Marc ‘Stamped’ his brilliance! - Gleaner writer remembered for diligence in journalism
Published:Monday | July 29, 2019 | 12:28 AMJason Cross/Gleaner Writer
Garfield Tully, a close family friend of Marc Stamp, the well-known sports and entertainment journalist who died on Sunday, June 9, told The Gleaner that the former Ardenne High School bright spark will be missed for the knowledge he wasn’t afraid to share.
Family, friends, and colleagues paid final respects to Stamp at a thanksgiving service held at the Dovecot Memorial Park and Crematorium in St Catherine yesterday.
“You would have thought we were brothers growing up,” he said. “We grew in one yard. I remember when he passed for Ardenne when he was around nine. I am someone two years older than Marc, and when I was doing homework, he used to help me.
“All some words I couldn’t spell, I had to call Marc to spell for me. He could have entered Spelling Bee. I don’t know where he got his brilliance from, but he was just bright without a reason. One thing, too, is that Marc loved football bad. It didn’t surprise me when he became a journalist. The way him brilliant, he could have been anything,” he said.
Stamp’s cousin, Paul Stewart, praised him as a good journalist.
“Him was a quiet man,” Stewart said. “He would be there and you wouldn’t know because him don’t chat much. Everything was really good. Everybody will remember him as a good sports and entertainment journalist. Him did good inna him work,” Stewart said.
The man who introduced Stamp to journalism, Clarence ‘Ben’ Brodie, a veteran local journalist and editor himself, and past president of the Press Association of Jamaica, said Stamp was among the first batch of students he taught.
INSPIRATION TO OTHERS
“Marc and a young lady by the name of Novelette were the first ones of the trainees at Boulevard News,” Brodie shared. “He did general reporting. I am proud of Marc. He knew how to write a proper sentence and make a point without ambiguity. He stood up for what he believed in, and he was quick. He played his role, and anyone with ambition could follow, in terms of professional development. I hope he has inspired many young journalists.”
There was a small gathering of friends and family on the outside of the church while the service went on who expressed respect for Stamp. They recalled a controversial story he wrote while at The Gleaner that sparked the interest of many followers of Maverley/Hughenden FC.
“Couple years ago, him write an article against Maverley, and me did vex with him for it as him cousin. I used to play for Maverley, so from you start a fight against Maverley, is like a me yaw fight against. Me and him catch up over it. Just because me vex with him, I don’t talk to him about football because of that,” one member of Stamp’s family revealed.
However, Stamp’s relatives explained that they understood the role he was playing as journalist but wished he had passed that story on to a colleague because of fears over the backlash in the community. This, they said, was yet another example of the bravery he showed in carrying out his work.
Before he died, Stamp was working at The Gleaner until he fell ill and had to spend most of his time in Maverley, St Andrew, at home and away from active journalism. Throughout his career, Stamp also worked at X-News, The Herald , and The Enquirer.