He was on hand for the occasion, along with his wife Claudia and other members of his family. His granddaughter Ariane Tye cut the ribbon to the main entrance of the terminal building.

Speaking March 7th at the opening of the new airport terminal building, Chief Minister the Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal proposed that Mr. Lettsome should from then on be referred to as the Honourable Terrance B. Lettsome, in recognition of his great service to this territory as a legislator.

“Once a President of the United States always a President, once a Senator always a Senator and if he has served so long his country, I don’t have to ask permission from neither the Governor, the Legislative Council or the Foreign and Commonwealth Office if he could be still addressed as Honourable; yes, Mr. Lettsome, you are Honourable from today onwards,” he declared.

Chief Minister said there is no Member of Council since its restoration in 1950 dead or alive who has taken as keen an interest in the airport project as Hon. Terrance B. Lettsome. “What a man works for, he deserves and we as Virgin Islanders must learn to appreciate what our people did whether we like the individual or not.”

He said Hon. Lettsome is one of the territory’s greats and now joins the band of others in his district whose names are indelibly engraved in the history books of the territory, including John and Mary Nottingham, Christopher Flemming, Evermon Roland Rabsatt, Leslie Franklyn Malone, Richard G. Stoutt, Frances Lettsome, Joseph Gordon etc.

He recalled Hon. Lettsome working to bring developments in the BVI, such as getting a proper telephone system, the all island electrification, the change from the BVI Secondary School to the BVI High School and other achievements.

“Yes Barbados has its Grantley Adams Airport named in honour of one of their Prime Ministers, St. Vincent and the Grenadines have the Ebenezer Joshua Airport, Antigua/Barbuda have their Vere Cornwall Bird Airport, St. Kitts has the Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw Airport, Puerto Rico has its Luis Munoz Marin Airport, St. Thomas has its Cyril E. King Airport and now we in the British Virgin Islands are no less off!” the BVI leader declared. “We have the Terrance B. Lettsome Airport and he has been to us what those other people have been to those islands - a great leader, a great man.”
Congratulations also came from 8th District Representative Hon. Lloyd Black and His Excellency Governor Frank Savage.

“I wish to congratulate Mr. Terrance B. Lettsome and his family on the great honour bestowed upon him by the government in naming the new airport after him. Let us all honour his name by using the new title at all times,” His Excellency said.

The BVI Tourist Board also presented Hon. Lettsome with a plaque of appreciation, a miniature of the airport. Chairman Stanley Gordon lauded him for his sterling contribution to the development of the territory. Ms. BVI Anastasia Tonge assisted Mr. Gordon in also presenting a bouquet to Mrs. Claudia Lettsome.

In his response, Hon. Lettsome said it was a red-letter day in the development of these islands. “Our dream of a new and better airport (is) becoming a reality.”

He expressed gratitude to the people of these islands for giving him an opportunity to serve, especially in his capacity as Minister of Communications and Works for three terms. He also thanked former Legislator Walwyn Brewley (Rep. D-4), who during his last sitting in the 13th Legislative Council proposed that the new airport be named in Mr. Lettsome’s honour.

“General election was held (and) following the formation of the 14th Legislative Council, the Chief Minister took that suggestion and ran with it,” Hon. Lettsome recalled. “I sincerely thank the Legislators who supported his motion…words cannot express my gratitude, they just can’t.”

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