Gail Saunders

Gail Saunders OBE or Diane Gail North Saunders (March 10, 1944 – June 30, 2023) was a prominent Bahamian historian, archivist, author and athlete.

She established the Bahamian National Archives and was the director from 1971 until 2004. She authored books about Bahamian history including Historic Bahamas, and Race and Class in the Colonial Bahamas, 1880-1960. Saunders was also one of the four women who first represented the Bahamas in an international sports competition as a member of the sprint relay team at the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games. and the couple moved to England for further schooling. She was predeceased by her husband, who died in 2006. The University of the West Indies awarded her an honorary degree in 2004. Saunders was also inducted into the Bahamas National Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

In the 2019 National Honours, she was appointed as a Member of the Order of Distinction for her exemplary service to the Bahamas.

In her will, Saunders left $200k to the University of the Bahamas. The university established the D. Gail Saunders Memorial Endowment Fund for history scholarships with half of the funds. The other half would boost an endowment established in honour of her husband (a former lawyer, teacher, and playwright) to fund scholarships for English majors.

Works This is an incomplete list of the works of Dr. Gail Saunders (please help to complete it):

Historic Bahamas Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People (Volumes 1 and 2) with Michael Craton Race and Class in the Colonial Bahamas, 1880–1960.