Dear Editor,

I recall with pride Desmond Elliot as a compassionate friend and a man of integrity. As a youngster playing table tennis for Rusea's High School in 1974 at a fun day at Watson Taylor Park in Lucea, I found Mr Elliot like a father. The Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation where Mr Elliott worked had been invited to the fun day.

This was my second year in the game and I was young and inexperienced. I played a young man a few years older than me who came with Mr Elliott. I lost and began to cry because I was so passionate about table tennis. It was a tight match and a painful loss. He came and hugged me and told me that the young man I just played was a

well-recognised player in Kingston. I was only a little child and when I grew up I would do wonderfully well.

It was amazing how he came across and stirred my spirit and rejuvenated me. I have never forgotten that moment and it stands with me until this very day. My deepest sympathy to the family of Mr Elliott, and I wish him a peace-filled return to his Creator. The world will not be the same without his love and peaceful persona because he was a timeless character.

Paris Taylor

Greater Portmore

St Catherine