Vernley Ward attended Broad Street (now Dolphin) Government School. He lived opposite the school and won a Government County Scholarship in 1950 - when he was placed 3rd overall in the country. He entered the brotherhood of Queen’s College, our Alma Mater, into form 2A and D’Urban House and attended until 1958. He was successful at the GCE "O" (13 subjects) and "A" (4 subjects) levels. He went on to St. Augustine in Trinidad to the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture (later UWI) where he completed a degree in Sugar Cane Technology. He then worked in Guyana, Trinidad and the USA before returning to Guyana in 1975 to join us in the Alumina Plant of the Guyana Mining Enterprise as a Process Engineer.

While at school, in addition to exceeding at school work, he had an active social life. He was the owner/operator of a well-known jukebox. He would play out at nights at various parties and yet make it to school next morning to be present and accounted for. He was, it is said, one of the best dancers in Georgetown and had the nickname of "Twinkie-Toes". Vernley was one of those who entered Queen’s in Brickdam and moved with it to the new location - Thomas Lands. He also had something of an acting career when, as a third former, he played the "soubrette" role of First Bridesmaid (earning the sobriquet "the prettiest bridesmaid") in Sanger-Davies's first Gilbert & Sullivan production - Trial by Jury in 1953.

I met Vernley when he joined Guymine and he has since been one of the most unforgettable people that one meets in life. Vernley has a zest for life that was unmatched. I remember Vernley for being one of the older men who respected younger people. Whenever he referred to you as "Young Smith" or "Young Cumberbatch", it was never with the customary disdain that one encountered. It was often to give advice - to let you know that he had lived through something similar and wanted to impart knowledge and experience. And Vernley had lots of life experience to pass on.

He transformed the vernacular at Linden with such phrases as "Show me the weesie house" for "where’s the toilet" and the extremely extended way in which he pronounced the mild four-letter word "sheeeet". These became common speech at Linden while he was around. Even more however, he was one of the people who helped break down the "snobbery" walls of Linden. He was one of the "high-up" engineers who "limed" with the "regulars", who could be found in all the places where everyday people were, who had fun and knew how to enjoy himself. He was Vernley.

Vernley and I went separate ways after Guymine and we linked up again in New York when I was invited to a meeting to discuss forming a chapter of the Queen’s College of Guyana Old Students Association in New York. I arrived at the meeting to find that the prime mover was none other than my old friend Vernley. The fact that we now have a vibrant organization is a testimony to his tenacity. He was always a fiercely proud member of the Queen’s College family and felt we had to do this. Many of the people we started with have disappeared and not seen this effort through. Vernley was our cornerstone. He worked hard to get our organization started, to get our tax-exempt status, to make sure that we kept going when things seemed uncertain. Without his efforts we would not be the organization we are today. We are all exceptionally grateful for having shared this brief interlude with him and for his family in having allowed him the time to have been with us. Today we honour him as an outstanding alumnus of our school, as the founding father of our organization and a brother whose passing we were unprepared for.

I am a believer of messages and omens and perhaps the strangest coincidence was that we heard of Vernley’s passing at our annual general meeting, just after we had concluded elections and had installed a new committee. So as one chapter closed and another opened, we - the Queen’s College Alumni Association of New York will perpetuate Vernley’s memory with the establishment of a Vernley Ward prize to be awarded at the annual Speech Night of our Alma Mater.