Remembering Promoter – Alban D E Quow

While we have been paying close attention to the number of deaths from the Covid virus, it must have dawned on us that there has been a large number of non-covid deaths over the past two years. It would be good if we could get the statistics and compare the number of deaths annually for the past four years.

Many of us would know of close friends who had died during this period. Is there something in the atmosphere that bears responsibility for this, that is if my view that the number of deaths over the past two years have been higher than average?

Today I remember the life of an uncle to whom I had been quite close who passed away on Saturday, January 15.

Alban, died at the age of 83, the seventh of eight children of Benjamin and Estelle Quow of Barrouallie, who had preceded him.

He was one of five males, Norris, Mack (George) who had died before, Ben (Benjamin) who resides at Cane Grove and Norman in Florida. Enid and Doreatha live in Canada although Doreatha is currently in SVG, and Dorothy (Olga), my mother died a few years ago. In St. Vincent Alban served as teacher, policeman/bailiff, and as manager of the Cane Grove estate. After leaving St. Vincent he migrated with his family to the US where he worked first with a brokerage firm on Wall Street and then went into the Insurance Business with New York life, winning many awards for outstanding service. He was married to Patsy Huggins of Barrouallie and parented a number of children, one of whom Tony, currently resides in SVG.

Alban was known in Barrouallie as “Promoter” because of his expertise in the promotion of cultural and sporting activities. In the days when the Dutchy Brothers and Clarence Curvan orchestras of Trinidad had wide support in St. Vincent he was able to bring the Dutchy Brothers here. Incidentally, the Dutchy’s pianist Otmar De Vlugt, was married to Sandra Lampkin who was the brother of Lennox Lampkin. I should mention that Alban’s family includes the Lampkins, his mother Estelle being a Lampkin. Alban headed at one time an organisation that hosted athletic competitions at the Barrouallie Park and an aquatic competition from the area of the wharf. One of the side attractions was a greasy pole that attracted many competitors, most however failing to master it.

Alban ran the family shop and with that as a base organised fetes and dances at the Salvatori building. He managed a football team that the Barrouallie folks called ‘Civil Servants’ because some of the members were either teachers or worked in Kingstown, some in the civil service’.

He had a love for athletics, cricket, baseball, and basketball. One of his sons, Elliot, was a top class athlete and was at one time only surpassed by Carl Lewis. He was in 1983 the NCAA Champion in the 200 metres and was the 4th ranked 200 meter runner in the World, behind Carl, Calvin Smith, and Pietro Mennea. Injuries however brought an end to what was a promising career. I was a victim of Alban’s passion for cricket. Many were the calls he made complaining about the performance of the West Indian cricketers. He would speak for what appeared to me to be hours identifying their weaknesses and getting mad in the process. I had to beg him on several occasions to stop looking at West Indian cricket. He also had an obsession with American politics, being a devoted member of the Democrats. Long were the conversations I had with him about Donald Trump. I said conversations but I was for most of it a listener. While I am on the issue of telephone conversations, I must mention his craze for blackfish. He would start our conversations by asking if they had caught any blackfish. If they had, then the next question was about getting some ‘crips’ for him. I said craze, but it was more a madness for even in his last weeks when he had difficulty ‘keeping down’ anything he ate he was still asking for blackfish. On one occasion, jokingly I hope, he asked about the possibility of sending some by FEDEX. I don’t know what it was about blackfish, but it was his thing.

My visits to New York were always memorable ones as was his visits to SVG. He kept up with the news and the New York Times and New York Post and other newspapers were at his door first thing in the morning. He regarded himself as an excellent cook and while reading the newspapers I would get a call to come to the dining room where “cocoa tea”, Allan’s bread and perhaps blackfish or fried fish or some other delicacy, would be waiting for me. On my last visit to New York, he told me upfront to put aside a particular day since he was going to be taking me to visit his daughter Dionne and her family. My own schedule had always to be guided by what he had planned for me. He was a devout family man and was one of the forces behind the Lampkin family reunions that were held in the US and in SVG. Alban loved his children and grandchildren dearly and always set aside time to assist with family matters. He was a faithful and committed Methodist and sang in the choirs of the Trinity Methodist Church, John Wesley Methodist, and Janes United Methodist churches. He was a peoples’ man, quick to make friends and had excellent relations with people whom he knew. His company was always a pleasant and enjoyable one. May his soul Rest in Peace.

Dr Adrian Fraser is a social commentator and historian