Alex Waithe was a cultural ambassador and advocate for marginalized students
February 15, 2021
Educator and cultural promoter Alex Waithe has died.
He passed away on January 31 at his daughter’s home in Toronto.
Hospitalized for nearly six weeks in Barbados after contracting COVID last April, Waithe recovered and returned to the city in the summer.
He was diagnosed with terminal cancer in early December.
Born and raised in Christ Church, Barbados, Waithe attended Foundation School and completed high school at De La Salle College after migrating in 1972.
With Bachelor of Arts & Education degrees from the University of Toronto, he began his teaching career in 1976 with the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) as an English and English as a Second Language (ESL) educator at St. Mary Catholic Secondary School.
Waithe was also a Guidance Counsellor and Head Teacher at Monsignor Fraser Academy and Principal of Don Bosco Secondary and Monsignor Percy Johnson Continuing Education Departments.
He retired nine years years ago.
Former TCDSB administrator Kirk Mark said Waithe was an advocate for marginalized and racialized students.
“Alex was passionate about working to help them achieve success in education,” he pointed out. “As a staff colleague, he was jovial in his countenance and joyful in his disposition, always with a smile on his face and a joke to dispel any tension. Throughout his engagement with the TCDSB, he was instrumental in the creation of the foundational aspects of the Board’s current African-Canadian Heritage Month programs just after the proclamation of February as Black History Month in 1996 based on the work of Jean Augustine who was a TCDSB Principal.
Outside of teaching, the sociable Waithe hosted ‘Kaiso Rising’ on CHRY on Saturday mornings, volunteered with arts organizations and produced concerts featuring leading soca and calypso artists including Red Plastic Bag, Grynner and Ras Iley.
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Roger Gibbs said Waithe was passionate about Bajan and Caribbean culture.
“Having worked with him since the mid-90s, I can attest that no individual has contributed more to promoting Bajan music and entertainment here in Toronto over the past 30 years,” said Gibbs who also attended Foundation School. “He produced numerous successful concerts, special events, festivals and assorted projects, including my first solo CD, 'Spirit of Calypso', in 1999.
“As a promoter, he took great risks in a business that can be very unpredictable. He befriended and charmed high and low, always remaining humble and real. He was a doer as well as a talker.”
One of the last shows Waithe promoted in Toronto was a tribute in October 2018 to mark Red Plastic Bag 40th year in the entertainment business.
He also assisted with the technical production of the Barbados Charity Ball in Toronto for several years, was the Master of Ceremony for ‘Barbados on the Water’ summer events at Harbourfront and served as a mentor for many young people, including broadcaster Kevin Carrington who co-hosted ‘Kaiso Rising’ with Waithe for 10 years.
Carrington does regular fill-ins on CBC’s afternoon radio show, ‘Here and Now’.
“Words can’t express how much he did to promote Barbadian and Caribbean culture,” he wrote on Facebook. “He was a big reason why I am where I am today. He gave me my start at CHRY with his show which was a huge success by the time I got there. Alex taught me the importance of loyalty and accountability in an industry that often times fail to reciprocate the same energy.”
Alex Waithe at an Ontario Black History Society event in 2015 to honour his son Andre De Grasse (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
For 12 years, Waithe filed ‘Crop Over’ reports to Jai Ojah-Maharaj’s Caribbean Connection show on CHIN Radio Toronto 100.7FM and 1540M. He also co-hosted the Canadian Caribbean Talent late Tuesday night show with Ojah-Maharaj
“When I think about Barbados, the first person that comes to mind is Alex Waithe,” he said. “He loved calypso and calypsonians and had a strong passion for Barbados and Caribbean culture.”
Waithe, who split time between Barbados and Toronto and enjoyed travelling, is survived by his children Alexandra, Julian and Dantee Waithe and world-class sprinter Andre De Grasse; granddaughters Liana and Yuri and siblings Janice and Llewellyn Waithe.
Communications consultant and creative writer Angela Carter said Waithe was a Caribbean man.
“With an almost perpetual smile, Alex was ready to promote the Caribbean, especially Barbados, at every opportunity afforded him,” she added. “From his hosting of radio shows to theatre productions and emceeing, he delved beyond the surface to ensure he left his audience with nuggets of information that would help them make educated decisions.”
Waithe’s body was cremated and a celebration of his life will take place in Toronto and Barbados at a later date.
