An intervenor in utility rate hearings and a regular contributor to the radio call-in programmes, Alvin Martin Thorpe, has died.The 73-year-old Wildey, St Michael resident died last Friday after a period of illness.Thorpe, an engineer by profession, had a knack for using metal and a blowtorch to create simple solutions to everyday mechanical problems.“He spent many years as an advocate for countless causes,” one of his sons, Martin, told the WEEKEND NATION. “He was an avid caller on the radio call-in programmes. He was known as “The Corned Beef Man” and subsequently “Mr Regular”. Over the years, Thorpe sat on committees in a number of agencies, including the Barbados Transport Board and the Ministry of Transport, were he offered advice on traffic management and public transportation problems. “As a member of the Road Safety Committee, he advised on road usage,” his son recalled. “He was also an intervenor in several rate hearings of the Public Utilities Board and the Fair Trading Commission. He also assisted the Men’s Educational Support Association in its causes.”People who knew him said Thorpe had a great memory. “He was like a walking encyclopaedia,” son Martin said. (TY)
