In early 2026, I acquired a newly released memoir that shines a long-overdue spotlight on one of Dominica’s most important unsung nation builders. Titled *A Time of Rapid Change in Dominica* and published by Micotrin Press in 2025, the work brings to life the legacy of Jerome A. Robinson, the first Dominica-born Crown Surveyor and Commissioner of Lands. The memoir was brought to publication through the dedicated work of his family, most notably his daughter Dr. Jean-Marie Lawrence, a Professor of Technology Systems at East Carolina University.
Before the generation of architects who built modern Dominica fades from collective memory, documenting and sharing their stories is a critical act of national preservation. Jerome A. Robinson stands indisputably among these foundational figures, and his memoir is far more than a chronicle of one man’s life—it is an irreplaceable addition to Dominica’s official historical record. Deep gratitude is owed to his daughters Lena Bellevue and Dr. Jean-Marie Lawrence for safeguarding his experiences, achievements and observations for coming generations.
## The Robinson Family: A Century-Long Legacy of Public Service
For anyone raised in Dominica, the Robinson name is synonymous with distinguished contribution across nearly every sector of national life. The family built its reputation on excellence across education, skilled trades, construction, business and public administration.
Joffre Robinson was a widely respected educator. Cephas Robinson was a pioneering builder who oversaw construction of iconic Dominican landmarks including local churches, banana boxing plants, sections of Melville Hall Airport, and the original Vick’s Supermarket, now known as Lindo Mart. Belgrave Robinson served with distinction as Chief Education Officer. Edgar Robinson earned acclaim as a skilled welder, while Ken Robinson emerged as one of Dominica’s most innovative entrepreneurs: he operated a local supermarket, launched the island’s first tire-retreading business, founded a music recording studio, and ran a successful bakery and mini-mart alongside his wife Eileen.
During my years at Dominica Grammar School, our woodworking instructor at the Technical Wing was Ernest Alfred “Robo” Robinson, a disciplined, patient and meticulous educator who traveled to Los Angeles, California, to complete advanced training in vocational woodworking education. In my third year of study, I had the privilege of learning English literature from Robinson’s niece, Ianthe Robinson. As a cadet with the Dominica Grammar School Cadet Corps, I also worked closely with the late Edmund Robinson, our Company Sergeant Major who like many Robinsons was affectionately nicknamed “Robo.” A sharp, disciplined leader, he later became my colleague when we both taught at the school.
The Robinson family embodies Dominica’s rich, mixed cultural heritage, with ancestry tying together Scottish-Irish, African and Kalinago roots. During the colonial era, thousands of Scottish-Irish migrants arrived in the British West Indies as indentured servants, and many went on to rise to leadership roles as estate managers, clerks, surveyors and colonial administrators.
## Jerome Robinson’s Early Journey: From Childhood to Academic Excellence
Jerome Robinson was born August 22, 1934, the youngest child of Ellis and Florisca Robinson (née Joseph). He was the grandson of Alexander “Ellick” Robinson, who also served in colonial administration. Scholarly work on Kalinago history by Peter Hulme even makes reference to “Mr. Robinson, who is the government man coming among the Caribs,” underscoring the Robinson family’s multi-generational ties to public service in Dominica.
Robinson’s memoir opens with vivid recollections of his childhood during the turbulent years of World War II, when German U-boats sank more than 400 ships across the Caribbean. These events are explored in greater depth in Dominican author Clement “Baba” Richards’ work *Seawolves in Warm Waters*, but Robinson offers personal, on-the-ground accounts of encounters with wartime refugees, Marigot police patrols targeting smugglers, and beloved childhood travels across the island alongside his father Ellis. Encouraged by his mother to prioritize education, Jerome first attended school in Laudat, where his brother Joffre served as village schoolmaster. He excelled academically and earned admission to the prestigious Dominica Grammar School.
A striking historical detail connects Robinson directly to the school’s origins: the institution’s first campus was once the private residence of his paternal grandfather, Alexander Robinson. That historic structure still stands today at Piper’s Step, on what was then Queen Mary Street—now renamed Independence Street—in the capital Roseau. While studying at the Grammar School, Robinson’s sharp academic skills caught the attention of legendary headmaster Victor A. A. Archer, who recommended he pursue a career in surveying, setting the course for his lifelong legacy.
## Breaking Barriers: Mapping Dominica Through Harsh Conditions
For young Dominicans today, it is important to contextualize Robinson’s achievements: it was only after World War II that native Dominican professionals gradually began to take on senior leadership roles in the colonial public service. Before that shift, almost all senior department heads were British expatriates or other European transplants. When the author was growing up, the post of Crown Surveyor was held by Karol Winski, a Polish surveyor who preceded Robinson. Robinson spoke warmly of Winski’s mentorship, crediting his guidance with giving him the skills to eventually rise to the top role in the Survey Department.
In July 1954, at just 20 years old and after 18 months working as a pupil surveyor in the field, Robinson earned a scholarship to study surveying in Trinidad. He completed the three-year program in 1957, passed the rigorous examinations of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and was awarded the prestigious Michael Dixon Prize for his outstanding academic performance.
