– described by Lindeners as reservoir of information

AT 04:10hrs on Wednesday morning, the bauxite horn, as Lindeners know it, blew repeatedly. It was the official announcement of the passing of a Linden stalwart, a well-respected and honourable man, whose selfless service to the town of Linden for decades left an indelible mark in the lives of almost every Lindener who rubbed shoulders with him. News of the passing of Horace James, who was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), spread throughout his hometown and the gloomy atmosphere that permeated the town, was evidence that a true son of the soil, had fallen.

James died at his Linden residence on Wednesday after a battle with prostate cancer. In a statement, President David Granger said he was saddened at James’s passing. He also expressed sympathy to James’s relatives, friends and colleagues. The Ministry of Natural Resources also expressed condolences to James’s relatives and friends. As is known wide and far in Linden, the release stated that James had a wealth of knowledge on the history of Linden and bauxite mining. It was his belief that there are numerous opportunities and scope for further development of the bauxite industry. “The Ministers of Natural Resources, though saddened by this loss, are thankful for the significant contributions that he has made to the natural resources sector. Their thoughts and prayers, and that of their staff, go out to the relatives and close friends of Mr. Horace James,” the release said.

Region 10 officials were equally saddened at the passing of James and described his death as a great blow to the town. Throughout his life, James served as the top official for several entities. He was the first regional chairman of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), chief executive officer (CEO) the Linmine Secretariat for 16 years, CEO of the Linden Electricity Incorporated (LEI) and CEO of the Linden Bauxite Company.

MAN OF INTEGRITY
His close friend and former colleague, former Region 10 chairman Mortimer Mingo, described him as a professional with unbridled honesty and sincerity, who stuck to the rules of the institutions he served and displayed high morality in his duties. These rare qualities enabled him to receive continuous promotions in the bauxite company and where ever he served. He moved from being a project manager to CEO at LINMINE. Mingo, who worked alongside James, said he is deeply saddened by his passing as they were friends for over 35 years. He said what he admired about James the most is his quiet, humble and respectable demeanour which left an indelible impression on him.

“Despite [the fact that] many challenges would have confronted him, he went about calm in his daily tasks and executed those tasks very quietly, thoroughly and very respectfully; he was particular to the rules as it related to his organisation and he will be remembered by me for those qualities. I think anyone with high moral standing would like to emulate him,” Mingo said, while expressing condolences to his wife, son and other relatives.

James’s successor at the Linmine Secretariat, Emit Alves, said the secretariat and LEI have made strides over the years, because of the significant inputs of James.

While James had a challenging task of overlooking both entities, he did it with passion and distinction. “Everyone was saddened by his passing at the secretariat, a very good human being has passed on, he was a mentor to all of us, a father figure to many, to others he was counsellor and his role within the community was quite significant,” Alves said.

Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira said James was a gem to the Linden community and will always be hailed as person who put the interest of Linden before his personal gain.

Regional Chairman Renis Morian and Mayor of Linden Waneka Arrindell also hailed James as a stalwart in the Linden community. Morian said that his death is not only a loss to Linden, but the entire Upper Demerara-Berbice Region. He described James as always a smiling, cordial person who never allowed his passion to get the better of him. Arindell said James significantly impacted the lives of many in the township of Linden.

A WALKING HISTORY BOOK
With the many hats that Mr. Horace James held, one of the most significant is that he was the point person on history, geography and statistical facts of Linden. He was more so the source of these facts, after the fires destroyed the Linmine Secretariat and the Christianburg Court, where the bulk of historical records of Linden’s history was stored. In fact, James revealed to this publication during an exclusive interview in 2016, that he cried bitterly after the fires, knowing the majority of Linden’s history was destroyed.

He then embarked on a campaign to restore some of that history through a soft copy data base. He was in possession of photos, letters, documents and records dating back to 100 years when bauxite mining in Linden started. He was so passionate about safeguarding Linden’s history that he collaborated with others, to establish a Linden museum, where Linden’s historical facts, especially that pertaining to bauxite mining, can be kept and displayed for the edification of especially the youths of Linden. James also chaired the Bauxite Centennial Committee which spearheaded the 100 years of bauxite mining celebrations, the construction of the Centennial Arch, the Centennial stamp and the industrial museum.

Horace James was one of the first scholars of Linden, who returned as a mining engineer from the United Kingdom, to serve in the bauxite company. He had related that he had no legal commitments to do so, but felt it was his heartfelt duty. He was initially appointed project engineer, and was later appointed senior engineer and deputy CEO of LINMINE before becoming the CEO in 1998. He served one-year, in 1980, as regional chairman, but because his heart was in the bauxite company, he returned in 1981. He became CEO of LEI in 2003.

James had also served as a Director of the Linden Technical Institute (LTI) and the Linden Community Development (LCD), which started in 1970. The purpose of the LCD was to change the town from company-owned to residents-owned.

Horace James leaves to mourn his wife, son, siblings and other relatives and friends.