Dear Editor,
Before Ian McDonald played the role of best man at Frank Thomasson’s wedding, little would he have known that I was asked to be chaperon while Frank was courting Carlotta Croal, who at the time was a Senior Information Officer who tutored me in radio broadcast production as a new Information Officer at the Government Information Services, then headed by Arthur Seymour. That was in 1957. So that when I was selected as a Booker Cadet in 1958 from amongst the final eleven candidates, among whom I identified some who might have had stronger chances, I always held an (unadmitted) suspicion that Frank’s empathy may have partially influenced the selection. On reporting to BSE’s Head Office, I quickly discovered that Frank was deputy to Arthur Wells, the Personnel Director whom he not long after succeeded. I remember his rather acrobatic style of conversing – first from his seat across his desk, then, if the conversation was long enough, he would end up sitting cross-legged on the desk itself. He was the most relaxed authority I ever met in the company, hardly ever showing off his seniority.
One time when I was having difficulty with the expatriate management at Blairmont Estate on my first assignment as Assistant Personnel Manager, I had reason to call him at Head Office to complain. The Estate management was doing everything to restrict my playing on the Blairmont Community Centre Cricket Team in the Berbice first class cricket competition. Incidentally, I had earlier played my first ‘trial’ match at the elegantly serene ground at Bath Estate (QHE – Quintin Hogg Estate) then a supplement of Blairmont. This picturesque replica of an English countryside reminded me of Jock Campbell’s own estate at Underriver in England, where I also played. On his invitation I came to Georgetown and met with Frank the next Sunday morning at the then elite Hotel Tower. After comforting drinks and a pleasant meal I returned to Blairmont with the assurance that my stress would be redressed.
As it turned out, just a week after, the Director of Social Policy, Roy Close, arrived on the estate in one of the company’s several aircraft and marched (he was a former Colonel) into the office of H.F. Chapman, the Administrative Manager. The feedback later was that the Director was overheard to declare: “Leave Earl John alone”. I soon after returned to my cricketing Saturdays. Lo and behold, when I was promoted to Head Office it was to be Assistant to the Director of Social Policy. As Ian said, Frank was most influential in the founding and growth of the Theatre Guild. His one decision-making mistake however was involving me in the Trinidadian Earl Lovelace’s play called ‘Bond of Matrimony’. My own performance, which was recorded, proved such an embarrassment that all concerned felt compelled to forget it as quickly as possible. Appropriately the recording disappeared.
However, our relationship by no means ended there. Sometime after, Mr. and Mrs. Thomasson had left to settle in their special location in England, I was able to visit and enjoy their hospitality. Carlotta passed away much too early. When much later Frank returned to Guyana to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Theatre Guild, together with Aileen, his second Guyanese wife, we all had a reunion dinner at then relatively new Cara Lodge – with Harold Davis, Nowrang Persaud inclusive – a last and lasting memory.
Sincerely,
E.B. John
