Happy birthday

James Moss-Solomon

Sunday, February 12, 2012

TODAY I take the liberty of saying happy birthday to two Jamaican icons, one a person and the other a family. Both have shown the best of what we can dream and accomplish without changing their persona over the years.

Lois Lake-Sherwood celebrates a milestone and I would never suggest a number, as by her enduring beauty you would label me a liar. The small-framed, lightly freckled little girl is now the small-framed, lightly freckled woman with the same enduring beauty and charm inherited from her ancestors.

The sudden and tragic loss of two devoted husbands has never made this outstanding Jamaican woman bitter, revengeful, or less committed to family, friends, and country. To me she represents that Jamaican matriarch, entrepreneur, mother, grandmother and friend that is the very being of our country's indomitable spirit.

Perhaps that secret strength is in her artistic ability, and she sees the possibility of a brighter future with that faith and foresight of the truly gifted. Whatever it may be, she is an icon who stirs a belief in the essential goodness of family and friends, and a love of country.

Happy birthday, Moms, and thanks for the enduring love and support, from all who have been fortunate to fall within the circle of your influence, humility, charm and beauty.

On Tuesday, February 14, GraceKennedy Ltd will celebrate 90 years and yet another icon will be in the spotlight. I admit my inherent bias as I was an employee at the 50th anniversary, and I have survived to celebrate the 90th. I have been spoiled as I have worked for four great chairmen — Luis Fred Kennedy, S Carlton Alexander, Rafael Diaz, and Douglas Orane.

As a young man I was apprenticed to many wonderful leaders who were knowledgeable in such diverse specialty areas as warehousing, shipping, and international purchasing, accounting, and yes, the peculiarities of wheat, corned beef and mackerel. What a ride it has been, not unlike a roller coaster through the changing Jamaican landscape of the last 40 years.

Like many thousands of young Jamaicans who joined the company, we found ourselves enrolled in what we called affectionately "the University of Harbour Street". There we got a dose of knowledge and experiences that were often punctuated and embedded with several choice Jamaican words, strung together with a poetic and lyrical beauty.

Today's young people may not like the thought, but in a world of no computers, few calculators, no Internet, e-mail, cellphones, there was little room for error. Decisions had to be taken quickly with relatively little time or ability to research the world, and therefore continuous monitoring of all available media was essential.

It was an education that encouraged storing knowledge for future use, rather than the instant Google mindset.

We read the newspapers locally and those that arrived by mail, we listened to the world news, we wrote letters, sent telegrams and telex messages, to negotiate and confirm the vital flow of products and raw materials that kept Jamaica going. Customer service was the number one priority, and we did internal work outside of the "customers' time".

Yes, the employees worked hard, but we played hard. The sports club, the parties, customer celebrations all played a part in making us a company family. We worked for quiet giants who never lost the common touch. We celebrated every victory, and shared the sorrow of every loss. We were encouraged to be leaders in every sphere of our business and our communities.

We were firsts in many ways such as medical scheme, pension fund, group life insurance, maternity leave, and the internal credit union. We were proud of being first, and every person, from messenger to managing director, was afforded the same respect.

No executive bathrooms or canteens, the concept of the family teaching each other the ways of existing in peace and harmony. We avoided "the philosophy that holds one man superior and another inferior" (from the speech of Emperor Haile Selassie sung by Bob Marley as War).

But above all, we were taught to be respectful to the nation and its several leaders, to be informative and open when they were going astray, but most importantly to have an undying love for Jamaica. To us the interests of the country and the company seemed to merge, and we behaved accordingly in trying to do what was right for both.

It was a lesson not easily forgotten even when things appeared so hard; our corporate leaders kept our hopes high, and here we are at the cusp of the country's 50th anniversary of Independence.

I was 10 years old at that important day on the 6th August 1962, and the next January would see me entering Jamaica College as a first former. The hopes and expectations of something better happening for our country were alive in the hearts and minds of the 120 or so of us who entered those gates.

Many of those dreams have been dashed by intervening events and several have abandoned the nurture of our native land to live in other places with less crime and violence.

Today, my classmate Michael 'Ibo' Cooper and I will retrace those steps of 1963 through the same gates to give thanks to the goodness of God for the GraceKennedy family that has helped to keep our dream of the potential for a great nation alive.

Perhaps like Lois Sherwood, our artistic corporate eye really sees a future where sanity will prevail, and all the good in the hearts of the people of Jamaica will find it possible to defeat the dark evil that threatens the fabric of our society.

I hope that we can draw inspiration of our own from the good examples that I have mentioned in this article. They are by no means singular, and each one of us has a quiet hero from whom we draw our earthly strength by their example. Jamaica is not lost, if only we understand that all things are possible if only we believe.

Happy Valentine's Day also.

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Happy birthday