Parnel R Campbell: Outstanding servant of the people Black Power March in the early 1970s. PR Campbell is 4th from left in the front row Social Share INTRODUCTION Parnel R Campbell, who died on April 19, 2021, a few months shy of his 76th birthday, was my friend, my colleague and competitor in politics, a brother in the law, and a sage adviser. Our relationship spanned over 62 years. I first met Parnel when I entered the St Vincent Grammar School in January 1959; he had enrolled at our premier boys’ school a year or two earlier. Over the years, I followed with profound admiration the development of this extraordinary individual who was possessed of abundant blessings as: Scholar teacher, calypsonian, political and cultural activist, political organiser and strategist, leader of men and women, parliamentarian, lawyer, Attorney General, constitutional and legal reformer, public educator on the law, Christian gentleman of the Spiritual Baptist faith, servant of the people, wise elder, philanthropist, father, husband, and family man. Imperfect like all of us, he was a pearl who enriched immensely our nation, our Caribbean civilisation, our human family. St Vincent and the Grenadines has lost a treasure in Parnel; his passing is an inestimable loss, made more grievous on account of our current perils of COVID-19, the volcanic eruptions, the looming hurricane season and the travails that accompany, and are consequential to, them. We shall miss his counsel in the days and months ahead. We are grateful for his magnificent contributions to nation-building. And we thank God for “gifting” him to us for over 75 years!