Jamaican school receives US$1.65 million windfall from late alumnus’ trust fund

Recently, Trustees of the Kenneth M. Dwyer Trust donated a whopping US$1.65 million to Pike Primary and Infant School in Manchester, in honouring the wishes of late founder Kenneth Maurice Dwyer who passed away in July, 2022. 

It is arguably the largest donation ever made by a single individual or entity to a school on the island, following several research conducted by Old Harbour News. 

“We, the trustee of the Kenneth M. Dwyer Trust, together with the family of the late Kenneth Maurice Dwyer, are honored and pleased to announce that Pike Primary and Infant School is named the primary beneficiary of the Kenneth M. Dwyer Trust, dated April 26, 2022,” statement from the fund said in part.

“Pike Primary and Infant School, where Mr. Dwyer received his early education, is the honored and undoubtedly appreciative beneficiary to have received over US $1.65 million in Trust benefit funds, bestowed in memory of his father, Mr. Henry Nathaniel Dwyer. 

“We hope this very generous financial benefit will directly support initiatives and programs geared towards acquiring and enhancing educational resources, funding academic scholarships, providing various student aid, funding extracurricular academic activities for students, funding improvements/upgrades to educational facilities/infrastructure and a host of other beneficial community/academic activities.”

H. Michael Golding, trustee, told Old Harbour News that the funds were wired to the school account and that a formal presentation will be arranged “some time early in the new year”. 

“Presentation did not take place due to the hurricane and damages to the school,” said Golding, who is also a member of the Old Harbour and Friends Association charity organisation. 

The massive financial injection, worth more than $260 million Jamaican dollars when converted at current rate of exchange, could not have come at a better time for the institution, principal Sonia Fry said.

“Pike Primary and Infant School is proud to be the recipient of the Will.  We anticipate an excellent celebration in honour of such legend.  We are extremely grateful to Mr. H. Michael Golding for his unswerving effort in ensuring that he grant Mr. Kenneth Dwyer the desires of his heart. The journey was long and tedious but God had ordained it to be so. Two Hundred Sixty - Five Million Dollars Jamaican Dollars is a blessing. Yahweh 's humble servants prophesied it years before it came through,” said Fry.

“We salute the late Mr. Kenneth Dwyer as well as his late father, Mr. Henry Dwyer.  Blessings galore for Mr. H. Michael Golding and his family. We will elaborate on the journey as well as the Blessings at the celebration.  

Who was Kenneth M. Dwyer?

Dwyer, who was 83 at the time of his death, was a native of Pike, a farming community in northeast Manchester and a past student of what was then known as the Pike Elementary School. An entrepreneur and philanthropist at heart, Mr. Dwyer “led a life full of purpose, dedication, always striving to uplift, motivate, encourage and offer financial assistance to the younger generation, particularly in the area of education,” read a statement from the fund’s trustees. 

The Jamaican-born entrepreneur whose journey spanned continents and careers before he dedicated himself to revitalizing a Mount Vernon apartment building, was a community pillar in the Westchester County, New York.  Dwyer’s life was defined by relentless self-improvement and a clear-eyed vision that saw potential where others saw decay. After training as an auto mechanic, he emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1963, working in a laboratory and later in publishing.

His quest for opportunity brought him to the United States in 1969, where he initially designed record album covers by day while studying for his high school equivalency at night. He earned a Liberal Arts degree from Westchester Community College in 1974 and later worked in computer form design.

Yet it was in 1984 that Dwyer truly forged his legacy. Defying the skepticism of friends, he purchased a dilapidated building in Mount Vernon. Where others saw a hopeless case, Dwyer saw a mission.

"He dedicated his remaining years to managing every aspect of that rental property," his family noted in a tribute following his death, "to provide his tenants with a decent place to live." He personally oversaw improvements and repairs, transforming the property through sheer will and an impeccable work ethic.

A lifelong learner with a brilliant, restless mind, Dwyer was never content to sit still. After stabilizing his real estate venture, he embarked on a new project to streamline mortgage quality control services, working with tenacity for years, though he would not live to see it completed.

Baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a youth in Jamaica, Dwyer maintained a strong, personal faith. He was a generous benefactor, quietly donating to church programmes and assisting young people with tuition and financial needs. 

"He did all he could to encourage and motivate the youth in their career goals," the obituary stated.

An avid consumer of financial news, favouring Bloomberg and CNBC, Dwyer presented a no-nonsense, sometimes “gruff exterior”. But those who knew him well understood it guarded a deeply compassionate heart.

"Those who got to know him very well over the years would eventually discover that his soft heart was paradoxically made of gold," his family wrote.