Among those gathered for the occasion were Foster’s granddaughters Andrea Roberts, Debbie Jardine and Heather Chin, who were clearly moved by the occasion.
Established in September1980, GC Foster College was the first of its kind to be established in the English-speaking Caribbean.
The college was named as a tribute to Gerald Claude Eugene (G.C.) Foster, who was described as a man of outstanding and versatile sporting talent, who dedicated himself to the pursuit of excellence in all his sport-related endeavors.
In 1908, he travelled to the United Kingdom to try and compete at the Olympic Games even though Jamaica had not a member of the Olympic charter nor did it have an athletic association. However, while unable to compete, he managed to defeat many of the finalists in the Olympic 100m final.
Largely hidden, his legacy has now been unearthed allowing the late athlete and coach to take his rightful place in Jamaica’s incredible track and field history.
It was part of that process, during the launch of 50 Days Afire, the book that brings Foster’s incredible achievements to life, that the portrait was unveiled.
The occasion will live long in the memory of his granddaughters.
“Very proud. We are very proud and honoured; so glad that after so long he is still so highly thought off,” said Jardine, who along with her cousins stood next to the portrait as it was unveiled.
“I agree with that 100 per cent,” said Roberts. “We are very honoured and very pleased.”
Chin, who was visiting GC Foster College for the very first time, said she was captivated by the institution named after her grandfather.
“This is a first. I am totally impressed with this school. It’s really awesome and that it’s named after my grandfather is very special,” she said.
Hemmings ran an Olympic record 52.82 holding off the challenge of Americans Kim Batten and Tonja Buford and etch her name into the annals of Jamaica track and field history. She would win a silver medal in the event at the Sydney Games in 2000 when she also won another silver medal as a member of Jamaica’s 4x400m relay team and cement her legacy as one of Jamaica’s great athletes.
Those exploits were recalled and celebrated at GC Foster College on Thursday night during the launch of 50 Days Afire, a book written by Michael A. Grant and Hubert Lawrence. The book chronicles 50 track and field performances that have defined Jamaica’s legacy in the sport.
Hemmings-McCatty’s accomplishments appear in the 260-page book that was the third undertaking between Grant and Lawrence over the past decade.
During the ceremony, a video of the reserved athlete’s triumphant run in Atlanta was shown after which she was presented with a citation created by artist Patrick Kitson.
Needless to say, she was overwhelmed by fact that her exploits were being celebrated and that her place in Jamaica’s track and field history has not been forgotten.
“It is a special occasion to know that after retiring for so long people still see the work or still remember the work that I have done and I will cherish this very special moment and I am thankful,” said Hemmings-McCatty, who retired in 2003, almost 20 years ago.
The event was attended by Olympian Vilma Charlton, Vice-Principal of GC Foster College Gibbs Williams, MVP President Bruce James and the granddaughters of GC Foster Andrea Roberts, Debbie Jardine and Heather Chin.
A documentary 'Finding Foster: The Search for Jamaica’s Lost Sprint Hero' will also be a feature at the launch of the seminal publication by publisher Michael A. Grant and track and field writer, commentator and historian Hubert Lawrence.
I can’t say no,” the history making Olympian said in accepting her invitation to the event, “I will be there.”
The special award was initiated by local gaming brand AnyBet, the title sponsor of the book, film and event. Grants for research and production were also provided by NCB Capital Markets, Sherwin-Williams, Sports Development Foundation and Tastee Ltd., while other sponsorship was provided by GC Foster College, Supreme Outdoor Advertising, TrackAlerts.com and WISYNCO Ltd.
Fifty Days Afire, is the third collaboration between Grant and Lawrence. It chronicles the 50 most significant performances by Jamaican athletes over 115 years of competition, beginning with GC Foster’s exploits in the United Kingdom in 1908.
In addition to never-before-seen photographs of Foster as an athlete and pictures representing all the featured races, the book addresses issues of class, nationalism and Jamaica’s love of sprinting, while discussing reasons for the growing dominance of the island’s athletes on the world stage. Readers will learn how influential those 50 races have been to the overall development of the sport, even though they do not all feature victories or records.
'Finding Foster' is Grant’s brainchild. He uncovered important information and photographs of Jamaican pioneering sprinter and coach Gerald Claude “GC” Foster while conducting research for the book.
With a run-time of 30 minutes, the production features analysis by Lawrence and sports broadcaster Kayon Raynor and follows Foster on his quest to compete at the 1908 London Olympics, travelling alone on his own funds.
With the help of British coach Harry Andrews, Foster was able to turn his failed bid at Olympic glory into a spectacular three-month tour of Great Britain in which he competed prodigiously, beating the British champion and other Olympians in several meets.
While there, Foster became a favourite of the British sporting press and often addressed adoring crowds following his races.
In addition to honouring Hemmings, there will also be the unveiling of a portrait of Foster as a young athlete. The authors will also read from as well as sign books on sale at the venue.
50 Days Afire chronicles 50 track and field performances that shaped Jamaica’s legacy in the sport as well as the lost story of Foster, who after being unable to compete at the Olympics in 1908, proceeded to defeat many of the finalists of the 100m in subsequent meets across Europe.
At the launch, a short documentary ‘Finding Foster’ that highlighted the long-buried legacy of GC Foster, was shown to a captive audience.
Following years of research and interviews by authors Michael A. Grant and Hubert Lawrence Foster to life and documented seminal moments in the country's long and storied history in track and field. Grant and Lawrence said the information contained in the book could or perhaps should change the narrative about who really set the pace for what Jamaica has been able to accomplish through the likes of Herb McKenley, Merlene Ottey, Marilyn Neufville, Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah among many others.
“I hope so,” said Lawrence, the noted track writer and historian, “it’s an inspiring story. If you could take off with no Olympic Committee, thinking you could beat the best, is typical Jamaican. My parents did that. I am who I am because my parents made those choices and GC Foster exemplifies that spirit that can’t be broken.
“He came back, didn’t make it but put that into coaching and Jamaica is better for it. I hope so.”
Both men agree that producing the book helped them understand how the events they wrote about helped shape Jamaica’s track and field history but that realization did not come about until they were well into the process.
“Once I got about half-way it occurred to me that these 50 events actually changed Jamaica. If you remove them and they never happened it would be a very different country, not just in terms of sport but also in terms of the culture itself,” Grant opined.
Lawrence though had a different take. “If we can avoid the mistakes of the past by showing the victories of the past then it’s like a torch light showing people where to go,” he said.
“People now know that there was greatness all the way through the history back to 1908 and they trust it if they work hard and they work smart they can win.”
On the evening, a portrait of GC Foster was unveiled at the school's auditorium as his grand-daughters Andrea Roberts, Debbie Jardine and Heather Chin looked on.
Deon Hemmings, the first Jamaican woman to win an Olympic gold medal, when she ran a record 52.82 to defeat the more fancied Americans Kim Batten and Tonja Buford, at the Atlanta Games in 1996, was also honoured with artwork by Patrick Kitson over a citation recalling her history-making exploits.
, could change the narrative that Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley, George Rhoden and Les Laing, are the fathers of Jamaica’s strong track and field legacy.
that chronicles 50 track and field performances that shaped Jamaica’s legacy in the sport, believe that the unearthing of the accomplishments of
