Tribute to Maître Nestor Calixte
By La Rédaction · Port-au-Prince · · 4 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
"To teach is to sow the seeds of eternity in souls."
The News of a Departure
My surprise was great, and my emotion even greater, when I received, via WhatsApp, a message from my former classmate from Collège Notre-Dame de Lourdes, Ronyde Bélizaire Imbert, a study companion from sixth grade to senior year, announcing the passing of Maître Nestor Calixte, our eminent literature professor. The news deeply shook me. It marked the loss of an exceptional educator, an enlightened mind, a man who was much more than just a teacher to us.
An Emblematic Figure of the North-West
Who, in the North-West department in general, and in Port-de-Paix in particular, did not know Maître Nestor Calixte?
An emblematic figure of knowledge and wisdom, a brilliant lawyer, an accomplished pedagogue, a lover of letters and words, he was an intellectual and moral beacon for several generations.
His voice, imbued with authority and kindness, still resonates in the memory of those who, like me, had the privilege of being his students in sophomore and rhetoric classes.
It was he who opened the doors to great writers for me, instilling a taste for beautiful style, sound thought, and noble expression. More Than a Professor: A Guide and a Spiritual Father But Maître Nestor Calixte was not just a teacher. He was a guide, a counselor, a spiritual father, a builder of souls and consciences.
Through his literature courses, he transmitted a true philosophy of life: self-respect and respect for others, dignity, intellectual rigor, method, courage, and faith in the value of effort. His words were a lesson, his attitude a school, his life a testimony. Belonging to that noble generation of professors now on the verge of extinction, he embodied the passion for his profession, a sense of duty, and a love for youth. For him, teaching was not a job, but a calling, a mission in service of the mind and the nation. The Man, the Patriot, the Example A man of culture and a sincere patriot, Maître Nestor carried Haiti in his heart with fervor and conviction.
Despite life's trials, he never stopped believing in the greatness of education, nor in the ability of young people to change the destiny of their country.
His passion for knowledge was accompanied by a deep sense of work well done, a demand for clarity, and a constant search for perfection in intellectual matters. The Humble Man While writing this text, Alix Lalane, one of my classmates at CNDL, called me to inform me of the death and to share a singular, yet deeply inspiring, anecdote. In Port-de-Paix, the government commissioner, Maître Nestor, led a double life that few would dare to imagine: before and after his office hours at the public prosecutor's office, he was a tap-tap driver on the Port-de-Paix/Saint-Louis du Nord route. This contrast, far from being a contradiction, reveals a rare humility and remarkable greatness of soul. His former students still remember one of his almost legendary phrases: "I prefer to walk to give my lessons, because in my vehicle, you can't see how elegant I am." A statement that says it all: simplicity, a sense of humor, but also the nobility of a man who is measured not by the height of his title, but by the depth of his humanity. Return to His Native Cradle Weakened by the weight of years, Maître Nestor had for some time joined his family in a foreign land. Feeling the end of his journey approaching, he expressed the wish to return to Port-de-Paix, his hometown, that corner of the earth he cherished above all else. And it was there, true to his deep attachment to his origins, that he peacefully drew his last breath, on Thursday, October 16, around two in the afternoon, thus fulfilling his ultimate wish: to die where it all began. Farewell and THANK YOU, Maître Nestor Calixte Thank you for the light you ignited in our minds, for the nobility of your example, for your generosity and dedication. You will forever remain in the memory of your students as one of those masters whose path one never forgets having crossed. May the earth of Port-de-Paix be soft and light for you, Maître Nestor!
Your name will remain inscribed in the great memory of Haitian education. Pierre Josué Agénor Cadet N.B.
Maître Francklin Nestor Calixte was a Professor of French Literature at Lycée Tertullien Guilbeaud and Collège Notre Dame de Lourdes in Port-de-Paix, Government Commissioner at the Public Prosecutor's Office of Port-de-Paix for several decades, Departmental Delegate of the North-West, President of the Red Cross of Port-de-Paix, Investigating Judge at the Court of First Instance of Port-au-Prince, Lawyer at the Bar of Port-de-Paix and former President of the Bar Association of Port-de-Paix.
It was he who opened the doors to great writers for me, instilling a taste for beautiful style, sound thought, and noble expression. More Than a Professor: A Guide and a Spiritual Father But Maître Nestor Calixte was not just a teacher. He was a guide, a counselor, a spiritual father, a builder of souls and consciences.
Through his literature courses, he transmitted a true philosophy of life: self-respect and respect for others, dignity, intellectual rigor, method, courage, and faith in the value of effort. His words were a lesson, his attitude a school, his life a testimony. Belonging to that noble generation of professors now on the verge of extinction, he embodied the passion for his profession, a sense of duty, and a love for youth. For him, teaching was not a job, but a calling, a mission in service of the mind and the nation. The Man, the Patriot, the Example A man of culture and a sincere patriot, Maître Nestor carried Haiti in his heart with fervor and conviction.
Despite life's trials, he never stopped believing in the greatness of education, nor in the ability of young people to change the destiny of their country.
His passion for knowledge was accompanied by a deep sense of work well done, a demand for clarity, and a constant search for perfection in intellectual matters. The Humble Man While writing this text, Alix Lalane, one of my classmates at CNDL, called me to inform me of the death and to share a singular, yet deeply inspiring, anecdote. In Port-de-Paix, the government commissioner, Maître Nestor, led a double life that few would dare to imagine: before and after his office hours at the public prosecutor's office, he was a tap-tap driver on the Port-de-Paix/Saint-Louis du Nord route. This contrast, far from being a contradiction, reveals a rare humility and remarkable greatness of soul. His former students still remember one of his almost legendary phrases: "I prefer to walk to give my lessons, because in my vehicle, you can't see how elegant I am." A statement that says it all: simplicity, a sense of humor, but also the nobility of a man who is measured not by the height of his title, but by the depth of his humanity. Return to His Native Cradle Weakened by the weight of years, Maître Nestor had for some time joined his family in a foreign land. Feeling the end of his journey approaching, he expressed the wish to return to Port-de-Paix, his hometown, that corner of the earth he cherished above all else. And it was there, true to his deep attachment to his origins, that he peacefully drew his last breath, on Thursday, October 16, around two in the afternoon, thus fulfilling his ultimate wish: to die where it all began. Farewell and THANK YOU, Maître Nestor Calixte Thank you for the light you ignited in our minds, for the nobility of your example, for your generosity and dedication. You will forever remain in the memory of your students as one of those masters whose path one never forgets having crossed. May the earth of Port-de-Paix be soft and light for you, Maître Nestor!
Your name will remain inscribed in the great memory of Haitian education. Pierre Josué Agénor Cadet N.B.
Maître Francklin Nestor Calixte was a Professor of French Literature at Lycée Tertullien Guilbeaud and Collège Notre Dame de Lourdes in Port-de-Paix, Government Commissioner at the Public Prosecutor's Office of Port-de-Paix for several decades, Departmental Delegate of the North-West, President of the Red Cross of Port-de-Paix, Investigating Judge at the Court of First Instance of Port-au-Prince, Lawyer at the Bar of Port-de-Paix and former President of the Bar Association of Port-de-Paix.
