  5. "thebahamasweekly.com - Dr. Gail Saunders presents a copy of new book to the Governor General". www.thebahamasweekly.com. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  6. "On the Passing of Winston Saunders". Blogworld on Wordpress. 2006-11-27. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  7. Historian Dr Gail Saunders dies age 79, PM pays tribute to 'beacon of light'
  8. "Commonwealth honours". 2002-12-31. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  9. "THIRTEEN TO RECEIVE HONORARY DEGREES | Marketing and Communications Office, The University of West Indies at Mona". www.mona.uwi.edu. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  10. Ingraham, Felicity (November 28, 2013). "21 Inducted into 2013 Bahamas National Sports Hall of Fame". www.thebahamasweekly.com. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
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