The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

NATIONALLY regarded as “the greatest athlete the country has ever produced,” dignitaries from every walk of life in Bahamian society turned out to pay final respects to the life and work of Thomas Augustus Robinson.

Prime Minister Perry Christie lauded the life of Thomas Augustus Robinson as the track and field trailblazer was laid to rest in a state-recognised funeral at Christ Church Cathedral yesterday.

“His fame and his name are deeply and permanently embroidered into the tapestry of our nation’s proudest history. He was one of the greats, his legacy looms larger than his own life. His place in the annals of Bahamian history is secure,” Christie said.

“This is a great personal loss for me because Tommy Robinson was one of my oldest and dearest friends. Far more than me however, Tommy’s passing is a great loss for our nation. As a pioneer of international track competition for the Bahamas, Tommy was the elder statesman of Bahamian athletics. He was also my mentor and role model during my many years as an athlete, just like he would be for so many Bahamian athletes for over so many years. I looked up to Tommy, in fact to be fair, we all did. I was inspired by his success. He showed us the way. He showed us that it could be done, that we were good to scale the heights of international competition and conquer athletes from all over the world, from countries great and from countries small.”

Christie admonished the parishioners to remember Robinson for his character as a nation-builder.

“Thomas Augustus Robinson is an icon for the ages now. He will continue to stand as a singular example of the greatness that can be attained in any area of human endeavour, be it athletic or otherwise, when natural talent is harnessed to discipline, courage, determination and patriotic responsibility. I mention this latter quality in particular because wherever Tommy went in the world as the standard bearer for the Bahamas, he always did us exceptionally proud.

“He was a model of first class decorum and exemplary bearing both on and off the track. He consistently reflected the very best of the national character and, in so doing, set the standard for generations to come,” he said. “He was to track what Sir Durward Knowles was for the Bahamas in international sailing, what Andre Rodgers was for Major League Baseball, what Mychal Thompson was for the NBA, and what Elijah Obed would later achieve with his World Championship belt in boxing.”

Robinson represented the Bahamas in four consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1956.

At the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, he won gold in the 200 yard dash and silver in the 100 yard dash. He again won silver in the 100 yards in the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. He also captured the gold medal at the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games.

The University of Michigan star from 1958-1961, winning multiple team and individual Big 10 championships during his tenure, was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honour in 1985.

The Bahamas Government honoured him by naming the track and field stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Center the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium. He was also named the sports ambassador for the Bahamas and was a representative at a number of events after his retirement.

In 1989, Robinson was one of five people who were inducted into the initial National Hall of Fame along with Sir Durward Knowles, Cecil Cooke, Andre Rodgers and Elijah Obed.

“He did it at a time when we had few things to cheer about and even fewer things that could bring us together, black and white, rich and poor, young and old if only for a moment in common ecstasy over the accomplishments of one of our own. He brought us together and in so doing helped instil in us an instinctive understanding that the ties that bind us are infinitely greater than the things that divide us,” Christie said.

In the sermon, delivered by Cannon Kingsley Knowles of St George’s Anglican Church, the rector reminded us of Robinson’s path from humble beginnings to a world class athlete and ambassador of a budding nation.

“He was the ambassador to the Bahamas and he attributed his success to the four Ds. He desired to run. He was determined to win. He was dedicated to the task and he was disciplined enough never to give up,” he said.

“We have come a long in this sporting arena and there can be no doubt that the person of Tommy Augustus Robinson was the trailblazer for others who followed. His legacy had the ability to teach in such a way that our nation is able to respond as he moved from the valley to the mountain top.”

Robinson, who passed away 6am last Sunday at the age of 74 in the Princess Margaret Hospital after battling cancer, was revered by the young and the old, who recalled the impact that he had on their own personal lives and those that he came in contact with.