Jack Warner, the former CONCACAF President and FIFA'S vice president, who has been a personal friend of former sports journalist Dave Lamy, called for the profession to be lifted in his honour.
Warner, in his tribute to the veteran sports commentator at his funeral service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral on Abercrombie Street, Port of Spain on Monday, hailed Lamy as a special person, who was difficult to emulate. He and George Baptiste, another veteran journalist were two peas in a pod, making sports, writing sports and commentating, Warner said.
"The best legacy we can leave for Dave Lamy is to lift sports journalism to a level that he has left it. If we can only achieve that, we shall leave a legacy for Dave that will always be remembered," Warner explained.
Warner was among a large audience that comprised many futures, present and other veteran journalists, who were there to pay their final respects. Warner, a former Caribbean Football Union (CFU) president who was lucky to have Lamy as one of his employees, said he remembers Lamy as someone who did things with passion, and also described him as a critical thinker.
As Lamy, 83, laid in a casket before being taken to his final resting place, Warner said he has always tried to understand death, so much so that he has given up trying. "People ask why X and why Y. Why now and not then?. These are question none of us can answer. We can be consoled by the fact that the great maker, the Holy Father above, knows best, and when he says it's time to go, it's time."
Meanwhile, Anthony Harford, a former sports journalist himself, now turn sports administrator, in his eulogy said Lamy's main concern was the future of sports journalism. And though Lamy's body laid cold stiff and unable to hear or understand anything that was taking place, he (Harford) still uttered kind words to his friend, that he can rest comfortably, knowing that with the Sirjio Du Four's and Ryan Bachoo's of this world, that sports journalism was well-taken care off.
Lamy, who passed away on November 1, concerns for the profession stemmed from a successful career that racked up numerous awards and accolades for excellence in horse racing commentaries, to live broadcasts of the Olympic Games, to the Commonwealth Games to overall football coverage.
According to Harford, Lamy was an unrelenting, unbending professional who never gave up on anything, even though the circumstance was difficult. Though he was a master of all sports, Lamy's true love was in horse racing, where his style of performing commentaries by drawing and colouring the symbols of each horse on a book to prevent him from forgetting during broadcasts, was later followed by many.
Lamy's achievements included being the first Trinbagonian to cover the Commonwealth Games in Australia: Live broadcast of the World Netball Championship in 1979: live broadcast of the World Netball Championship in 1983 in Singapore and the first Trinbagonian to cover the Olympic Games from Moscow, among many others, Harford said.