Dean Eric Jack (right) and a woman in traditional dress at the Central Alabama Caribbean American Organization’s annual Christmas Dinner DanceThe sound of steel drums and the scents of tropical flowers and traditional Caribbean spices — all were present at the Central Alabama Caribbean American Organization’s (CACAO) annual Christmas Dinner Dance Dec. 15, when Collat School of Business Dean Eric Jack, Ph.D., was honored as a distinguished Caribbean national for his work at UAB and as president of the Birmingham Rotary Club. Honorees are selected by the CACAO board; past recipients include Edward Layne, M.D., former honorary consul with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados and co-founder of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.
Jack, Trinidad native, is a board member and adviser for the organization, which comprises Caribbean nationals and American supporters from the Birmingham area.
“Being a part of CACAO is fulfilling, and I was truly touched to be honored by them,” Jack said. “Our annual holiday celebration is always a great time, and this year was no exception. I’m looking forward to seeing how CACAO will continue to impact Birmingham and the rest of central Alabama.”
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“I’m looking forward to seeing how CACAO will continue to impact Birmingham and the rest of central Alabama.” |
CACAO hosts the annual Magic City Caribbean Food and Music Festival in downtown’s Linn Park each June, during Caribbean American Heritage Month. The organization also awards scholarships to native Caribbean students attending school in central Alabama; its annual Founder’s Scholarship is named for Pauline J. Ford Caesar, program coordinator in UAB’s Department of Radiology, who formed in the organization in 2011. UAB School of Public Health Professor Pauline Jolly, Ph.D., also is a member of CACAO’s board.
“Dean Jack represents our organizational well, and we are proud to have honored him at our annual Christmas celebration,” Ford Caesar said.