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Kudos to Earl John

Sep 12, 2014 Letters

Dear Editor,
The Kaieteur News special person section is a breath of fresh air when considered alongside politically charged and sensational reports, which have been dominating the print media since Monica Reece’s lifeless body was brazenly thrown onto a busy downtown thoroughfare, one early evening.
It was nostalgic and enlightening to read the piece last Sunday that paid tribute to a person so deserving to be publicly recognized, my friend Earl Brandis (EB) John. His exemplary decades of public service were aptly blazoned as reflecting the prowess of “An exceptional and innovative talent for management…..”
In reading the article two situations came to mind:
I recall the first time I saw the distinguished gentleman. That was in 1978 at a Government sponsored manpower development seminar held at the Pegasus hotel. He was an imposing figure decked in high top shoes and a Sherlock Holmes looking pipe clenched between his teeth. The GUYSUCO Chief Personnel Officer, having followed in footsteps of the illustrious Harold Davis, was among those who delivered thought provoking presentations. Others like Dr. Percy Anderson and Dr. Aubrey Armstrong, Management Consultant to the Government also addressed the event. Armstrong, during his presentation identified and lamented the creeping counterproductive cancer of ‘protecting turf’ at the expense of delivering efficient public administration by top government officials. Now, some Thirty odd years later, I am compelled to ponder on adage “the more things change…………
My second reflection involves Earl the raconteur; and quite a witty story teller he is. He once told me a story of having interviewed the late Peter D’aguiar while employed as a young communications officer. At the end of the discussion he boldly asked Guyana’s private sector dynamo to sum up what he attributed to his ground breaking success.  A confident D’aguiar, sitting in his Demico House office, paused briefly, looked out the window and said “I train myself to see things that other people don’t readily observe”.  A puzzled John remained silent.
The architect of British Guiana’s “Highway to happiness” continued.  “Look at the Stabroek Market clock and tell me what you see of note”.
John: “Multiple sides with faces, long and short hands, and numbers,……….Roman numerals signifying the hour”
D’aguiar: “Correct, hmmm, roman numerals; anything else unusual?”
A scrutinizing John is saved the prolonged agony of failing to identifying the mysterious significance when the Banks DIH founder, in a friendly, fatherly manner whispered “the four is written as four ones (IIII)”
Little wonder Earl John went on to achieve such national prominence!
Derrick Cummings

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