NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2023 28 R. DANNY WILLIAMS TRIBUTE excuse about ‘exigencies of the service’to delay the meeting. Or maybe he just really, really liked the soup. Danny gave me a comprehensive background of JC’s transformation project. We spoke of work done and work to come. He told me that in September 2005 when he first started the revival at JC, the entire school was in shambles. Graffiti was all over the place; several roofs were leaking; windows, grills and doors were falling off their hinges; and light fixtures were in bad shape. The first thing he did was to remove some 15 truckloads of garbage from the property. With the help of our old boys, 80 per cent of the school was refurbished, he said, and leaking roofs in the staff room and chapel were sorted out. The JCOBA and our old boys now had a permanent home on the campus, as a part of the old assembly hall was converted into our new offices. The magnificent Simms Building at the centre of the school was re-roofed, and the sixth-form classrooms were outfitted with Wi-Fi and other amenities. The infirmary, bookroom, PTA offices and old auditorium were also refurbished, as was the Cadet Corp headquarters. The list of accomplishments was exhausting. But Danny spoke about each one as an excited father talking about each of his 100 kids. He then asked me what were my plans as president and why did I take up the role. I told him that my son was coming to JC in a few short years, and despite my best efforts to teach him football, basketball and tracks, the stubborn youth was determined to be a bookworm. “Clearly he takes after his mother,” Danny laughed. I told him that this was my motivation for becoming president: to fix the academics which, despite the shiny new coat of paint on the school, was still on life support. We talked some more, drank some more soup and chatted about non-JC things. I was amazed at how he had completely disarmed me and strengthened my confidence in the new role I had taken on. Over the next couple of years, Danny was one of my biggest supporters. Not just there to offer congratulations on the work we were involved in, but to also offer advice. I remember when finally, after years of hard work persuading a bank to issue an official JC-branded Visa credit card with a one per cent cash back to the school, I met Danny to give him the news and to show off the card. It wasn’t quite a brand new auditorium, but I was proud of the work my team had done in putting JC on an internationally accepted credit card. Danny only smiled and nodded approvingly at the card, before leaning over quietly to whisper, “Next year, ask for five per cent.” But such was the man. Genuine. Humble. Helpful. Danny Williams’ passion for our alma mater was nothing short of remarkable. His unwavering dedication to the school and its students served as a testament to the profound impact one single individual can have on an institution and its community. As Danny’s health faltered in his later years, the conversations between us became infrequent. But his contributions to the school and his support for the JCOBA never waned. Danny leaves us at a time when JC desperately needs his steady, selfless and ego-free leadership. I implore my fellow old boys to take inspiration from his life and to return to our alma mater. The walls are in need of paint; the grass is brown; and the campus, once bustling and teeming with us, is now a veritable ghost town. Most importantly, however, the boys tell me that our absence is palpable and our once proud True Blue culture is waning. I know that the wounds are still fresh and the hurt is still there. But as our school prayer reminds us, we have a duty to serve and to do so with gladness. I believe that it is what Danny would have wanted. Major Basil Jarrett is a communications strategist and CEO of Artemis Consulting, a communications consulting firm specialising in crisis communications and reputation management. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Threads @IamBasilJarrett and linkedin.com/in/basiljarrett. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com. DANNY CONTINUED FROM 26 Published November 22, 2019 THE TALK of the Town at The Jamaica Pegasus was an atmosphere of celebration recently as over 200 well-wishers – family, friends, business associates, and colleagues – of Dr the Hon R. Danny Williams came out in support of the launch of his biography, I Tried to Make a Difference. All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the Jamaica College Foundation for the R. Danny Williams Scholarship Endowment Fund. ‘I Tried to Make a Difference’ Dr the Hon R. Danny Williams signs a copy of his book, ‘I Tried to Make a Difference’. President and CEO, Christopher Zacca, gives a ‘thumbs up’ for R. Danny Williams biography ‘I Tried to Make a Difference’.
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