SCHOLAR, statesman, and distinguished attorney Hugh Hart lived a life which embodied the vision, journey, and heart of Jamaica, said Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange, who honoured Hart’s legacy during his memorial service on Wednesday.

“Today, we salute Hugh Cecil Edmund Hart, a giant of a man, with a gracious heart, who was willing to walk with the smallest of people and share with them the aspirations of a higher vision of themselves. Hugh Hart’s heart was Jamaica, and for that we salute him today,” said Grange.

Delivering her tribute for the late businessman and nation-builder at The University of the West Indies Chapel on Wednesday, Grange told bereaved family members and friends that Hart would live again, in spite of death, asserting that his impact and memory would grant him everlasting life.

Members of the political directorate joined in paying tribute to the late Hugh Hart, at his memorial service at the University of the West Indies Chapel Wednesday. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

“In the words of Bob Marley, ‘Live for yourself and you live in vain, live for others and you will live again’. Hugh Hart will live again and again through the memories of the actions he took, and the road he travelled, and what mark he left behind on the sands of time. He was a consummate deal maker and a champion negotiator. As a leading luminary, he walked tall, blazing and weaving a trail of professionalism and unlimited vision,” said Grange.

Hart’s public service career included over a decade in the Jamaican Senate, where he served from 1980 to 1993. During the Edward Seaga Administration, Hart held the portfolio of minister of mining and energy from 1983 to 1989. He was further assigned the tourism portfolio from 1984 to 1989, playing a pivotal role in shaping policy for two of the Jamaican economy’s most critical sectors.

He was also the founding partner of the law firm Hart Muirhead Fatta, which became one of the country’s most accredited commercial law firms.

Furthermore, in recognition of his outstanding service to the nation, Hart was conferred with the Order of Jamaica in 2011 for his contribution to the bauxite and alumina industry and the legal profession.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange delivering her tribute to the late businessman and nation-builder Hugh Hart, at the University of the West Indies Chapel, Wednesday. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

On Wednesday, Grange, who acknowledged Hart’s trailblazing work and many scholastic accolades, recalled that despite his achievements, he remained humble, showing empathy and compassion for people from all walks of life.

“His path through life led him to the hallowed halls of great palaces of the world. But he took it in stride as he found peace among the trenches of his beloved Jamaica, and on the streets of Tivoli Gardens, West Kingston, beside … Seaga. Hugh Hart was among the best of Jamaica, being able to fit into every element of Jamaican life. I remember Hugh Hart as a man with a great heart and a charming personality. A sincere man, an unwavering friend, and committed nation-builder,” she said.

Others who participated in the memorial service also spoke of Hart’s goodwill and dedication to his family and legal profession.

Belinda Hart (left) and Justin Hart, children of the late Hugh Hart, greet Dr Denise Eldemire-Shearer at their late father’s memorial service Wednesday. (Photo: Joseph Welllington)

The service featured tributes from fellow partner at Hart Muirhead Fatta Tracey Long; president of the Organisation of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations Donovan Walker; and Carlton Davis, former Cabinet secretary and head of the Jamaica civil service.

A procession of Government officials was also present, with Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Mark Golding reading the Bible during the programme.

Hart, who was born on December 26, 1929, died in April at the age of 96.