Lance Neita, Contributor

The Honourable Pat Rousseau's speech at a recent function held to rename Emerald Road the George Headley Drive has re-awakened public interest in Headley's contribution to cricket and national development.

However, his suggestion to confer the Order of Merit on one of the world's greatest cricketers of all time falls short of the accolade that Headley's contribution truly deserves - the Order of National Hero.

Recent articles by journalists Ken Chaplin and Leroy Brown, and the excellent biography written by Noel White in 1974, recount highlights of Headley's career that merit nomination for this highest order.

Treasured icon

In his time, Headley was a treasured national icon, one about whom songs and sonnets were written and published in the newspapers and sold as pamphlets on street corners and at public functions.

West Indians followed his batting around the world on the radio, or were kept updated by telegraph, or would hear his scores from the village spokesmen who would read the newspaper reports aloud each night in the village square.

We are in danger of this generation, and others to come, losing sight of Headley's phen-omenal contribution to the national psyche. As a mere man-child of 19, he revolutionised the cricket establishment when he made his first double century in 1928 (211) in his first international series against a Lord Tennyson's XI at Sabina Park.

In achieving this landmark, he opened the eyes of West Indians to opportunities and achievements hitherto only dreamed of, and at levels thought to be reserved for the wealthier class. As he scored century after century against the best of the English and Australian Test sides playing cricket at that time, he became known as the 'Atlas', because it was acknow-ledged that he carried the West Indies batting on his shoulders.

Headley represented the hopes and aspirations of thousands of his countrymen whose dreams of independence and nationhood were slowly being defined by his exploits and achievements.

Heroism is usually celebrated or acknowledged after a person has died or enough time has been allowed for a period of reflection on the merits of making such an award.

Youngsters and cricket

Headley, however, was a living legend in his time. Crowds flocked to meet him whenever the West Indies team docked at Kingston's No. 3 pier, or at Bridgetown in Barbados, Port-of-Spain in Trinidad, or at Georgetown in Guyana.

White in his biography describes an endearing feature of Headley's tenure as Government coach in the 1950s which was his insistence on the value of youngstersviewing cricket at the highest standards.

"In 1958, when the Pakistan team came, George raised funds to purchase tickets for schoolboys and every day he would wait for them at the Sabina Park gates, marshal them inside, and sit with them to point out various features of play in order to develop their judgment."

The speeches and tributes made in his honour at the conferment of the Norman Manley Award in 1973 and the Order of Jamaica in 1977 are informative and should be preserved in a National Heroes Library.

His elevation to the rder would provide a role model not only for cricket but also for exemplary and courageous behaviour, character, leadership, and exceptional national service.