TERRY MAYERS: died yesterday at age 40.

by WENDY BURKE

MEDIA MANAGERS have remembered Terry Mayers as the consummate professional, a man who was always willing to go the extra mile and one who had a natural ability to master the use of technology and devices.

Forty-year-old Mayers, who passed away at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital yesterday after complications associated with a severe asthma attack, was remembered by Melba Smith, a former general manager of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) from 1995 to 2001, as a man who brought an intensity and dedication to any assignment he had.

"I particularly remember him for the flood in Weston. I came to the corporation and there he was in a bright yellow raincoat and boots, back from a long stint broadcasting and he was ready to go back out again. He was extremely talented and gifted, by no means perfect but at the same time he brought an intensity to whatever he was working on," she said.

She added that whether he was behind the scenes, on the air, heard or seen, his approach was always professional.

"What I liked about him even more was his versatility, whether he hosted the Crop-Over Finals or went out in bad weather, the kind of creativity he brought to it, he was very creative. It is a terrible loss for a man so young but he has left an indelible mark," Smith added.

Dean St Hill of the CBC told the DAILY NATION that his major memory of him was his versatility and how he was willing to try anything professionally.

"If you needed a radio operator he filled in, he was a real CBC person with a huge commitment to the corporation. He would take up a camera and help out, whatever was required as a worker, he stepped up. His legacy is his "can do" attitude, one we could all do well to adopt," he said.

St Hill also reminisced on Mayer's team player spirit whether it was for sports, Crop-Over, or elections. He also remembered the verve with which he defended his alma mater The Lodge School.

"He believed in Lodge and we had great discussions on which was better, Lodge or Harrison College, that was always his spirit but he never got angry, he would always find the humorous side to any situation.

CBC's radio programme manager added that Mayers always gave a perspective of hope and eased the tension to find a way forward and was also willing to lead when necessary, mastering every type of technology that was needed to do the job.

"He was a journalist in every positive sense and when we relaunched 98 The One, he did the morning show. He could hold his own with the best on any station," said St Hill.

Francine Alexander Charles, who was Mayers' boss, co-worker and friend through the Caribbean Media Corporation and the ICC Cricket World Cup, said he would be the first person she would choose to be there with her because he was a true professional in the field, who's journalistic ability she had great respect for.

"His personality was one of a positive nature and he had a perspective of knowing how to lead but also how to support. I will always be thankful to Terry for his optimism during the World Cup experience. Everybody knew Terry because of that special sparkling way that he carried himself. I thank God for him and I pray for him," said Alexander Charles.

Another World Cup manager, Chris DeCaires, who was chairman of World Cup Barbados, described Mayers as one of the most outstanding workers at World Cup.

"He was a competent professional with the ability to bring together a team with international and regional officials and volunteers. Everyone enjoyed working with him. Everytime I had a meeting with Terry I could count on him being on time, having all the facts and being well prepared and he always thought about how he interacted with others," said DeCaires.

He added that at a personal level he admired the shape which Mayers was in, and having seen him at the golf club the day before the asthma attack, and thought to himself that he wished he could also be in the same shape.

"A lot of people will miss him," said DeCaires.