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'Mills, Francis should get OJs'
Published: Friday | September 18, 2009
( L - R ) Francis, Mills
Patrick Robinson, international judge and renowned author, is urging the Government to the national honours awarded to track and field coaches Glen Mills and Stephen Francis.
Both coaches are members of the Order of Distinction but Robinson wants their achievements to be acknowledged with a promotion to the nation's fourth-highest award, the Order of.
Robinson, a Jamaican judge serving at the International Criminal Tribunal, is also to be accorded the Order of Jamaica this year but says he would readily surrender his award to the two coaches.
"As much as I am delighted to learn of the fully merited Order of Jamaica being bestowed on Usain Bolt, I would be happier if his , Glen Mills, was similarly recognised by the ," Robinson said.
"Stephen Francis should also receive the same award as Usain ... . Like Mr Mills, Mr Francis operates at the very highest international level in his field," added Robinson.
Robinson
He bemoaned what he said was a tendency in Jamaica to undervalue teachers or to acknowledge the product but not the producer.
"The social significance of the contribution of Mr Mills and Mr Francis should not escape us," argued Robinson, who recently released the book Jamaican Athletics: A Model for 2012 Olympics and the World.
However, last night, an authoritative figure who has been close to the selection of national honours said the two coaches should wait a bit longer.
Bolt's achievements
He said Bolt's honour, at such a young age, was justified by his unique achievements on the track and the impact he, as an individual, has had on the world.
"These, however, are certainly two people (Mills and Francis) who should be kept in mind for the future, and not necessarily the distant future," he noted.
He also said he did not agree with Robinson's willingness to surrender his award to the two coaches.
"It is very nice of him and so on, but if I were the Government, I would not go the route of swapping awards," he said. arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com
Published: Friday | September 18, 2009
( L - R ) Francis, Mills
Patrick Robinson, international judge and renowned author, is urging the Government to the national honours awarded to track and field coaches Glen Mills and Stephen Francis.
Both coaches are members of the Order of Distinction but Robinson wants their achievements to be acknowledged with a promotion to the nation's fourth-highest award, the Order of.
Robinson, a Jamaican judge serving at the International Criminal Tribunal, is also to be accorded the Order of Jamaica this year but says he would readily surrender his award to the two coaches.
"As much as I am delighted to learn of the fully merited Order of Jamaica being bestowed on Usain Bolt, I would be happier if his , Glen Mills, was similarly recognised by the ," Robinson said.
"Stephen Francis should also receive the same award as Usain ... . Like Mr Mills, Mr Francis operates at the very highest international level in his field," added Robinson.
Robinson
He bemoaned what he said was a tendency in Jamaica to undervalue teachers or to acknowledge the product but not the producer.
"The social significance of the contribution of Mr Mills and Mr Francis should not escape us," argued Robinson, who recently released the book Jamaican Athletics: A Model for 2012 Olympics and the World.
However, last night, an authoritative figure who has been close to the selection of national honours said the two coaches should wait a bit longer.
Bolt's achievements
He said Bolt's honour, at such a young age, was justified by his unique achievements on the track and the impact he, as an individual, has had on the world.
"These, however, are certainly two people (Mills and Francis) who should be kept in mind for the future, and not necessarily the distant future," he noted.
He also said he did not agree with Robinson's willingness to surrender his award to the two coaches.
"It is very nice of him and so on, but if I were the Government, I would not go the route of swapping awards," he said. arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com
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