Hubert Lawrence’s lasting legacy
HUBERT LAWRENCE has left a legacy in sports journalism that has transcended generations, having worked in the Jamaican and international media for more than four decades.
Lawrence was a lover of sports and while his extensive work in track and field stands out, he covered and was knowledgeable about all sports, including football, volleyball, table tennis, tennis and hockey.
Internationally, Lawrence has covered the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Junior Championships, World Cup, World Netball Championships and Carfita Games, while locally, he worked at the ISSA/ GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs), Gibson McCook Relays and several other track and field development meets and even the Hockey 5s Pan-American Cup last year.
In his four-decade-long career, Lawrence worked at several newspapers and broadcasting stations. This included stints at the defunct newspapers Jamaica Record and Jamaica Herald and was still a freelance journalist for The Gleaner Company (Media) Ltd at the time of his passing on Friday. He also wrote articles for several local and international magazines and websites.
As a broadcaster, Lawrence worked for TVJ, CVM and KLAS. He was a staple on commentary teams that covered local and international events at TVJ and was scheduled to be on duty for yesterday’s Gibson McCook Relays at the National Stadium. Lawrence’s career extended beyond print and broadcast as he also published three books, working with St Jago schoolmate, Michael Grant, on Champs 100 in 2010, Power and Glory: Jamaica in World Athletics, from WWII to the Diamond League Era in 2012 and 50 Days Afire two years ago. According to Grant, Lawrence’s voice can also be heard on several documentaries.
“I think his legacy is unmatched. I think what he had as his advantage was his memory, which was almost photographic. He had to study to absorb statistic and event results, but that was his foundation and on top of that, he had this wonderful analysis that he did on track and field. “He also had this kindness about him. A lot of people, who are prominent, are not very giving and approachable. He was the exception,” Grant said. On the personality programme Profile on TVJ, Lawrence stated that he played football for St Jago before eventually moving away from that sport to don the school’s colours at table tennis, which he played competitively until his death.