President of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) Garth Gayle has described the late Reverend Canon Dr Gervais A M Clarke as “an icon” of the sport of track and field, a scholar, priest of the Anglican Communion, and a “Jamaican exemplar”.

The former Calabar High student, who served the sport for over 50 years in various capacities both here in Jamaica and his adopted home, the United States, died in Florida on June 28 after a period of illness.

“Reverend Canon Dr Clarke, despite being in and around track and field all the time, was a noted Jamaican churchman, having spent 37 years as an active Anglican priest and rector.

“His philosophy was ‘God is good, and He wants us to be like Him, in spite of ourselves.’ This perhaps was the reason he never supported the win-at-all-cost mentality,” the JAAA tribute said.

“He was a true servant of track and field and was never too busy for it.”

Canon Clarke was a fixture at the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GreaceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships, the JAAA National Championships, and the Penn Relays for years. He served as an executive of the JAAA, starting as a schoolboy, then became a certified USA track official and was awarded master status in 1985 while living in the United States.

The JAAA tribute said his “crowning glory” there was to be named co-chairman of the selection committee for the USA Track and Field (USATF) for the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996. He was also chief finish judge at those games.

Clarke, who was among the first set of boys who attended Calabar in 1952 when the school opened its Red Hills Road base, benefited “from having the great Herb McKenley and Freddie Green as neighbours on Arnold Road”, the JAAA release pointed out.

“He followed Herb both to Calabar and into track and field. He recalled being vaccinated with track and field once he was summoned to hold the tape for a track meet at Sabina Park in 1952,” it said.

Clarke was given the USATF Presidential Award in 1995.

The gregarious Clarke was known to be willing to share his knowledge of the track and field and always had numerous anecdotes and stories from the sport.

His love for the sport was passed on to his son, Jean Paul, who is a track official.

He served the St George’s Anglican Church on East Street in Kingston for many years and did pastoral and missionary work in Belize and New Jersey, USA, for over 16 years.

The tribute noted that: “He once said in a newspaper interview, ‘St Paul sees our faith as the race of life and asks us to run that we may obtain.’ Hence it is not so much running as how you run. You win or lose with equal poise. He said further, ‘Sports teach us that there are ups and downs in life, and that behind every dark cloud there is a silver lining.’ “

— Paul A Reid