The induction into the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) Hall of Fame of Mr Earl Jarrett on Wednesday night is much more than the umbrella group paying due respect to an outstanding businessman who is one of its members.

It represents recognition of a model Jamaican citizen who obviously believes that serving his country is as important as achieving success in his chosen career.

The wider public will, of course, recognise Mr Jarrett as general manager of Jamaica National Group, a member of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, and, if they are paying keen attention, chairman of the Jamaica Cancer Society.

What many people, including maybe some of those in the audience on Wednesday night, would not have known before hearing the citation in his honour is the scale of Mr Jarrett’s service to myriad organisations.

Among them are the Caribbean Association of Housing Finance Institutions, Jamaican Diaspora Foundation, Mona GeoInformatics Institute, Jamaica Tourist Board, The Gleaner Company, Edna Manley College of Arts Foundation, Dudley Grant Memorial Trust, the YWCA Trust, the FIA Foundation, National Council of Jamaica, the Order of St John, University of the West Indies Mona Campus Council, the National Task Force on Political Tribalism, Council of Voluntary Social Services, and the Rotary Club of New Kingston.

It’s a long and impressive list, which indicates his passion for business, nation-building, and voluntary service.

It was no surprise, therefore, that in 2008 the Jamaican Government saw it fit to invest Mr Jarrett with the award of Commander of the Order of Distinction (CD) for service to the financial sector.

In that same year, he was presented with the Pelican Award from the University of the West Indies Alumni, Florida Chapter, for outstanding work in business development among the Jamaican Diaspora in the USA.

As his citation noted on Wednesday night, Mr Jarrett’s tenure at Jamaica National has so far seen the building society transformed from an entity with a few small subsidiaries into a large commercial organisation with operations in the Cayman Islands; New York, Florida, Atlanta, New Jersey and Washington, DC in the USA; Toronto, Canada; and the United Kingdom, and beyond.

Amidst all those achievements and dedication to service, one of Mr Jarrett’s characteristics that has struck us most is his humility. Maybe, as the citation noted, that is due to the fact that he “keeps himself grounded in the memory of humble Bybrook, Portland” where his parents lived when he was born, as well as his upbringing in Easington, St Thomas.

It is obvious that both experiences as well as the example set by his parents instilled in him an appreciation for community involvement, a sense of caring for his fellow human being, and, indeed, decency.

Mr Jarrett’s elevation to the PSOJ Hall of Fame was most fitting and well deserved, but even more significant is the fact that he has, through his spirit of selflessness, etched his name in the memory of humankind.