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Dixie Bowen - Wife of Sir Barry Bowen
"It is my privilege to have been requested by the Belize Airport Authority to be asked to commission a statue of Sir Barry for the Sir Barry Bowen Airport, renamed in his honor last November. The truth be known, Sir Barry was always taken by statues. When traveling he would always take time to stop and really study this form of art and I know today he would be so very proud of this lasting remembrance of himself at the airport he so painstakingly designed and was determined to make it a reality. Quoted from moon handbooks, the one about Belize, quote, 'Barry Bowen was a prominent businessman in Belize whose products touched nearly every Belizean and every visitor in Belize. He also was a central figure in the political and economic history of modern Belize and a key link to the British Honduras past…Admired or distrusted, envied or loved, Sir Barry was one of a kind. He made his mark on nearly every major event in his lifetime. Bold and full of life, ambitious and willing to take a risk, a man of vision and large plans, he was a multimillionaire who achieved things. There will be no one like him again in Belize.' Many did not understand him; he was a complex man and his views often controversial. He had an impending need to do for his country. He was a son of the soil and in one word extraordinary."

John Greif - President, Tropic Air
"The Barry Bowen part of it goes way back for 20, 25 years. Barry would bring plans; every time something would change. Barry would change the plans, 'Johnny we've got to get this done.' I gave up a decade after Barry started working on it. It's appropriate that we are all here this morning like a family to officially name the airport and reveal Barry's statue. The statue itself is appropriate because it is larger than life as was Barry. Barry didn't just live life. He took a huge bite out of it and shook it hard. It's appropriate that we are naming the airport because Barry loved aviation and was a gifted pilot. My dad thought him to fly and soloed him after only in 14 hours of flight instructions instead of the usual 40 and I think he let it go a little bit longer just because he didn't want it to seem like he was letting Barry go too quick because Barry was his friend. The fact that the statue is interactive here in front of us is important because Barry was all about staying in touch, staying in touch with people, all people. I have personally seen Barry telling the Prime Minister that: I'm sorry sir, I'll have to call you back later because he was busy working out some family problems of one of his yard keepers. Barry cared about people. I thank the Bowen family because as Barry loved aviation and as he loved people and as he loved his family, so did I love him. Thank you."