NASSAU, Bahamas, November 8, 2019 — Hadassah Hall Delveaux, one of the young reporters who worked with me when I was Editor of the Nassau Guardian (1998 -2002), posted this excellent “tribute” to my very good friend and journalistic colleague, the late P. Anthony White, that I simply had to share. I fully agree with her assessment of P. Anthony’s immense journalistic talent, for he was indeed a remarkably gifted writer. Here’s what she wrote:
“I miss P. Anthony White. In my opinion, he was the nation’s BEST storyteller. To this day, I have yet to read the work of any other Bahamian, whose writing so compellingly interweaves history, culture, politics and government, sprinkled with humour.
Anthony was an historian and a gifted, extraordinary storyteller wrapped in one. The work of this literary artist remains unrivaled locally. This man had a distinct flair for prose that creatively and vividly took us back to a bygone era, when over the hill was way more respected. Really, he was our record keeper.
Anthony’s work revealed what the history books didn’t. From folk history to neighbourly kindnesses, his delightful writing was absolutely fascinating and if I happened to gain access to a Punch, the one column I had to read was his. He educated me. Ultimately, he refused to allow us to forget from whence we came. He was this lone voice prolifically writing about our history on a weekly basis, including memories from the prominent to the average old lady down the street – who probably wasn’t so average in his eyes. He did it not for accolades, but from the heart.
For more on my storytelling mentor, read the post on my blog, Over The Hill…The Other Side: https://bit.ly/32ppzic
. Be sure to check out the other posts at https://overthehill242.blog/”
