Sherman

Former managing director of the Gleaner Company Ltd., Tom Sherman, died in Canada on Tuesday at age 89.

Garnett Albert (Tom) Sherman was born April 1, 1918, in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, and came to be one of the key figures in launching the company's overseas newspapers but had, in recent years, been living in a nursing home in Ontario, Canada, after his Canadian wife, Vera, passed away.

Oliver Clarke, who took over as managing director from Mr. Sherman in 1976, expressed deep sadness at his passing. He said that Mr. Sherman was an outstanding manager, who worked well with his staff. Mr. Clarke pointed out that it was the sterling contribution of Mr. Sherman which helped to lay the foundation for the continuous growth and development of the 173-year-old newspaper.

Condolences

The managing director expressed condolences on behalf of the board, management and staff, to the family of the late Mr. Sherman.

"The Gleaner Company had been his life," said former assistant managing director, Chris Roberts, who joined the company in 1974, two years before Mr. Sherman retired as head of the newspaper company to oversee the Canadian operations.

"He was a very kind man and very hard-working. He certainly helped the company to maintain very high standards there and was loved by staff," said Mr. Roberts.

Mr. Sherman had worked his way up through the company, beginning as an 18-year-old assistant to a clerk in the circulation department after graduating from Kingston College in 1935. He then volunteered for the British Army in World War II, when The Gleaner was often delivered by foot or donkey to save gas, before rejoining the newspaper in peacetime.

According to Mr. Sherman, when writing in 2000, The Gleaner became "a commodity essential to the survival of a democratic Jamaica".