Norman Beaton lifted our spirits

Dear Editor,

This letter may seem trivial at a time when we are faced with so many distressing matters within the State of Guyana.

However, while writing a bit of my life experiences I recalled my days at Queen’s College and my buddies; I remembered one who did us proud in the ‘Mother Country’ – Great Britain. He was a fellow Scorpio born on October 31, 1934, a whopping nine days my senior. Next month will be 20 years since the effervescent Norman Beaton left the stage of life.

Norman lifted our spirits with his excellent acting on TV and the stage. For years the TV series Desmond brought joy to us and indeed the region and the UK. The older folks will remember The Fosters and his grand performance in Little Napoleon.

But I share this story as I remember my friend who lived on Princes Street. Norman sat next to me in the Chemistry lab; the master put the ingredients in a test tube to produce chlorine and warned us that we should go past and obtain an idea of what the gas smelt like. The class was warned not to inhale since it was harmful, and we all complied except Norman, who showed his bravado with a deep inhalation. Shortly after he was in great discomfort and lost the following day at school. But that was typically Norman. We of that era remember him fondly with a hope that our schools and the media not allow us to forget or not know our heroes and great gallant Guyanese.

 

Yours faithfully,
Hamilton Green