FOCUS ON NORTH AMERICA
Howard Dunn: His involvement with soccer clubs in MoBay
From: Barbara M. Simpson, New York
Howard Dunn was eager, so eager awaiting his trip to England in 1962 that in the interim, while counting the days he decided to sign up with the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) with the intention of remaining for six months. The England trip never materialized because the six months in the Force lasted for six years. As a member of the JDF he was a Regimental Signaler.
Mr. Dunn came to New York in 1968 and at first he worked for many firms until he decided to concentrate on the “transportation field” as he calls it . “I wanted to have my own taxicab but fifteen or more years ago the red rape involved in getting a loan to buy a taxicab was awesome”. The bank refused my loan applications but I am a great believer in myself so I kept trying until the Small Business Administration approved a loan for me”. Mr Dunn owned and drove a taxicab and now he owns a fleet of limousines called Montego Bay Limousines.
Howard Dunn was born in Palmyra, St. James. His parents, Egbert and Mabel Dunn are deceased. He has one sister, Dorothy and four brothers, Evan, Noel, Relva and waldine or “Wally”. He attended the Mount Zion Elementary School and his predilicrion for soccer started then. Now, for the past six years he is involved actively with the Corner League Soccer Club. The Corner League is comprised of other soccer clubs such as the Mountain View All-Star Soccer Club, The Spot Valley Soccer Club, The Alter Bar Soccer Club (Which is the most advanced of all the teams). His involvement started out as a whim driven by his conscience- he was approached by a member of his family and other members of his Club during one of his regular visits to Montego Bay. They sought his help in providing them with soccer gears. On his return to New York he pondered the request, tried to dismiss it as “not important now, “ But everytime he tried to forget, he remembered that he too “walked in those youngsters’ shoes”. He decided to try a small fund raising event to get money to purchase the gears. He organized a raffle which offered small prizes which were a Television, a Radio and one Bottle of White Rum. The proceeds from the raffle enabled him to buy gears which included uniforms with the soccer club colours, shoes, balls socks for sixteen team members.
On his next trip to Jamaica he had made and donated to them a Howard Dunn Trophy which was to be given each year to the winning team for that year. Gaining more confidence he conducted a second fund raising event which was a dance. He used the proceeds to buy two sets of gears one for Spot Valley Soccer Club and one for Mountain View All-Star Soccer Club. Alter Bar Soccer Club which is the most advanced team within the Corner league was given a donation from Jefferson Smurfit Corporation through their affiliation with Mr. Dunn. That donation he used to purchased gears for Alter Bar. Each year apart from the winning team keeping the trophy, it also gets a purse and the second place winner also gets a purse.
The Soccer League decided to turn the tables on Mr. Dunn as a show of appreciation for all he has been doing over the years for Soccer in Montego Bay, so, they changed the Soccer Club’s name from Corner League to The Howard Dunn League . In early 1990 he again arranged another fund raising event and this time it was done in style and he said “my biggest and most successful effort to date”. It was a Black Tie affair attended by the Consul-General of Jamaica, Mr. Derrick Heaven. Mr. Dunn said Mr. Heaven congratulated him on his involvement in such a worthy cause and encouraged everyone present and who found themselves in a position to help our youths back home to do so.
Mr. Dunn said the affair netted approximately $3,000. He feels good about what he has been doing as using their leisure time to exercise in this healthful way eliminates the need to seek other interests which might not be so wholesome. Mr. Dunn said, “After Hurricane Gilbert I went to Montego Bay and dismayed to see the Cornwall Community Centre without a roof, no sanitary convenience so the proceeds from this last affair will go toward (a} getting a roof for the Centre, eliminate the insanitary conditions, (b) purchase more gears for the soccer teams”. He said he approached Mr. Gene Weaver who is President of Rollins Rosehall Limited for a donation for the Soccer League and he was readily receptive as he views the Soccer League as a powerful beacon within the community.
A family man, his wife Gloria works for an advertising agency; his son Wayne has one more year at Rush Medical School in Chicago before he graduates; daughters Georgia is in college and Antonia attends high school.
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