Thompson laid to rest

The official funeral for Ambassador Dudley Thompson took place yesterday at the Holy Trinity Cathedral at North Street, Kingston.

During the service, the coffin of the former minister of national security, affectionately called 'Duds' or 'Baba' by some of his friends and colleagues, was draped in the Jamaican flag and covered with a number of medals he earned for his distinguished national service.

The service began sharply at 2 p.m. with a musical tribute, a rendition of Bob Marley's Redemption Song, moments after the arrival of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, Minister Louis Farrakhan, Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, and Governor General Sir Patrick Allen and his wife, Lady Allen.

Several pay respects

Past and present political leaders, war veterans, Pan-Africanists, scholars, activists and members of the public listened keenly to tributes paid to Thompson, who died from a heart attack a day after his 95th birthday.

"I'd like to speak today, not of the loss but of the fullness of the life that Dudley Thompson shared," said his daughter, Margaret Cezair Thompson.

She spoke of her father's "brilliance", the "integrity of his convictions", and his "exemplary self-discipline and high standards." She added that he had "wit sharper than any surgical instrument", and that his family members were "thankful today in the midst of our sadness for the time he was given on this Earth".