They left us in 2011

Nadisha Hunter, Staff Reporter

Last year, Jamaicans mourned the passing of many individuals who served with distinction in several areas. But even as the tears flowed, the work of these Jamaicans provided precious memories that will be cherished forever. Today, The Gleaner reflects on some of those who died in 2011.

Colonel Trevor MacMillan

Former army officer, police commissioner and national security minister, Colonel Trevor MacMillan, died in May after a brief illness.

MacMillan was a member of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) from 1959-86. After leaving the JDF, he worked at Peat Marwick and Company, then with the Revenue Protection Division.

He was appointed police commissioner in 1993, becoming the first person from outside the force assigned to that post. His tenure as police commissioner was controversial, as he led a drive to rid the force of rogue members and to instil a level of professionalism.

He was sacked as commissioner in 1998, and worked in the private sector and with civic groups, including Jamaicans for Justice, before being named a government senator in 2006.

In 2008, he was appointed national security minister by Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

But MacMillan resigned after only 10 months in that post and drifted out of the national spotlight until his death.

Onel Theobalds'OT' Williams

Retired four-time Member of Parliament (MP) Onel Theobalds 'OT' Williams died in October after a long illness.

Williams, the veteran People's National Party member, served as member of parliament for West St Andrew from 1989 to 2007, and was at one time the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives.

Hezekiah Molloy

Former mayor of Port Antonio, Hezekiah Molloy, also died in October. He served as People's National Party councillor for the Buff Bay Valley division, which was later widened and renamed the Balcarres division. Molloy, the father of former Jamaica Teachers' Association President Nadine Molloy Young, served as mayor of Port Antonio for some 12 years.

David Coore

David Coore, the firebrand lawyer who helped draft the Jamaican Constitution in 1961, died in December at his home in Dominican Republic from complications related to pneumonia.

Coore was a member of Jamaica's Legislative Council when he was appointed to the committee to draft the country's Constitution.

He was chairman of the People's National Party (PNP) when Michael Manley became its president in 1969, and three years later, when Manley was elected prime minister, Coore was appointed minister of finance and planning. He was also deputy prime minister.

Coore resigned from Cabinet in 1978 to take up a job with the Inter-American Development Bank. In recent years, he worked as an adviser to the PNP on constitutional affairs.

Basil 'Bagga' Brown

In February, members of the entertainment and media industries bid farewell to Basil 'Bagga' Brown, who succumbed to cancer in February.

The media veteran had made his mark on radio and television before establishing himself as a first-class host of stage shows.

Brown's career also spanned the insurance and entertainment industries. He once worked as an insurance salesman, and was cofounder of the now defunct Rockers Award.

Joel Chin

The music industry also lost Joel Chin, former producer at Reggae label VP Records. He wrote hit songs for many artistes such as Elephant Man and Etana, among many others.

PatriciaRoxborough Wright

The media and theatre fraternity mourned journalist Patricia Roxborough Wright, who lost her battle with cancer in March. She was a past employee of the Jamaica Gleaner and the Jamaica Observer.

She was a first-year student at the Norman Manley Law School when she became ill in 2010.

Anthony Abrahams

Former tourism executive, politician and pioneer broadcaster journalist, Anthony Abrahams, died in August at the age of 71.

Abrahams cofounded the groundbreaking morning radio news magazine programme 'The Breakfast Club', along with Beverley Anderson-Manley in 1992.

Abrahams, who in 1970 became the youngest-ever director of tourism and later served as minister of tourism and information, died after an undisclosed illness.

He was elected to serve as member of parliament for East Portland in 1980, and was also a senator from 1977 to 1978 for the Jamaica Labour Party.

Clarington Roy Reynolds

Clarington Roy Reynolds, who wrote a weekly column for The Gleaner, also died in August. He first worked at The Gleaner as a freelance reporter during the 1960s. Later, he joined the newspaper ranks as a columnist, and was part of a formidable team that also included Morris Cargill, Dawn Ritch and Carol Stone. He also worked for several years at the Ministry of Agriculture. Reynolds also did stints at the Twin City Sun, Jamaica Journal and the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation. In the 1980s, he worked as information attaché at the Jamaican Consulate in New York City.

Tino Geddes

Veteran print and broadcast journalist Tino Geddes died in November, after a long battle with cancer.

He was as a staple on local radio for more than 30 years and flew the Jamaican journalism flag high in parts of the Eastern Caribbean and North America during his illustrious career.

Enid Golding

Enid Golding, mother of former Prime Minister Bruce Golding, died in September. She was a key figure in Jamaica's educational development and the first principal of Old Harbour Junior Secondary School.

Mrs Golding had taught at the elementary and high-school levels and demonstrated a hands-on approach to management.

She pioneered the movement for the St Catherine-based institution to be recognised as a high school, which was realised in 1989. She also taught at Alpha Academy and St Andrew High School.

Professor Aggrey Brown

Professor Aggrey Brown, the man who trained scores of journalists after enjoyoying stints in the print and electronic media, died following a period of illness.

