THERE he was, this world hero of athletics, with tears in his eyes. Herb McKenley was describing the outpouring of love after his heart surgery in 1999. He spoke of the letters, the visits, the flowers that kept coming to the hospital in Florida. "I didn't know that people cared so much about me," said this wonderfully humble gentleman.

Jean Lowrie-Chin

Ah Herb, Jamaica and indeed, the world of track and field idolised you. You were an icon of perseverance and patriotism, the man who never gave up even after he was edged out of the top spot once during the 1948 Olympics and twice during the 1952 event. Last week's New York Times report of his passing recalled his brilliant, finally Gold-medal run in the 4x400 relay "when he turned a 10-yard deficit into a two-foot victory with a spectacular leg in 44.6 seconds."

The Times continued, "His 1948 world record of 45.9 in the 400 has long been eclipsed - the current record, at 43.18, has been held by Michael Johnson of the United States since 1999 - but McKenley ran in an era when most tracks were dirt or clay, not the artificial surfaces of today, and when training methods, diet and equipment were far less advanced than they are now."

McKenley was the first Jamaican to win a track scholarship, completing his degree at the University of Illinois. He had a wry sense of humour, joking that he chose that institution because the "I" on the Illinois sweatshirt was the only letter that could be read on his slender frame.

His exploits were the stuff of legends, but Herb McKenley was every bit present and accounted for in his homeland. It was a privilege to work on projects with this great man who was more concerned that his young athletes excelled, than if you knew about his sporting supremacy. "Imagine," enthused fellow Calabar alumnus Patrick Anderson. "With the times Herb did 60 years ago, he would have qualified for the Beijing Olympics!"

Another JAAA legend, Teddy McCook, has frequently commented that enough of our young people did not appreciate the seminal contribution that Herb made to sport. "Some of our youngsters just don't realise what the name Herb McKenley meant to track and field," he said "When he travelled, people at the biggest athletic events were always in awe of him." Happily, the great man was present when the Government of Jamaica renamed a street adjacent to the National Stadium, in his honour.

O'Brien's entrepreneurial magic

Entrepreneurship is a blessing to any society. The daring and resourcefulness of the visionary results in employment and empowerment. And so we revelled in the achievements of Jamaica's young entrepreneurs last Thursday, including a sixth former, 18-year-old Tricia Williamson, who is doing "very well, thank you" with her gift sales.

Winner of the top Digicel award, mobile technology whiz Stephen Spence recalled the nervous day that he left his job to launch out: "I called my wife to tell her I had resigned and then I immediately hung up the phone!" Kudos to Young Entrepreneurs Association (YEA) President Aldain Reid, for a spirited celebration of his peers.

Digicel Chairman Denis O'Brien was a refreshing main speaker, demonstrating why his approach to business has re-energised Jamaica and the Caribbean. He harked back to his first venture, telemarketing, which was a dismal failure. After getting back his breath, he raised funds to build Esat, a telecoms company in 1991. He eventually sold the company to British Telecom plc for a hefty £2.4 billion, making a personal gain of over 300m. He remarked that becoming wealthy is something we all dream of, but jokingly told us, "My wife got tired of me hanging around the house - you can only spend so much time drinking coffee and reading the newspaper."

An ad in the Financial Times about Jamaica caught his eye, and the man who believes you shouldn't take too long to plan rolled out his GSM network in Jamaica in a flash, leaving his competitors still blinking. In advising the young entrepreneurs, he said with iconoclastic frankness, "I wouldn't bother with mission statements - they propagate nonsense - business happens in real time."

Sweetening the half-million-dollar prize to the YEA winner, O'Brien offered two days' work experience with him. Two days with a man who has given us a platinum mobile service in 23 countries (Suriname only last week) in six years, boosting national economies, donating billions and employing thousands - sounds better than any PhD to me!

Two schoolboy stories

There were two schoolboys in a courageous programme called "Success". Jamaica College wanted to give their young charges every possible chance to break out of their negative behaviour and indeed, it seemed that they had. until last Monday when one took the other's life. Before the more cynical among us ask why the school even bothered to try, let me point out that for this tragedy, there are countless success stories from such programmes.

Take for example Devon* (*not his real name), whose teachers and mentors decided that they would find out why this knife-toting student at another high school was so aggressive. They discovered that Devon was depressed about a family issue. They have had weekly meetings, supervised his work, and seen a quantum change in the boy's behaviour and performance. It reminds us that, "whenever a child is being most hateful, is when he needs the most love." We cannot just give up - this argument about whether or not we should have a curfew for youngsters is a no-brainer. We have to be vigilant and watchful of these, the most precious treasures of Jamaica - our children.

Sonia Jones

When I think of Sonia Jones I hark back to her dynamic leadership of the Commonwealth Law Conference Planning Committee when it was held in 1986. Sonia was a patriot to the core and inspired us all to make Jamaica shine brightly for this huge event, meticulously staged by Merrick Needham. She gave years of service to child care, human rights, and corporate boards and coloured many occasions with her bright smile, positive attitude and sparkling wit. Rest in peace, Lady Sonia.

lowriechin@aim.com

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