Dear Editor,

Like most Jamaicans, I, even though not a Jamaican, was saddened to learn that my friend Tony Abrahams received his call from above. He was a man of many qualities – a good man for Jamaica.

I first met Tony in 1995, when I was writing a short book with Dr Kurt Schuler: Alternative Monetary Regimes for Jamaica. Our research was supported by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and required me to travel to Kingston occasionally.

During one of my early visits, I had the pleasure of meeting Tony and his colleagues at The Breakfast Club. I thought this would be the usual “mandatory” talk-show appearance. It was not. Tony and his colleagues represented a wide range of opinions, but The Breakfast Club, in those days, was unified. Three overriding elements lent a cohesive quality to The Breakfast Club: open-mindedness, high quality and the essential ingredient of courtesy. After appearing many times on The Breakfast Club – both in person and via telephone – I came to the conclusion that the Breakfast Club was first-rate and that Tony put the key elements together that made it truly world-class.

Prof Dr Steve H Hanke

The Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore

USA