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Just Always Remember

Welcome to the KCOBA.

The Kingston College Old Boys' Association USA, Inc. (KCOBA) is a not-for-profit {IRS Code 501(c)3} organization formed in 1982 and incorporated under the laws of the State of New York in 1984. Its members are predominantly former students of the all-boys' school Kingston College, in Jamaica, West Indies. The term "Old Boy" is the British equivalent of "Alumnus" in the USA, and underscores the residual influence of Britain on Jamaica's educational system.

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Upcoming Events

Florida Dance
October 3rd, 2009
Florida

Scholarship dance
October 17, 2009
Scholarship Fund Raising

AGM July 19th
July 19th, 2009
AGM

Purple Flash

For Love Of KC

FOR LOVE OF KC

The sign above the young civil servant's desk read:
"There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who went to Kingston College, and those who wish they did!"
I laughed, fully in agreement, but wondered where this would place students who are still at KC. But the sign also set me thinking: what is it about this KC that generates such loyalty, such devotion, such love?

Perhaps love never really needs to be explained, and as KC Old Boys we should just leave it at that. But that would not be fair. It would not be fair to the earlier generations of KC Old Boys, foundation members, some of whom still turn up at school for Manning Cup matches clad in purple and white raiment.

Nor would it be fair to KC Old Boys, armed with life experience and technical skills, who continue to offer guidance to students on a regular basis through the adopt-a-form programme. And, indeed, it would be unfair to the many who offer a hand in training various school teams for football, cricket, table tennis, schools' challenge quiz, and so on. It would also be unfair to the many onshore and offshore alumni who, in the spirit of pure generosity, help financially to sponsor school programmes and students, often making their contributions quietly. Without fanfare, for the College.

So, let's be fair. Kingston College represents a noble idea, namely that social class should not matter in education. As a young man, you will be given guidance and support, you will be allowed to flourish (if you so desire), and no one will be concerned about whether you are from the north or south of Torrington Bridge.

This idea guided "Priest" in the early years, influenced "Dougs" when he took up the mantle, and has been passed on through to Wally Johnson and current members of staff. Perhaps then we love KC because KC has taught us to love equality.

Stephen Vasciannie 1971-1978
The Brave May Fall But NEVER Yield!! FORTIS!!!

Lennox "Billy" Miller

AN EXCELLENT HAND

They say the good die young. Well, Lennox Valencia ?Billy? Miller was as good as it gets; he was one of the best. Now he is gone, perhaps too soon, but not before leaving his impressive mark on the history of track and field in Jamaica and the world. I first became aware of him in 1959 when I started at Kingston College a year behind him. He lived in the Cross Roads area; his dad was a cop; he was a competent student and a talented runner. Within a few years, he had become heir apparent to a stream of sprinters at the school: Ventura, Burrell, Robinson, Headley. Most of these school champions also excelled at the Boys Championships. He took the mantle from them easily, perhaps because he was the best of them all. When his time came to reign over the Class 1 sprints at Champs, no one could live with him. Those who tried included Fray of St. Andrew Technical and Forbes of Kingston Technical, both of whom eventually became Olympians with him. However, he was just a little too fast for them. When he took the 100 and 200 meters at Champs in his first year in Class 1, that was almost anti-climactic. Anyone who had seen him run in Class 2 would have been convinced of his destiny. They say God gives you athletic talent or you don?t have it; Billy got it and he had it. He could have been a quarter miler, a half miler, or a miler. Many of his schoolmates who watched him win at every distance for Gibson House at KC?s weekly meets were convinced of that. But he chose to sprint. With all this success on the track, a schoolboy attracts a lot of attention to himself and must find a way to cope with it. But as his star rose in the firmament, he managed to keep his feet on the ground, and his head firmly screwed on. He duly passed his external examinations and went to sixth form, where he did science subjects. And when he accepted the inevitable track scholarship, he did so as a scholar in his own right. While I studied at St. Augustine, I met a chap from the Bahamas and we often talked about track and field. When we discussed sprinters, he often mentioned his countryman Tom Robinson and the hot lads from America, Jim Hines and Charlie Green. I remember telling him that there was a classmate of mine from high school who I was certain would eventually be able to beat anyone in the whole world. I told him to watch for the name Lennox Miller. Within two years, Lennox had taken the Olympic silver in Mexico City. The story of his exploits on the international track is a long and glorious one, which I leave for others to tell. Billy was not one-dimensional; there was a lot more to him besides track and field. He completed his university degree and practised dentistry in Southern California for some 30 years. He also passed the sprinting gene to his daughter and coached her to Olympic gold. I have watched his life and career with great interest, pride and admiration, mostly from a distance. The last time we talked was one night a few years ago at a New Kingston hotel, when I chatted with him after a Hall of Fame dinner. One of the things he said was that he had great respect for those of us who had decided to live and work on the rock, with all its problems. I am certain he would have done well here, as some of his contemporaries have, for the Lord dealt him an excellent hand. Lennox, my friend, rest in peace. Clive Nicholson, Ph.D.
The Brave May Fall But NEVER Yield!! FORTIS!!!

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