With admiration and respect for Robert Douglas Armstrong, who passed away on Saturday, May 21st, 2005, following a brief struggle with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia, we share some of the highlights of Mr. Armstrong's long and much admired career as a hotelier and entrepreneur.

He was raised on St. Croix, attended the Antigua Grammar School and St. Mark's Academy near Boston, then went on to graduate with honors from Princeton University, receiving a degree in Romance Languages.

He returned home to help the family run what was then a small inn, The Buccaneer Hotel. Over the course of the next 47 years he accomplished many milestones in his successful business life.

Under his leadership The Buccaneer became one of the world's top 500 resort hotels, won numerous awards while becoming an icon in the Caribbean tourism industry, and became what it is today: an island landmark and institution.

Following a lifelong commitment to investing in St. Croix, he transformed the area around the old Christiansted port terminal into the bustling office, commercial and retail center that is today popularly referred to as Gallows Bay.

Ever willing to take on new challenges he started an insurance company, the Companion Assurance Corporation, that offered Virgin Islanders the security of knowing that their risks were covered by a locally owned and operated business that would be there in their times of need.

As the founder of the Bank of St. Croix, he provided the island with the first full service community bank to be started by a native Virgin Islander since his father founded the Virgin Islands National Bank more than 50 years before.

Through these and other investments, he was a continual force for growth and employment on St. Croix. His continual support of charitable causes and individuals too numerous to mention, most often done anonymously, left an imprint on the lives of countless others on St. Croix.

Perhaps less well known, though no less significant, were his achievements in North Carolina, where he was the catalyst for the rebuilding of downtown Asheville, the preservation of large areas of mountain wilderness, and many other business and civic initiatives.

He is survived by his wife Patricia, his sisters Judith and Barbara, his children Douglas, Robert and Elizabeth, and his six grandchildren as well as numerous nieces and nephews.