Garth Taylor (ophthalmologist)

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Dr. Garth Alfred Taylor, OJ (April 29, 1944 - November 19, 2005) was a Jamaican ophthalmologist, professor, and humanitarian.

Born in Montego Bay, Taylor was a Queen's Scout in his youth.[1] He received his education at Cornwall College in Jamaica and Queen's University in Ontario.[1] He later became an associate professor of ophthalmology at the latter institution,[1] as well as chief of ophthalmology at Cornwall Community Hospital in Canada.[1]

Taylor was also the vice-president of ORBIS Canada[1], a charity devoted to preventing and correcting avoidable cases of blindness in the developing world, and the co-founder of Canadian Surgical Eye Expeditions (CANSEE),[2] another charitable organization devoted to the same purpose. Working out of a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 airplane converted into a mobile field hospital,[1] he performed more than 1,000 charitable eye operations in more than 60 different countries,[1] during more than 100 separate surgical missions.[3] Taylor also provided on-site training for local doctors in cornea, cataract and refractive procedures.[1] For his efforts, he was honored with the Order of Jamaica in 2005.[4]

Taylor and his wife Beverly had two children: a daughter, Leanne, and a son, Gregory.[1] He died unexpectedly on November 19, 2005, as a result of a stomach aneurysm.[5]

External links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Hallsworth, Alan. "Obituary: Garth Taylor", The Guardian, December 7, 2005.
  2. Jamaica Information Service. "Late Dr. Garth Taylor Exceptional - High Commissioner to Canada", November 28, 2005.
  3. Hawaleshka, Danylo. "Garth Taylor", Maclean's, July 1, 2004.
  4. Lalah, Robert. "HONOURED - Ninety-seven to get National Awards", The Jamaica Gleaner, August 6, 2005.
  5. "Cornwall College Affair", The Weekly Gleaner (North American ed.), November 24-30, 2005.