João Domingos Pedro Taveira

He was born on 27 July 1940 in Cabouco, Lagoa, on the Island of São Miguel.

An Agricultural Technical Engineer, trained in Coimbra, he began his professional career on the island of São Jorge in 1962, during the installation phase of the Forestry Services on the said island. He served as a technician and as the Head of Division for the São Jorge Forestry Service until the date of his retirement on 6 February 2009.

Between 1974 and 1979, during the period of the Azores Livestock Programme as a Public Institute, he was the primary individual responsible for its execution in São Jorge, overseeing the reclamation and transformation of uncultivated land into pasture and the construction of the island’s vast network of penetration roads.

He served as the Provost (Provedor) of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Velas between 1971–1976 and 1989–1997. He also held the positions of Municipal Councillor and Member of the Municipal Assembly of Velas, having further performed various roles in local community and sporting associations.

He was awarded the Silver Medal of the Municipality of Velas during a solemn ceremony held at the Velas Town Hall on 23 April 2002 a municipal holiday and the feast day of Saint George. On the same date, he was elevated to the dignity of honorary cross-confrere of the Confraria do Queijo de São Jorge (St. George Cheese Guild).

He was also awarded the Autonomic Insignia of Dedication (Insígnia Autonómica de Dedicação) in May 2011, during the Azores Day Honours. This distinction consists of “relevant services rendered in public administration, as well as honouring officials who demonstrate unusual qualities within their careers and who, through their conduct, can be pointed to as an example to follow.”

His funeral took place at the Cemetery of São Joaquim on 12 June, following a Mass celebrated in the Chapel of São Joaquim by Father João Luciano Rodrigues.