Ferrand Courtney Lawrence Dopwell (15 May 1951 – 14 January 2021), known by his on-air name Randy D, was a Vincentian radio and television broadcaster. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]}

Early life

Dopwell was born on 15 May 1951. ^[1] He attended the Wesleyan Methodist School in Kingstown and Kingstown Preparatory School; he completed his secondary schooling at the St. Vincent Grammar School in 1969. ^[5] In grammar school, Dopwell was mainly interested in football. However, he gained his first experience with stage performance when he joined the Educational Tour Club and became a co-host for the club's events. ^[4]

After working at the government Division of Customs and Excise for two years, Dopwell moved to the U.S. in 1971 to study at the New York University School of Commerce. He worked several part-time jobs in order to cover his expenses; he later singled out being a parking attendant at the Lincoln Center as a special job, as it allowed him to watch some of the performances. After one such performance, Dopwell had a chance meeting with an ABC producer, who introduced him to the idea of working in broadcasting. While he continued his business studies, Dopwell began saving money to enter the broadcasting course at the RCA Institute. ^[4] However, the Institute stopped accepting students in 1973 before he could apply. ^[19] Dopwell then decided to leave New York for Canada to join his older brother, who was graduating from Humber College. ^[4] Dopwell entered Humber and studied broadcasting for three years, interning at different radio stations including CFTR. ^[4] He earned his radio announcer certificate in 1976. ^[5]

Dopwell first began his career as a radio MC in the summer of 1974, when he returned home for a visit and hosted a show called "Snap Soul". ^[4]

Death

Dopwell died on 14 January 2021 of prostate cancer at his home in Kingstown. ^[3] He received tributes from the National Broadcasting Corporation SVG, ^[8] the New Democratic Party, ^[9] and the Carnival Development Corporation. ^[10]

References