Oliver Fredrick Clarke

THE GLEANER, THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | D7 THE HONOURABLE Oliver Clarke has been a great business leader and his scope was extensive across many areas. Perhaps Mr Clarke’s greatest challenge was to maintain The Gleaner in the 1970s. Those were very challenging times. The Gleaner ’s head office at North Street and East Street was under threat. The government leader of the day led a march of supporters to the East Street area of The Gleaner Company. However, the march ended when the leader said, “Next time,” and the crowd departed. On one occasion, Oliver Clarke addressed the Rotary Club of St Andrew at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel. He told us that the Government wanted The Gleaner ’s editorials to be sent to a review board before publication, but the company refused. The government of the day removed The Gleaner from the publications to receive government advertisements. Mr Clarke invited Gleaner subscribers to purchase shares in the company, to help to keep The Gleaner going. That was successful. I had the pleasure of serving on one of Mr Clarke’s boards, 1993-2001. It was a great pleasure to serve on the board. May the many businesses in which Mr Clarke was involved and led continue, and may his contribution be forever remembered. ALVARO CASSERLY Former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Jamaica Unit Trust Services Limited I WRITE to express my sincere condolences on the death of the Honourable Oliver Clarke. He was my friend of many years’ standing; but much more than that, he was fully committed to Jamaica’s development and, in pursuance of this, was himself active in several spheres, including the private sector, of which he was a major player; public sector governance, especially in the areas of reducing corruption and reforms to increase efficiency; education; a free and independent press; and, from time to time, using the Gleaner boardroom as a meeting place even among persons of disparate views to discuss issues of national concerns. His sometimes impish and, at times, brusque manner was not always everyone’s ‘cup of tea’; but these minor foibles were greatly compensated for by his national commitment, mentioned earlier, a capacity for growth, reflected, for example, in a greater understanding and support for policies which enhanced social and economic equity, albeit ever the accountant, with due attention to fiscal prudence; not much publicised generosity to persons and institutions in need of help; and last, but not least, frommy own observations at any rate, a lack of vindictiveness with persons with whom he may have had serious disagreements. His widow, Monica, his daughter, Alexandra, and the wider community of persons with whom he interacted can take some comfort in the usefulness of his life. CARLTON DAVIS Casserly remembers a reat business leader G T ot always everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ S EVERAL YEARS ago, I introduced Oliver Clarke to How To Win Without Actually Cheating , a seminal work on gamesmanship written 75 years ago by a Cambridge University academic, Stephen Potter. Potter demonstrated in a tennis game how you could win by doubting your opponents’ accuracy of their line calls, claiming foot faults or even tampering with the scoring. Destroying your opponents’ self-confidence meant you had a good chance of winning. At the time, I partnered Oliver in a Sunday morning Liguanea Club tennis game against Dr Marshall Hall and Charlie Johnson. Our performance noticeable improved, thanks to Potter. Later, Dr Richard Gomes teamed up with Oliver and Norman Marshall partnered me. The Gomes-Clarke combination were superior gamesmen and Norman and I were to become known as players who could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. On one occasion, employing an outrageous ploy, Oliver, unbeknownst to me, ordered breakfast on my account for all of us and expressed dismay when I denied his additional request for cigars and champagne. He and I carried the Potter banner forward by inaugurating an annual Stephen Potter Invitational Tennis Tournament comprising usually six men and two women. This would be followed by a brunch of huevos rancheros and honey-baked beans for players, wives and significant others. This event included presentations for those who demonstrated their skills of winning without actually cheating. At the inaugural staging, prizes included a photo of Maria Sharapova in the shower (fake), the tennis racket with which Fred Perry wonWimbledon in 1937 (fake), and a framed caricature of Oliver by Livingston McLaren (not fake). In his remarks in congratulating Mr Clarke on his achievements, Dr Hall revealed he had shown the similar skill of the recent winner of the Zambian Open who beat the reigning champion by farting as he served. The Invitational last for 13 or 14 years and the first winner received a three-inch cup leftover frommy Gordon Town Youth Club days. But thereafter, Oliver donated a silver-plated genie’s lamp reminiscent of Arabian Nights picked up at a Vermont garage sale. Winning partners had their names suitably engraved, although many tried rubbing the lamp for the mythical three wishes without success. Out of this tournament there evolved a Kingston tennis team which took on the Georgia Club, playing on probably the only remaining grass courts in Jamaica which were located in rural Trelawny behind Duncans. For years, our Kingston team failed to overcome the locals who not only knew the unpredictable undulations of their courts but frequently omitted to field any women to take on our ladies. Oliver appointed me assistant scorer in the hope that I would rig the score sheet in our favour. On another occasion, we tried listing our best player as his own (non-existent) twin brother. Driven to desperation, I even proposed burning down the Georgia Clubhouse to deflect from their impending victory. Fortunately, Oliver rejected this ploy out of respect for Custos Paul Muschette, the club’s president. Ten years ago, Kingston finally triumphed, and as always a festive dinner was put on by Oliver’s resourceful wife, Monica, at Silver Sands. On these occasions, Oliver’s devious gamesmanship was replaced by his generous hostmanship. TONY GAMBRILL Oliver Clarke: ennis enthusiast From left: Professor Alvin Wint, Professor Marshall Hall, organiser and non-playing captain Tony Gambrill and Oliver Clarke along with The Genie Cup. CONTRIBUTED