Endowment Fund for Cotton Tree founder

President George Maxwell Richards, patron of the Cotton Tree Foundation and First Lady Dr Jean Ramjohn-Richards will host the May 1 reception in honour of the 90th birthday of Justice Ulric Cross, co-founder of the Foundation.

Both events are organised by Justice Cross’ daughter and son-in-law, Lord and Lady Hollick, who apart from making a substantial donation to the Endowment Fund, are expected to appeal to the local business community, as well as their friends and associates in Europe to do likewise.

Phillip Louis Ulric Cross, CMT, DSO, DFC, OM (Cameron) is a retired judge, highly decorated WWII veteran and former Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner to the Court of St James. In recognition of his life achievements, the Cotton Tree Foundation is establishing the Ulric Cross Cotton Tree Endowment Fund.

Born in 1917 in Port-of-Spain, the young Cross distinguished himself very early on, winning a coverted place at St Mary’s College, with the highest marks scored in that year nationally. His promise was only briefly dimmed by the untimely death of his mother when Cross, the second of nine children, was just thirteen and the children’s lives became a mirror of the hard times of the era. With the outbreak of World War II, Cross enthusiastically joined the Royal Air Force and, as navigator and squadron leader, took part in 80 missions over Germany (21 over Berlin) and occupied Europe.

His courage and exceptional skill during some of the worst years of the war, guiding the pilots of twin-engine plywood Mosquito bomber planes to their target, earned him the DSO, (Distinguished Service Order) and DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross) honours.

In the last 62 years he has used his knowledge, wisdom and influence to guide and help others. A distinguished career in Africa developing post-colonial jurisprudence included postings to Ghana as Senior Crown Counsel (1958-60), Cameroon as Attorney General (1960-67) and Tanzania, where he set up and chaired the Industrial Court and then became the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University in Dar es Salaam.

He returned to TT in the mid-seventies to serve as a judge in the High Court and the Court of Appeal. In 1983 he was awarded the Chaconia Gold Medal to mark his significant contribution to his country.

In April 1993, Justice Cross, together with other concerned citizens, established the Cotton Tree Foundation. The Foundation is a registered non-profit charity which works with some of the most deprived communities in the St Ann’s district of Port-of-Spain. The Foundation aims to combat high levels of poverty and unemployment through counselling, self-help, education and training projects. Ulric Cross’ committee has been critical in ensuring the work of the foundation continues.

The Ulric Cross Cotton Tree Endowment Fund will enable the expansion of the Foundation’s work, to include a Legal Aid clinic, community sports programme and an art and music programme. In addition the Foundation’s existing early childhood and education centre, annual family camp, computer literacy programme and scholarship fund will be expanded. The Foundation will also continue with Justice Cross’ pioneering work in finding scholarships for those not able to afford education and further his long held desire to raise the level of education available to all in TT.

Donations may be made at any time to The Ulric Cross Cotton Tree Endowment Fund. At the launch there will be a Silent Art Auction featuring works from artists Sarah Beckett, Leroy Clarke and Ken Crichlow.