“Everything I have will be yours. Why do you need to start your own business?” his father asked him before giving him the loan which he used to launch Fabrics de Younis at Spanish Court in 1970.

But Sameer Younis, burning with desire and ambition, had to make his own way, leaving a legacy of business savvy and progressive civic engagement that would set an example for generations to come.

Although his name may not be as well-known as it was when he made regular headlines in the 1980s and 1990s, Younis used his reputation — and a lion’s tenacity — to make a difference in everyday Jamaicans’ lives.

Born in Jamaica of Lebanese parents in 1942, Younis was educated at the Wolmer’s Boys’ School, where he was classmate to several notable Jamaicans, including future Prime Minister Edward Seaga and horse racing mogul Howard Hamilton.

His father, Abdullah, believed in the conservative values of the old country and the Druze religion, in which the patriarch traditionally provides for his family and passes a legacy on to his children.

Like many other Lebanese-Jamaicans of the era, young Sameer worked and apprenticed in his father’s wholesale fabric business, A A Younis Ltd, located at 151 Harbour Street in downtown Kingston. From as young as 13, he learned principles of fairness and strong customer service, as well as the art of pricing according to product value and fair profit.

It wasn’t long before Younis satisfied his islander’s restlessness, travelling to the University of Michigan for studies in the USA after realising he could not pursue an engineering degree at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His father’s failing health and growing business, however, brought him back to Jamaica and the fabric trade after only a year in college.

As a driven 18-year-old, he would become a master salesman, travelling all over the island with his suitcases of cloth samples. Without knowing it, he was making note of Jamaicans’ dreams and frustrations, already preparing for the life he would later lead in service to Kingston and his country.

Once Fabrics de Younis began to grow (to as many as 30 outlets), the old values of service and quality blossomed, and his business would, over the years, accumulate many glowing testimonials and letters of commendation from customers. Even though he built one of the best-known Jamaican fabrics businesses, however, it is his example of selfless civic contribution, often at the expense of his family life, for which he is best remembered.

Beginning in 1973, Younis chaired the Civic Affairs Committee of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), a tenure that would see him establish, most notably, the “Clean as a Whistle” campaign to clean up Kingston’s worrisome garbage and litter problem (1982); the “Helping Hands” campaign targeting homeless and mentally ill Jamaicans on Kingston’s streets for relocation to the Kenneth Royes Rehabilitation Centre (1986); and the “People Against Road Accidents” campaign (1989) that was launched to help improve road safety.

Through these programmes, which truly reflected an unfathomable love and compassion for others, out of sync with an apparent hardened business façade, Younis was propelled into local newscasts and newspapers as journalists became apparently fascinated by his fearless opinionated expressions and perceptions of social needs to be addressed, and an impatience to apply the change of behaviour and/or legislation to ameliorate what he saw as burning societal issues, such as the anti-litter law of 1986.

He also chaired the JCC’s Junior Achievement Programme during his presidency of the Chamber, focusing on social outreach and training initiatives for inner-city youth with the aim of instilling positive values of responsibility and accountability. His fundraising efforts were highlighted by the annual ‘Grand Charity Ball’, which raised millions of dollars for the Youth Leadership Training Programme, part of the ‘JCC’s Inner-City Development Initiative’.

A tireless advocate for the improvement of Kingston and its least fortunate people, Sameer Younis was a patriot who achieved prominence comparable to that of many politicians and Government officials of the day because of the forthrightness and fearlessness with which he worked — entirely on a non-partisan basis and without financial gain.

After being elevated to the office of JCC president from 1986 to 1991, Younis became the first person to subsequently serve as president of the Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association (JMA), now JMEA, which he led from 1996 to 2000.

Sameer Younis received the Order of Jamaica in 2013 after earlier being awarded the Order of Distinction, Commander Class, in 1989 for civic and community service, thus recognising his immense contribution to community development while being also an outstanding contributor to Jamaica’s retail industry.

Yesterday, his story returned to the spot where his half-century in business was born, with the launch of his memoirs at the ‘S’ Hotel Kingston; at Spanish Court, 1 St Lucia Avenue, New Kingston.

Told, with frequent quotations of Younis’ own words and written by his long-time communications consultant, c, the book, ‘The Lion of King Street: Sameer Younis – A Portrait of Service’, covers his journey of 50 years as a businessman, philanthropist, and humanitarian who changed the face of Kingston.

Copies will be available for purchase through the JCC Sameer Younis Foundation for the continued support of its inner-city programmes.