Returning home, Robinson took on the grueling work of surveying one of the Caribbean’s most mountainous island terrains. His memoir details grueling expeditions: climbing the slopes of Morne Diablotin while carrying fragile, heavy surveying equipment, fording rain-swollen rivers while protecting his precision theodolite, and spending weeks at a time working in remote, uninhabited forests. He explains that the Royal Engineers had placed metal survey markers on Dominica’s highest peaks in 1945, and his team was tasked with re-locating and verifying these markers to prepare for the publication of a new national map in 1961.
Robinson also recounts the extraordinary challenges of conducting aerial survey photography in Dominica, where constant cloud cover over the island’s steep mountains and deep valleys repeatedly derailed efforts to capture accurate map data. Long before satellite technology revolutionized surveying work, Robinson and his team set up base camps deep in the interior, living in tents for days on end while enduring meager rations, constant rainfall and extremely primitive living conditions. Still, they pushed through to complete their work.
These firsthand accounts reveal not just the technical difficulties of mid-20th century surveying, but also the extraordinary dedication, discipline and resilience of the pioneers who literally mapped out the modern Dominican nation against overwhelming odds.
## A Landmark Achievement: The First Native-Born Crown Surveyor
In 1962, Robinson took the initiative to pursue postgraduate studies, traveling to Glasgow to attend the Royal College of Science and Technology. After successfully completing his program, he returned to Dominica and was officially appointed Crown Surveyor and Commissioner of Lands—making history as the first native-born Dominican to hold this senior position.
Robinson’s breakthrough was far more than a personal career milestone: it stood as a powerful symbol of the gradual rise of local leadership within the colonial civil service, proving that Dominicans had the skill, discipline and professionalism to govern their own country ahead of full independence.
## A Personal Connection: Robinson’s Impact On My Own Education
I had the rare privilege of taking introductory surveying classes taught by Jim Robinson during the 1977–1978 academic year, shortly before Dominica gained full independence. At the time, I was a Sixth Form student in Form 6B at Dominica Sixth Form College, preparing for the Cambridge University Advanced Level examinations scheduled for mid-1979. When our Geography teacher Alfred Leevy was reassigned to other duties, our cohort lost access to A-Level Geography instruction, and the exam was ultimately canceled for our group. Even so, Jim Robinson volunteered his time to teach the surveying component of our geography curriculum, coming in fully prepared to every class, showing endless patience, and committed to making sure every student understood both the theoretical science and practical application of surveying work. I have remained grateful for his contribution to my education ever since.
Beyond my time as his student, I have a deeper family tie to the Robinsons: I am married to his niece, Joan Robinson, daughter of builder Cephas Robinson and his wife Ernestina. Joan is an active member of the Marigot History Working Group alongside Dr. Peter Alfred, Deborah Blackman, Sandra Green and Alvin Abrahm, where she works to document and preserve the family history of communities in Marigot.
## A Memoir That Belongs In Every Dominican Home And School
One of the greatest strengths of *A Time of Rapid Change in Dominica* is that it explores a critical, under-taught chapter of Dominican history: the story of how the island was surveyed, measured, mapped and organized for modern administration. The 177-page volume is richly illustrated, adding vivid authenticity to the narrative, with photos ranging from Robinson’s survey team setting up a makeshift camp in the island’s interior to portraits of Robinson during his studies in the United Kingdom. If the work has one small shortcoming, it is that it devotes relatively limited space to Robinson’s immediate family, all of whom have gone on to achieve great things in their own right.
This memoir deserves a permanent place on the shelf of every Dominican school library. It teaches young Dominicans that the nation they inherited was built through the sacrifices of dedicated public servants, who worked with limited resources but unlimited determination. Their work was rooted in integrity, professional excellence and an unshakable sense of duty to the public good.
Dr. Jean-Marie Lawrence has provided an invaluable service to the Dominican people by preserving her father’s legacy. Her work should serve as a call to action for other Dominican families to document the lives of their parents and grandparents before those irreplaceable memories are lost forever.
Jerome Robinson also built a rich family life that sustained his commitment to public service. He and his wife Annette Robinson (née Butler) raised seven daughters—Jean-Marie, Esther, Denise, Carol, Lena, Anthea, and Elizabeth—whose own achievements reflect the same values of education, discipline and service that defined their father’s extraordinary career.
As a nation, we must celebrate this generation of Dominicans, who accomplished so much with so little. Their stories remind us that nation-building is rarely glamorous. It is forged through decades of quiet sacrifice, consistent professional excellence and faithful service to the public good.
For these reasons, I strongly encourage Dominican educational authorities to add this memoir to school and public library collections across the island, and I urge every Dominican family to support similar efforts to preserve our shared national memory.
History is not made only by politicians and world-famous leaders. It is also made by surveyors, teachers, engineers, nurses, builders, civil servants and countless ordinary citizens, whose daily work quietly laid the foundations that modern Dominica stands on today. Jerome A. Robinson was exactly one of these foundational nation builders. Thanks to this thoughtful, well-researched memoir, future generations will know his story.
