BEFORE A gathering of friends on one side and the bar on the other presided over by Chief Justice Hon. Lensley Wolfe, Delano St. Aubyn Harrison took his seat among the worthy, and now his peers, Queen's Counsel Dr. Oswald Harding, Jos Leo Rhynie, Churchill Neita and the dean of them all, Ian Ramsay, closely watched by the president of the Jamaican Bar Associa-tion, Derick Jones.
It gives one a sense of pride to witness such a noble event. I wonder who was manning the prisons while Colonel John Prescod sat quietly watching the proceedings.
The gathering included, Professor Trevor Monroe, Walter Campbell, Molo Walker, Faye Ellington, Lindy Headley, and his life partner, Carmen Headley, Audrey Shirley, Vinnette Oxford, Winston Blake, Courtney Haughton, Lorna Bess and many others who had not been downtown in years.
Mr. Delano Harrison, Q.C, like many of us, had his early start at Morris Knibb Preparatory School at Hector Street. From that early age, we knew we had to achieve. Harry Belafonte, John Hall, Prof Wan, Prof Howard Spencer; Prof Trevor Monroe, Prof Errol Morrison; Dr. Jennifer Manby, Ms Carol Guntley-Brady; Mr. John Junor; Mr Ian Wong, Mr Eglan Christy; Mr. Patrick Saulter, Mr. Winston Blake and Ms. Valerie Hogart and a host of others.
I wonder what it is that makes us all achievers. We have not only done well, we have done extremely well. We have contributed to all strata of the society in which we live and now we have our own Queen's Counsel - Delano Harrison, popularly known as Zack.
There are many events I have shared with Zack, my friend of over 43 years. I am moved by his eloquence, his dignity and the passionate manner in which he deals with the most complex situation. I can recall at university he got First Class honours in Latin.
Needless to say he was the only member of that class. When it was time to converse in that terrible language, they could not find anybody on the island to test him. Eventually some scholar was found and as I understand it Delano ended up correcting his tutor so many times that the University had no choice but to give him the highest mark.
There was a time when Zack used to sing. He even thought of following in the footsteps of his idol, Nat King Cole. He spent much time with Tommy Cowan and that group who lived on the same road with him. Tommy eventually wiggled his way to the top of the performing charts along with Norris and the group called the Jamaicans. The rest is history. Zack on the other hand had a mother who read him the riot act and suggested that if it is God's gift, then he should sing for the Lord. As a result, he ended up in Kingston College's choir and that was the totality of his career in the performing arts.
Zack's lyrics
How could I separate Zack from Jack Shirley, Jack went to Wolmer's and became a banker and I believe he still banks for Zack. However, it was Zack's lyrics at University among the female gender that gained him respect among the gentlemen. When he leaned his head at that 38.5 angle and started to point his finger and occasionally move that right hand to keep the waves in his hair flowing then we knew we had to fall behind because he was on top of his conversation.
Zack got home from school one evening and decided to study late. When he was ready there was no light in his house, he took to studying under the street light, which his friends thought was so ridiculous. When he wrote the exam the following day he got 100 per cent. The next mark to his was 32 per cent the subject, Latin.
His dancing career started at Merritone and he still holds the record for the most attended patron on a Thursday night for the past 20 years.
It is with a sense of pride that I congratulate him for joining that distinguished group of people who are asked to sit in the inner bar.
By Wesley Saulter
Contributor
