Leon Wells passed away on May 13, 2009 in Nassau, Bahamas, where he had lived and taught for many years. He attended GBSS between about 1955 – 1961. He was a Hostel Boy. Winston “Bobby” Phillips: MY TRIBUTE TO LEON ‘HIP’ WELLS So long everybody (Fellas) don’t be sad for me Life was a heartache and now I am finally free Don’t know where I’m headed Hope I see you someday soon So long everybody I have gone beyond the moon (From the ‘The Letter’ sung by Macy Gray) So Leon “Hip” Wells, as we knew him, has left this earth. Should we be sad?With all due respects to familial connections, I think that Hip, echoing thewords of the song above, would have said no, and say that he had gone to a“better place”. After Fugun and Mario, to those who might think that I amassuming a role of ‘tributeer’, rest assured that this comes in recognitionof the inevitability of death for us all, and because its occurrence affordsthe opportunity to remember our relationships with the deceased. The formeris a human reality; the latter seems to be a human need. Hip was a good and loyal friend. We became very close as we approached SixthForm in the GBSS, and as we were GBSS and Hostel Prefects together. My lastclose contact with him was in Grenada in 1988, I believe. On that occasion,Hip, Sticks and I paid a late evening call on the then GG, Sir Paul Scoon,and engaged in a lively discussion on the Hostel under Sir Paul’s care. Butthe connection with Hip remained alive. Hip’s gift to the world was his ability to make his listeners laugh througha ready wit which he unpretentiously shared with anyone he met. Often hesaid things that evoked a laugh when they should evoke anger. It was all inthe way he said it. If you should make the mistake of letting him know thatyou liked Miss X, on meeting her he would say something like: “Girl, Bobbysay he like you bad, you know. You must talk to him”. Then he would get thelaugh out of you by telling you that he was only helping you out. To me thiswas part of his mystique. I was also intrigued by the fact that Hip camefrom La Digue, a village that also produced names like Ogilvie, Wells,Buckmire and St. Cyr, among others. Hip would first got your attention by saying “Hear, nuh” or Hear this one”.Then he seemed to convert tension into laughter and to effortlessly pluckjokes and funny lines out of nowhere. Fondly, I recall evening walks aroundthe Rocks after cricket practice with him, George ‘Snobies’ Griffith,Neville “Pym” Glean, and Martin “Sticks” Mclaren. On one occasion we met aConvent student who lived in Belmont, and we may have been urging one of usto speak to her. We laughed when Hip approached her, but he then said‘Listen, girl, don’t worry with these foolish boys. Just continue to studyhard so you can get a good job and marry a good man”. Where did that comefrom? Anyway, Hip may not have known that the lady in question became a GMof one of Grenada’s major banks. Hip had a very descriptive turn of phrase which precisely conveyed itsmeaning. He was clear that whenever he said “the mens dem”, he was referringto his close group. When he said “dem men”, it referred to persons outsidethis closer group.. In this vein, one can now understand his ownpre-Hospital diagnosis. Only Hip Wells would say that he was entering “deep,deep waters”. I trust that what I understand by that phrase would have beento him a recognition as well as a solace. So, I think that Hip would have said words echoing those of the song above.I can hear him saying: “Tell the men’s dem not to weep for me. Fellas, seeyou someday soon. I have gone beyond the moon”. Hip, my friend, may we meet again in a place where there is no sorrow, nopain. Bobby.
George “Snobies” Griffith: Tribute to Leon “Hip” Wells Hi All, Once again Bobby (Papalee) has put into comforting words a farewell tribute that is fitting, and pleasing to us. The man, Hip, was special, and, as mentioned by Bobby, I was part of the group that enjoyed his humour, thoroughly. I was his school mate, and his colleague as a GBSS Master, where, as teachers we enjoyed many days of after-class games such as monopoly, and chess, and of course, being indoctrinated into “liming” by stalwarts as Terry “Gun” Lucas and Vere Pitt. There is a Toronto “Possee”, who, with sadness, will remember the good says that Hip spent here on vacation, some years ago. He was quite a hit with his sense of humour, and significantly, he displayed a strong sense of love for children, such as my own grand daughter, of whom he always enquired, every time we spoke on the telephone, even while at the hospital after his most recent procedure.Thanks Bobby for reminding all of us of the good man that Hip was.I say farewell, also from my family. Snobies
Vivienne James (nee McGuire): Tribute to Leon “Hip” Wells
Hi All:
This time I’m going to put in my two cents’ worth. I have been saddened by the passing of Fugun, then Mario and now Hip.
Apart from the fact that they were GBSS boys in my time, Hip I always considered a relation of mine because his dad and my grandmother (Ada Shears, nee Wells) were cousins.
