CTO Honors List for Fundraising Event

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. October 14, 2008

JUNE 9, 2006. The Caribbean Tourism Organization will honour distinguished sons and daughters of the Caribbean during the annual fundraising event for the CTO Foundation at the Governments of the Caribbean State Ball at the Waldorf Astoria.

Among the honorees will be a senior public servant, a carnival organizer, a filmmaker and a Caribbean band. Headlining the honors will be the presentation of the CTO Lifetime Achievement Award to The Honourable Dame Billie Antoinette Miller, in recognition of her outstanding service to her native country Barbados and her dedication to the Caribbean region, and in particular, for helping the Caribbean grow stronger through her service and leadership.

The Honourable Dame Billie Antoinette Miller has been a praiseworthy and illustrious public servant contributing to her homeland, Barbados, for 30 years. Her distinguished political career began in 1976 when she was elected Member of Parliament for the City of Bridgetown. From 1986 to 1999, Dame Billie Miller held many offices, including Minister of Education and Culture, Leader of the Opposition, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and International Business.

In 1994, she was named Deputy Prime Minister and in 1995 added Tourism and International Transport to her portfolio. In 1999, she was re-elected as Member of Parliament and re-appointed Deputy Prime Minister with the portfolios of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

Previously, Dame Billie Miller has also devoted her time to the CTO, becoming the first woman Chairman of the organization from 1997 to 1998. In 1998, she was President of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States Council of Ministers. She also served as Chairperson of the Association of Caribbean States' Ministerial Council from 2000-2001.

Also being honored:

Carlos Lezama, Carnival Organizer

The CTO Award of Excellence is being presented to Carlos Lezama, long time president of the Carnival Association and Chairman Emeritus of the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, for taking his love of Carnival and transporting it to Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn so all the world could experience the Caribbean.

As president of the Carnival Association for 34 years Carlos Lezama has always has a strong appreciation for the cultural significance, exuberant style and colors of Carnival beginning during his years spent in Trinidad, where he played Mas, learned the steelpan and played the cello, eventually earning the nickname "Celloman."

His zeal and leadership has made the Carnival on Labor Day the largest parade in the United States. The parade attracts more than 3.5 million revelers to Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn and has initiated over 39 Carnivals throughout the United States and Canada, including Boston, Washington, D.C., Miami, Toronto, and Montreal.

In 2001, the Carnival route -- Eastern Parkway -- was renamed Carlos Lezama Parkway for the season.

Tanny & the Boys, Musicians

The CTO Award of Excellence is being presented to Tanny & the Boys of St. Martin/St. Maarten: Nathaniel 'Tanny' Davis, Maxine Emeal Reed, Edward 'Eddie' Emanuel Violenus, George Bernard Violenus and James Roosevelt Samuel, for providing rhythm in our lives with more than 50 years of joyous music that uplifted the Caribbean with song and dance.

Known to provide party-goers and revelers with the infectious rhythms and sounds of traditional St. Martin music, Tanny & the Boys has been the premier string band of the country and much of the Northern Caribbean for over half of the 20th century.

Encompassing a mixture of merengue, calypso, tumba, bolero, waltz, pop, blues, polka and mazurka, the musicians each bring with them countless years of experience and a genuine love for the music they play.

Bandleader Nathaniel "Tanny" Davis comes from a musical family and has been playing music for 45 years. In the 1960s, he formed the now defunct string band, Beach Island Stars. In addition to the banjo, he plays the "quarto," a small four-stringed guitar.

Apart from playing at "house concerts," "casa dances," anniversaries, birthday parties, "public dances," and formal receptions, Tanny & the Boys has performed for Queen Beatrix of the Dutch Kingdom, St. Martin's lieutenant governors and mayors, and a host of other dignitaries, personalities and visitors to the island, including Mighty Sparrow.

Euzhan Palcy, Filmmaker

The CTO Award of Excellence is being presented to Euzhan Palcy for her contribution to the film industry. She thrilled us, made us laugh and cry and made a difference with her films.

Euzhan Palcy is an award-winning filmmaker who holds the distinction of being the first black female director produced by a major Hollywood studio. Born in Martinique, Palcy grew up attending many films. Over the years, Palcy's contribution to the film industry has included works in a wide variety of genres - thriller, animation, comedy and action. She not only uses her craft to make a difference but her films are balanced with moving storylines and outstanding performances.