George Thomas celebrates his award

Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

George Thomas' journey began on the eighth day of July, 1947, and for those who knew him from then, they would have taken note of it.

Unpaved roads, no sidewalk, walking at times shoeless, and even after the roads were asphalted and he started driving cars, he encountered crater-like potholes.

"At that stage of my journey, I would say, it was those unpaved roads and huge potholes that made my life interesting and pleasing," said the Montego Bay attorney-at-law who had the 'Boys from King Street' beaming with pride on Monday night as they celebrated their friend's National Honours and Awards for his outstanding contribution to law and community development.

George Thomas, OD, is likely what his business card will now say, but even before being recognised for his outstanding contribution to law and community deve-lopment, he was a superstar.

A title he earned at his alma mater, Cornwall College in 1965 when he broke his cousin, Mahoney Samuels' triple jump and pole vault records and was named Champion Boy at the annual Boys' Champs. Both records remained at Boys' Champs for 18 and 19 years unbroken.

Irreplaceable

"As his children, we have very, very big shoes to fill, we can't promise we will fill them," quipped his son, Martyn. "Irreplaceable", was how Martyn and daughter Melissa described their father.

Organised by his companion, Andrea Lyle, Thomas' best friend and room-mate in university Tom Tavares-Finson and wife Rose were in attendance, so were his brother, Dr Kingsley Thomas, who travelled from London, Sandra Miller-Hall, Godfrey and Odette Dyer, Jasmin Tomlinson-Brown, Murine and Percival Clarke, Maxim and Joy Clark, Fred Smith, Mary Chambers, Clayton Morgan, Johnny and Lee-Ann Gourzong, Errol 'Troublesome' Watts, Nathan and Jackie Robb and a host of well-wishers.