My earliest recollection of him was one afternoon in LaDigue when he and my brother Dalton were talking a stroll and liming together on the road where Hip, my uncle, the Noels and others lived.
Of course, much to their frustration,I’m sure, I tagged along uninvited and I remember one of them, must have been Dalton because Hip was too much of a gentle,polite soul, was quarrelling with me because I was walking on the top of the narrow culvert and I was being told that if I fell in they would leave me there. That didn’t stop me, though.
Hip always was spontaneous in the emails he sent to us. I remember tha email he sent when that horrible hurricane was heading for the Bahamas. He never hesitated to express that way he was feeling when things were happening to him and others.
The spiritual and philosophical edicts and the jokes that we received from him were always
welcome and I am happy to have had the opportunity to speak to him when he came out of the hospital before he went back to ICU.
I am confident that he is resting in peace in a much better place even as we miss him.
Vivienne (McGuire).
Rowley “Sandy” Jeffrey: Tribute to Leon “Hip” Wells
Hi Guys!
This is a tough one. I have contemplated at length with mixed emotions (mainly nostalgia, sadness and a deep sense of loss) on the many anecdotal epics of the Hip, and emerged with the grudging satisfaction that it simply was my privillige to have known him. I have no right to claim him as a friend, because that seems to have been the right of everyone he knew. And that is never more true than for the people of the Bahamas. Clare and I spent a day with him there and the entire island, it seemed, knew Mr. Wells. It was always, “What do you want, Mr Wells?” The people in the stalls. “Mr. Wells, what do you want?” The fishermen. The boatmen on the tour boats. It was amazing!
On meeting in the hostel I was lulled into a false sense of familiarity by his openness, humour, and warmth, until I painfully learnt that he did not brook freshness, and that an angry Hip was a different Hip. But I guess we were kin spirits in wit and humour, and a few years of tennancy and seniority in both school and hostel promoted me to a position of peerage where I could better appreciate and enjoy that lovely spirit that we all came to know and love.
He endeared himself to me in that memorable debate between the Carriacou Students’ Club (Martin Sticks Mc Laren and Bernard Stinky Joe Bullen) and the St. Patrick’s Students’ Club (Irwin Cada Adams and Rowley Sandy Jeffrey). The topic: Which is more important, money or education? He preped me well for that debate as he was a giant in debates. He sat back and enjoyed with gusto what was to be hailed as one of the greatest of its kind. We the principals were later to learn from Hip with that oh so familiar laugh, that he prepared all of us on both sides of the debate.
In 6B I had the time of my life for the entire year. I built a small sail boat, skipped Public Affairs class (Punjab) every evening and went sailing to Grand Anse. The day of reckoning soon came and I was strolling past the top dormitory, cardboard in hand to write (I know not what) in a 2 hour Public Affairs exam.
”Sea Pussy, where you think you going?” That was Hip, from a room in the top dormitory, preparing for Cambridge Public Affairs himself in a couple of weeks.
”Ah going and write Public Affairs exam”.
”What the hell you go write?”
”Ah doe know”.
”So why you doe come and do some Public Affairs so you could have something to write?”
I thought about it for all of three seconds and in the next ten I was sitting with him in his room.
After one gruelling hour of the Whigs and the Tories and the Party Whip; the duty of the Speaker; The Back Benchers; the shadow cabinet; how a bill is made into law, etc etc etc, the whole sylabus, Hip sent me off to write an hour of what he taught me, whence I got enough marks to add to my favourite subjects to go over the 40 percentile and be promoted.
But that was the soul of the man. A superb blend of wit and brilliance. After the operation we spoke for about 2 hours, and those of you who know Hip and me could well imagine what it was like. This was not a man at death’s threshold! We were both in tears of laughter. He liked the one about the christian and the muslim on the falling plane; and liked even better the one about the pilot, the priest and the two nuns on the falling plane. And I thought the battle was won. I refused to entertain the notion that we could lose him.
He did it to me again. He lulled me into a disarming relaxation so much so that I am still struggling with acceptance of his passing. I am happy that I was able to give him some solace at a time when it must have meant a lot; small return for all his tutoring, his kindness in the Bahamas and just knowing him.
Thanks, Hip.
A part of me is gone; I guess a part of all of us is gone.
God will give him the peace he so richly deserves.
