6 months ago
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HIGHLY RESPECTED and world-renowned track and field analyst, columnist, and reporter Hubert Lawrence was laid to rest yesterday at Meadowrest Memorial Gardens, following a church service at the Cathedral of St Jago de la Vega in Spanish Town, St Catherine.
Among the numerous attendees was Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange, who called Lawrence, the co-author of Power and Glory: Jamaica in Athletics from WWII to the Diamond League Era and 50 days afire, a special talent.
“He was very analytical, thoroughly researched, and was able to capture information in a way that history will be happy for his contribution. I’ve always prided myself in giving his publications as gift to visitors from overseas, because I found them to be very useful and informative. He was a humble individual and he was just special,” said Grange.
Building national identity
The former St Jago old boy passed away at home on February 23 at the age of 64. According to president of the Jamaica Olympic Association, Christopher Samuda, Lawrence’s legacy will be forever etched in the minds of the Jamaican public.
“His penmanship was not only in the name of competitive sport, whether it be on the track, pitch or turf but, more importantly, it was for country, as his spoken and written words were dedicated to building a national identity and an ethos through sport. His legacy is not entombed with his mortal body but is, and will forever be, in flight on the track and in full bloom in fields,” said Samuda.
Former president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), Dr Warren Blake, said, during his time at the helm, whenever Lawrence took a stance that wasn’t in line with what he was doing, he knew that something was off and careful consideration was then needed.
“Hubert was a gentle giant and a friend of track and field. He was loving, quiet and, whenever he gave criticism of me and of the JAAAs when I was president, I took them seriously. I never said he was trying to attack me but looked at where I was going wrong, because I knew that he had the best interest of track and field in mind. If he criticised you, then you were doing something wrong,” said Dr Blake.
Three-time Olympic champion and 10-time World Champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce explained that the ‘gentle giant’ was always fair in his assessment of athletes.
“Hubert was such a good man in terms of how he was able to approach us as athletes and form a conversation. He’s very familiar with us from our junior days, so he would know us, seeing us coming up, and he was fair in his assessment and that’s what we as athletes appreciate. For me, it was good to have experienced Hubert, not just as a senior athlete, but also as a junior,” said Fraser-Pryce.
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