THE Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC), has hailed the late George Radcliffe John as one of the Caribbean’s best known journalists and an outstanding teacher of journalism.

“When George John joined CARIMAC, the print journalism class was in the doldrums and students were pondering and agonising over the simplicity of Melvin Mencher (author of a book on journalism) said Franklyn St Juste, who was a colleague-lecturer at CARIMAC with John.

“Never for one moment did they consider that there could be a Caribbean aesthetic of journalism. George John, as he was familiarly called, immediately set about to end this isolation and insulation of students to the Caribbean that surrounded them, and out of this came editions of CARIMAC Times and a new appreciation of the use of language and the written word.”

Virginia Turner, former CARIMAC student and friend, described George John as more than an academic. “His background meant he came to us with a wealth of experience. He was like a fountain of knowledge. His approach to teaching was like sharing stories,” said Turner.

Claudette White, who was among John’s first group of print students, described George John as an optimist who was broad-minded, adding that “he always saw the best in people. He never dwelled on the negative, neither in people nor situations”.

She said that apart from the journalistic standards that he was known for, George John was also known for his “bigness of heart and inclusiveness, qualities shared by both him and his wife. He realised that events were bigger than us and so we had to put things in context.”

St Juste, in the meantime, recalled that George John had a wry sense of humour “that was a buffer to the sterile atmosphere of many staff meetings. His use of the written word made him stand out as an eminent Caribbean journalist. Whenever there is talk about excellence in journalism George Radcliffe John will always be remembered”.

“George John joined the teaching staff of CARIMAC at the UWI’s Mona Campus in the 1980s. By then his consummate skills and zeal for the craft had earned him recognition among his peers. He had been practising the craft for over four decades and would later guide and mentor neophytes who joined CARIMAC over the next six years,” CARIMAC in a statement, in which it extended condolences to the family and friends of John.