Distinguished Contributors:

Professor George Roberts

 

ROBERTS, George Woodrow, B.Sc.Economics., D.Sc.Economics., University of London. Demographer. Professor of Demography, Department of Sociology, U.W.I. since 1965. Born: Grenada, November 12, 1918, son of the late William M.A. Roberts, Engineer, and Henrietta K. Roberts, Housewife.  Educated: London University; Columbia University.

Career: Vital Statistics Adviser, Development and Welfare Organization, Barbados 1950-58; Vital Statistics Officer, Federal Government of the West Indies, Trinidad 1958-61; Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology, The University of the West Indies 1961-1965; Director, United Nations Demographic Training and Research Unit, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka 1979-1981.

Awards: 30th Anniversary Award of the Barbados Family Planning Association in 1985 for services rendered to that organization since its inception; Caribbean Review Award at 14th Annual Meeting of Caribbean Studies Association (CSA) in Barbados, May 1989.

Publications: Monographs & Special Studies: The Population of Jamaica, Cambridge 1957, reprinted 1979; (with D.O. Mills) Study of External Migration Affecting Jamaica 1953-1955, Kingston 1957; The Demographic Position of the Caribbean (with evidence), C’ttee on Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives, Study of Population and Immigration Problems, Special Series 6, Washington 1963; Fertility Background Paper for Fertility Sessions, World Population Conference, Belgrade, U.N. 1965; (with S.A. Sinclair, D. Powell, B. Boland and L. Hewitt), Recent Population Movements in Jamaica CICRED Series, Paris 1974; Fertility and Mating in Four West Indian Populations (Introduction by D.V.Glass), ISER, U.W.I., Kingston 1975; (with S.A. Sinclair), Women in Jamaica: Patterns of Reproduction and Family (Introduction by Vera Rubin), Kraus Thomson, New York 1978; with staff of DTRU, Demographic Atlas of Sri Lanka, Demographic Training & Research Unit, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1980; (with E. Jean Baptiste) The Population of St. Lucia 1980 Round of Caribbean Censuses, CARICOM, 1988; (with Valerie Nam) Study of Internal Migraton affecting Jamaica, 1980 Round of Censuses, CARICOM, 1989. Numerous papers in Professional Journals, papers contributed to International and other Conferences between 1954 and 1989. 

Married: Sonja Sinclair, September 1984; 1 son.

In conclusion, Professor Roberts was a demographer who has been recognized for his contribution to the development of censuses in the West Indies.  The 1970 census which was conducted in 15 Caribbean countries was co-ordinated by Professor Roberts.  He also supervised the processing of the census data for all of the countries and planned and directed the publication of the census volumes. His students went on to staff the statistical offices across the region and to establish a culture of population study.