‘Legendary’ Basil Jack gets building tribute

With 71 years of practice under his belt, San Fernando attorney Eldred Basil Jack was considered an institution in the south legal fraternity.

Jack, who was noted for his humility, was honoured posthumously on Tuesday, when his daughter Merlin Boyce, paid homage to her father’s legacy by dedicating her Harris Promenade, San Fernando law chambers in his name.

The chambers, named the Basil Jack Building, was the same building which her father practiced law years ago and is situated a stone’s throw away from the San Fernando Magistrates Court.

Boyce, who appeared emotional at the building’s dedication and blessing, said naming her law chambers after her father was something she felt she had to do as a daughter.

“He was not one for fame or accolades,” she said.

“I thought it was just my duty to make sure his memory lives on and it was a fitting thing to do for him.”

Boyce said, as a child, her father influenced her to pursue law and now her son, Kevin, is a third-generation lawyer and practices law in Barbados. 

She said her father, who died at the age of 95, “began his career at a time when people did law not as a business, but a service. It was not about making money.”

The building, which was built almost 75 years ago, was renovated for Boyce’s chambers. She said the work started in December and was completed in time for the dedication. 

Monsignor Christian Pereira, who blessed the building, said he hoped that the contribution that Jack made continues and prayed “that those in this office continue doing the noble and righteous thing.”

Boyce, speaking at the dedication ceremony, said Tuesday was special not only because of the occasion, but because it was being held on St Joseph’s day. She said her father, like St Joseph, was a “worker.”

Senior Counsel Hendrickson Seunath, the guest speaker at the ceremony, said he was pleased to see Boyce honour her father because he was the longest serving member of the southern legal fraternity.

Describing Jack as a “legend,” Seunath said, he was well respected within the legal fraternity and was a humble person.

“He was very unassuming. He was blessed with a personality that drew you to him,” Seunath said.

San Fernando Mayor Dr Navi Muradali, who also attended the dedication, said he was pleased that the original architecture of the building was preserved.