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THE MAN FRED LAM
Born: August 10, 1028 Education: Queen's Royal College Positions Held: Director, Cable & Wireless, St Kitts Chairman, Caribbean Hotel Development Co. Ltd. (1987) Vice-president for Tobago, T&T Hotel and Tourism Association (1986) Chairman LIAT (1976-80) St Kitts hospitality industry (1968-85) Esso Oil Company (1948-68) Awards / Honours: Humming Bird Medal Gold (1999) Rotary Presidential Citations (1992/93) Golden Insignia of the OBE (1987) Caribbean Hotel Association Awards (1968-78) "First West Indian Jaycee of the Year" (1961) Citation for outstanding service as a Scout Messenger during World War II. |
Fred Lam's career started at the top. Not of a company, but a cathedral. It started in 1942, in the midst of World War II when he was 14 years old. It started humbly.
Back then, Alfred Lawrence 'Fred' Lam had no idea he would have been awarded this year's only Humming Bird Medal gold at the National Awards Ceremony. He was too busy enjoying his 'boy days' at Queen's Royal College.
But unlike other boys at the college, Lam did not head for the bomb-shelter when the air-raid sirens went off. Instead, he reached for his bicycle and headed for Trinity Cathedral.
There, he joined the other members of a group called the "Plane Watchers'. They would take turns climbing the steeple atop the cathedral to spy on enemy aircraft.
If any were sighted, it was their job to inform the Air Raid Precaution unit of the War Department situated beneath the Princes Building Ground.
Looking back, Lam marvels at the numerous times he cycled up and down a deserted Frederick Street, without concern for his own personal safety.
"As a young fella," he explains, "it didn't strike you (as being dangerous). You were doing service; you didn't care; you were dare-devilish."
Lam's efforts did not go unnoticed. He was awarded a citation by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for his outstanding services. This must have been encouragement enough to pursue a military career.
But in 1948, three years after the War, Lam took a job with the Esso Oil Company. During his career with the company, he put his pioneering spirit to work expanding sales throughout the Eastern Caribbean and the Guianas.
He also developed the "Esso Tripoli Steel Band" whose tour to Canada he successfully negotiated in 1967.
Despite his tremendous success at Esso however, Lam took early retirement and headed for St Kitts. With the move came a change of career, from oil to tourism.
Lam fondly remembers his role in the development of the hotel industry in that country. The "Fairview Inn", a complex of modern cottages around an eighteenth century French great house still stands as an enduring symbol of his legacy.
For more than ten years, he served on the Board of the Caribbean Hotel Association. And from his office in St Kitts, he served as chairman of LIAT from 1976 to 1980.
But the love of country remained and in 1985, after indicating his desire to contribute towards the national cause, Lam was given the job to fix the Crown Reef Hotel (now the Coco Reef Hotel) in Tobago.
Now a sight to behold, the hotel back then was an eyesore and a State burden relying on $4 million in subsidies. It was a daunting task, Lam remembers, but he welcomed the challenge.
"When I went over there in June 1985," says Lam, "[Crown Reef] was in a deplorable state. I had to get the place cleaned up, get the staff retrained, start a whole programme of restoration and rehabilitation."
Lam's determination paid off. "In three months," he says, "I had all the rooms functioning."
Then came the marketing scheme to attract foreigners. It was Lam, who in February of 1986 brought the first charter of over 200 tourists from Canada to Tobago.
"The L1011 aeroplane couldn't land in Tobago at the time," he explains. "So they had to land in Trinidad and from there be ferried across by smaller aircraft."
That same year, Lam was named vice-president for Tobago on the Board of the Trinidad and Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association.
His involvement in tourism in Tobago deepened in 1987, when he was elected chairman of the Caribbean Hotel and Development Co. Ltd., parent company of the Crown Reef Hotel.
"Everything was down and out at that time in Tobago," remembers Lam. "Today I'm happy to see the big name hotels that are going in. I'm happy that I played a very active role in tourism at a time when the entire industry was flat on its back."
At 71, there is very little Lam has left to accomplish. So with success already under his belt, he is focusing on achieving significance. While he acts as a director of Cable and Wireless, St Kitts, he is also involved in a number of community projects.
How does he sum up his decorated career? Like a man who once rode a bicycle up deserted city streets to warn of enemy attacks.
"These are some of the challenges I went through," he says calmly. 'It's good to see some recognition has been afforded at long last."