27 June 1912 — 12 December 2016
Eustace Edward Ricardo Braithwaite was born on 27 June 1912 in Georgetown, British Guiana. Both of his parents attended Oxford University, and he grew up in an environment that valued education.
Braithwaite served as a pilot in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. After the war, he struggled to find employment as an engineer despite his qualifications, due to racial prejudice. He became a schoolteacher in London's East End, an experience that inspired his most famous work, the 1959 autobiographical novel To Sir, With Love. The book was adapted into a celebrated 1967 film. He later served as a diplomat, representing Guyana as its Ambassador to Venezuela and as a permanent representative to the United Nations.
Beyond his literary career, Braithwaite held diverse roles including teacher, social worker, and diplomat. He spent his later years in the United States.
Braithwaite lived to the age of 104, passing away in Rockville, Maryland, on 12 December 2016. His writing illuminated the realities of racial discrimination in postwar Britain and inspired generations of readers and educators worldwide.
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