Letter of the Day | Oliver was a friend for life
Published:Tuesday | May 19, 2020 | 12:15 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
I HAD the privilege of knowing and working with Oliver Clarke for over 15 years. For this entire time, he always seemed to have a twinkle in his eyes. He enjoyed life to the fullest – whether he was running the JN annual general meeting or discussing the latest Gleaner survey results or just talking with you in his office.
He was humble and unassuming. He would immediately correct someone who referred to him as Mr Clarke and tell them to please call him Oliver.
Several times, I was fortunate to have dinner with him in London with some friends from his school days in the UK. Each was a memorable experience as they regaled each other with their schoolboy exploits. It was obvious that this son of Westmoreland was the leader of the pack.
After dinner, he would often drive me back to my hotel in a ‘hot’ Volvo that had been the company car of one of the former JN workers in London. He drove this car through the streets of London like a teenager with his first car.
He enjoyed challenging you to support your beliefs. Despite his traditional education in accounting, I frequently wondered whether he wished he had been a prosecutor (after being expertly cross-examined by him myself, or watching the same occur with others). But once you gained his respect, he was your friend for life.
He was frank – rather than beating around the bush, he would just tell you ‘no’. No matter how powerful he was, he would always answer your call; and when he told you he would do something, he did it. Some might say he was old-fashioned.
I guess he was old-fashioned in many respect – and in the best of ways. It’s a shame that more of us aren’t as old-fashioned as he was.
BILL JOHNSON