Rowley
John “Biggles” George: Tribute to Leon “Hip” Wells
Another Giant Has Left the Departure Lounge
May Hip RIP
My first year at the GBSS was a turning point in my life. I met some of the most outstanding people who would leave a lasting impression on my life. I modeled my life after many of them. Many were teachers, others were upper classmen but several were my classmates. Yet others attended the GBSS after me. Among my upper classmen were Pie and Beans, who I recently saw after several years. They remain my role models. There were Fitzy and Hugh O’Neale, who have since left the departure lounge. Several of my upper classmen are still in the lounge but many others have departed. Somehow the mind tolerates better the departure of those who are your seniors. It is a different item when those who are being called are your colleagues and classmates. It is difficult to fathom the departure of those who are like brothers, particularly outstanding brothers. Now Burris and Jack Radix and Bluggo are notable classmates, who left some time ago. 2009 has begun and continued with fury. Whether you are referring to notable Hostel boys, GBSS Alumni who left a mark on the school or graduates who served the Caribbean and beyond with distinction, Mario and Hip would fit handsomely into all categories. Sadly, Mario left a few weeks ago. Now Hip has joined him. They have left the departure lounge for a flight that will take them soaring to the heavenly domain. I can talk about great ones like Torch Masanto, Fugune, Mikey Sylvester who I remember well as Alumni of distinction who departed. I can easily dwell upon classmates in the lounge, who positively impacted my life like no others. Snobies and Rice and Popees and Papalee and George Hamlet and Lyle St. Paul and more, but this one is for the “HIP”. Hip was outstanding. He was outstanding because he was so unassuming. But as soon as he opened his mouth and drawled out any phrase or sentence, you noticed. Hip was easily the funniest guy in my class and many would say in our era. Hip had a way to make anyone laugh. He would poke fun out of a dead doornail. Sadly, I have problems recalling some of his memorable quotes, but I can so clearly visualize the guy poking fun out of Sackies. And you would probably think that such a comic was an average student. That he wasn’t as I remember well how Hip and a small circle of our classmates fueled incessant scholastic rivalry as we propelled each other to higher heights. Hip was a fine gentleman whose manners were exemplary, that is if you could look beyond his humor. Sadly I saw Hip for the last time in the 60’s. But we communicated like most of us do now by E-mail. Five years ago, while in Toronto for the Annual Brunch, Snobies hooked us up by phone. That was a memorable chat but sadly our last. I responded to his last E-mail several weeks ago and I remember it well. He was about to enter the hospital and mentioned his many health challenges including renal failure and need to have dialysis several times per week. As I read the E-mail, Larry King was interviewing Natalie Cole on CNN, and there were some poignant parallels. Most of all she seemed to be coping well with the challenge. I tried to capture her spirit and share with Hip as I reached out to lend support. You could tell from the tone of his E-mail that he was apprehensive. Those of you who received mail from Rice at the time recall Rice’s version of how Hip would comment upon Rice’s visit to see him at the hospital. “You come to do the autopsy?” Well that was Hip. I truly hope that as he was being guided to the exit that he was not afraid or in pain but just thinking out the next line for his audience. I can visualize him entertaining Fugune, Jack Radix, Burris, Bluggo, Mario and all the others, including Sackies. As we sit in the lounge, let us look around and do that which we ought to have done before the departure of recent colleagues. Let us send an E- Mail, pick up the phone, make a call, just talk to each other and share love. Let us not hold back on any of the wonderful thoughts that we entertain for each other. It is OK to share these thoughts with third parties. But we must not do so to the exclusion for those for whom these thoughts are meant. We must engage the mind in positive reflections. This is the time to remember and recount and share the boyish pranks, the wild adventures, the memorable events and more. But let us not forget to tell each other how we were positively impacted by the deeds however small of the other guy. Eulogies are fine, but they inevitably fall on deaf, nay, dead ears! I love you all. And thanks for the memories! Most of all may Hip RIP.
Neville “Pym” Glean: Tribute to Leon “Hip” Wells Hi fellas,
Is this a race or are we all sliding down the slippery slope with each trying to grab hold of something to slow down the inevitable?
I loved Hip, I supposed we all loved each other - the friends that limed together. A few years ago I was at home. I had not seen nor heard from Hip in many years. I heard a knock on the door. When I answered this stranger asked, ” Are you Neville Glean?’ He told me that Hip had asked him to find me and get my email address so we could keep in touch. What does that tell you about the kind of man Hip, I hate to say was, is? ‘Is,’ because his still lingers on, touching each of us.
When he said that he was entering “deep, deep waters,” I said to myself, ‘It’s all related.’ Why? It reminded me of Fugun’s famous History essay in form 5. Bobby and Snobies may remember. Fugun wrote, “Martin Luther once embarked upon the ship of Grace, fell far and fast into tumultuous waters.” Hip was there. That water motif seems to be in all of us.
As calm and cool as he always was Hip took everything in his stride, even death. Like all of you, I never thought we would lose him at this time. Yet, who are we to allot numbers? All I know is that Hip was a good soul and a very good friend. May he rest in peace.
Pym