- Ian Allen/Staff photographer
Cliff Hughes and his mother relax at his Stony Hill home.
Barbara Ellington, Senior Gleaner Writer
DELROSE FREEMAN left her home in St. Mary for Kingston at age 15 to better her life. Today, she's retired and sits on the board of her son, journalist Cliff Hughes' company - A-1 Communications, a far cry from the baby-sitting job she held upon arrival decades ago.
Ms. Freeman and her children have lived in various parts of the city including Slipe Pen Road, Jones Town, Rockfort and Papine. The single mother raised five children but the father of her eldest took no part in his life even though he could afford to.
Following his recent Emmy win, Outlook spoke with Ms. Freeman about the challenges of motherhood and how she moulded one of Jamaica's best journalists.
Clifton Gladstone Patrick Hughes is the first of five children three sons and two daughters. Radio and television audiences know him as Cliff but his mother calls him Clifton. Watching both together is like seeing two parts of a whole entity in sync and happy with a job well done.
OTHER CHILDREN
Keron Capelton is a head nurse in the United States. "I am very proud of my sister, it was a struggle because she didn't like blood but I insisted and told her anywhere in the world you go, they need nurses."
Cliff interjects after his mom revealed that he encouraged her to pursue that career. For her part, Keron keeps saying, "Oh what a brother I have."
Antia Capelton also lives and works in the United States.
Gregory 'Kevin' Capelton is a supervisor at P.A. Benjamin.
Stanley Capelton, the baby, is described by big brother as the spoilt one and he works with Cliff on his Emmy-winning programme, 'Nationwide', as a technical editor. He was undecided about a career path but mother did not give up. Cliff thinks he got too comfortable as the baby.
Raising five children was not easy for Ms. Freeman. She says: "From my job as a crash programme worker, I'd put away money for Cliff and the others in high school. Earning $25 a week meant supplementing it with days' work. That money stretched for groceries and everything."
But what kind of child was Cliff?
"He was a bright child, helpful, my children never go out on the streets even though we lived in areas where the temptation was great," mother said.
"When I send him out, he remembers everything without writing it down and one day a neighbour told me, 'Try with him because one day he is going to play a part in this Jamaica'."
They lived in Jones Town then. The proud mother told Outlook that Cliff was not rude, or disobedient.
"He was such a humble child, poor t'ing, all when Christmas come, if we don't have anything, he says, 'mommy, once we have little food we all right'."
Cliff interjects, "She would always emphasise, go to school, go to school and tek yuh book."
Ms. Freeman said while living at Rockfort on very little money, "I wake up early in the morning, give them breakfast and I walk with them up Deanery Road, cut 'cross Race Course, and let them off at Chetolah Park School and leave them in school because the money I had was just enough to pay the bus fare (one cent), to come home."
Cliff has not forgotten those years.
FIRST TIME ON RADIO
Ms. Freeman describes the first time she heard Cliff on the radio and explained when she knew he was going to be 'somebody'.
"The first time I heard him on the radio, I felt so good that I started to tremble, but the first time I heard him make a speech, he was at Excelsior and a part of the students' council and a girl from my district was there and she said I had a brilliant son, even a nurse who heard him said she envied me for my son."
On another occasion, he spoke at a political meeting in the constituency of late Prime Minister Michael Manley and he received congratulations from everybody; people wondered how such a simple woman could produce such a son but she told them, "God gave him to me."
Outlook asked Cliff to share the one lesson his mother has left with him for life and he said, "She used to tell us if you can't do good, don't do anything, that has been with me all my life, she would always emphasise, education and not to envy people."
MEETING FATHER
He met his father for the first during his second year at university. "I met him in the summer of 1985. Now dead, our relationship was always tense because when I remember what my mother went through and I had a father who was a successful businessman, I know he was just irresponsible. Ironically, I went to visit him, he wanted me to give up that and come to the Bronx and run his dry-cleaning business but I told him to go to hell."
Did they make peace before he died? Outlook asked.
Cliff says in a sense, because after a while you learn to forgive, "I don't think I can ever forget because it had a profound impact on me in several ways."
Has that made him a better father to his daughter? He answers affirmatively explaining that it has made him want for his daughter, everything that had never had. "It has been the most significant influence in terms of the kind of father I am; that's why I am so involved with her because I did not have that. It's as if I'm trying to compensate."
Today, the family is a close-knit one with mother at the centre at all they do. There are family consultations on important matters and her opinions are valued. He told Outlook about living in close proximity to dons, crime and criminals who came so close to them growing up, anything could have happened, but in the midst were people who were decent .
SIGNS CHEQUES
He is proud that both mother and sister are directors on the board: mother attends board meetings, gets her notes and stipend and when he's away, she signs the cheques. If anything happens, she has his back,
She told Outlook, she's learning the business, gives suggestions about prospective employers. Who knows, she might even learn to use the computers. After all, she encouraged him to read and nurtured his love for the news, politics, public affairs and matters affecting our country.
"She always bought a Gleaner and told me to read it when I was young, even when we couldn't afford certain basic things, she always bought the paper every day."
Ms. Freeman feels satisfied that she did a good job with all five children. She is now enjoying her grandchildren and her biggest wish for her son is that he'll get married soon. And, his wish for her is long life so that she can begin to enjoy the fruits of her labour.
"She always talks about wanting to go to Australia and I would like to take her there to watch cricket which she loves. She helped me to love it, she's a big fan."
These days, the 63-year-old spends her days relaxing, attending church and caring for one grandchild because her son told her to stop working and take care of herself now.
Cliff is proud of his mother for many things especially the education and the good work ethic she instilled, and her basic decency.
"She couldn't tell me about Beethoven and Brahms but she gave me the tools to learn about them."
He is grateful that when she got the opportunity to go to the United States, she refused to leave her children.