Brown was a former dean of the faculty of Humanities and Education at the University of the West Indies (UWI). He was also a former director of the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication at the UWI.

The newspaper columnist, TV videographer, radio announcer, news analyst and moderator of the call-in programme 'The Public Eye' was remembered as a caring friend to many he left behind.

Ivan 'Wally' Johnson

Ivan 'Wally' Johnson, former principal of Kingston College (KC), passed away in August. Wally also served the famed KC as a teacher, vice-principal and sports master.

Varied tributes and memorials were expressed in a poignantly nostalgic setting punctuated by inevitable bouts of humorous interjection, for which Johnson was well known.

Audrey de Sola Pinto

Educator and former Wolmer's Girls' principal Audrey de Sola Pinto also died in July. Born in Panama, of an English father and a Jamaican mother, she was educated at St Andrew High School, Kingston, and later graduated from Birmingham University with a BA Honours degree. She taught at St Hugh's and St Andrew High Schools.

Pinto's appointment at Wolmer's Girls' School took effect in April 1962 and, until she retired in 1984, she was a vocal and visible figure in the rapidly changing educational landscape of Jamaica.

Dr Leila Theresa Thomas

Former director of the Jamaica Library Service and the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning Dr Leila Theresa Thomas had her final curtain call on January 2, after a brief illness.

Her roles with the National Library Service included volunteer, deputy director general, and chief executive officer. As a volunteer, she contributed to the establishment of the St Catherine Parish Library in 1949.

In 1982, Thomas ended her time with the library service and moved to the Jamaican Foundation For Lifelong Learning, which was at that time known as the Jamaican Movement for the Advancement of Literacy.

Sheila Barnett

Cultural icon and cofounder of the National Dance Theatre Company Sheila Barnett passed on in March, leaving a legacy of dance to continue moving the Jamaican spirit.

Barnett, who died at age 83, had given more than 50 years of her life to the Caribbean dance movement, also cofounding the Ivy Baxter Creative Dance Group and the Jamaica School of Dance, which later became the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

Barry Reckford

Barry Reckford, a trailblazing, internationally lauded Jamaican playwright, producer, actor and author, died in December at age 85.

He was author of more than a dozen plays, produced for stage, radio and television. He was nationally recognised with a silver Musgrave Medal.

Rudolph Hayden Singh

Local business leader, the former managing director of Courts Furniture Store, Rudolph Hayden Singh, died in February.

Singh joined Courts in 1992 as operations director. After a four-year stint, he was promoted to deputy managing director and took over as managing director in 2000.

Under his leadership, Courts had numerous successes. Chief among them was the expansion of its branch network from 17 in 1992 to the current 29 branches islandwide.

Lauritz Ramson

Lauritz Ramson, retired chairman of Chas. E. Ramson Limited, passed away in April at the age of 98. He was also known for his extensive public service as president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, the first chairman of the Jamaica National Export Corporation, president of the Red Cross Society, vice-commodore of the Royal Jamaica Yacht Club, and president of Jamaica Hockey Association.

Stephen Chung

St Mary businessman Stephen Chung also died in October. He was a justice of the peace and life member of the Lay Magistrates' Association St Mary chapter. Chung was at one point appointed custos of St Mary and received the Governor General's Achievement Award for the county of Middlesex. He was the owner of the Foo Hing and Company establishment which operated a supermarket.

Howard Aris

President of the Jamaica Administrative Athletics Association (JAAA) and confidant to People's National Party President Portia Simpson Miller, Howard Aris, died in November. He had served as president of the JAAA from 2004 to the time of his sudden passing.

Aris was instrumental in the significant gains made by Jamaica's athletes in recent years and was lauded locally and internationally as a giant in the track and field administration.

Joseph Hanna

Businessman Joseph Hanna was shot and killed in October outside his business place, B.J. Hanna and Sons Limited, on Retirement Crescent in Kingston.

Franz 'Gerry' Alexander

Former Jamaica and West Indies cricket captain Franz 'Gerry' Alexander died in April. Alexander, a right-handed wicketkeeper, batsman-played 25 test matches for the West Indies between 1957 and 1961.

He became captain of the West Indies team in 1958 against Pakistan at home, and led the team on the tour of India and Pakistan in 1958-1959 and against England in 1960.

In 1982, he received the Order of Distinction from the Government of Jamaica for his outstanding contribution to sports.

Lance Lumsden

Lance Lumsden, one of the best tennis players produced by Jamaica, passed away in June.

He began his tennis career in high school at Kingston College in the late 1950s. He continued at Southern Illinois University in the early 1960s, where he was the top-ranked tennis player for his college. He was one of the first Jamaicans to play tennis on the international circuit in the modern era.

Laurie Hussey

In May, the business and sporting community came together to mourn the loss of businessman and former racehorse trainer Laurie Hussey, patriarch of the Hussey racing family.

Hussey, who succumbed to cancer, was a top-flight trainer at Caymanas Park in the early '70s before migrating to the United States with his family at the beginning of 1978.