[Dialogue] Sir James Lindsay

[Nancy Trask]

Dear Paul & All,
I join with all who are mourning the loss of this wonderful man.  I do hope that Sir James may have documented the colorful stories of his career, perhaps through journals or recordings.  He didn't let anything hold him back, no matter how high the hurdles to be jumped.  He threw himself into the task & gave it his best shot.  The respect & admiration that the Indian captains of industry had for Sir James opened numerous doors for the ICA & the IERD, after we had been knocking on those doors for years.  

So many people knew him & loved him -- I'll never forget the waiter at a club in Bombay, who saw Sir James & said "The usual, Sir?" after the Lindsays had been living in England already for I don't know how many years.  He had a great impact on my life, along with all the ICA folks in India during the IERD years.  It has made a great difference in my confidence to take on challenges -- and of course, the larger the challenges we take on, the more fun we have.

Sir James & Lady Peggy took on huge challenges that required plenty of work & self-discipline.  But I feel sure they had a wonderful time as well.  

My home town was blessed with the presence of George Washington Carver for a couple of years just before he went to college, and this saying attributed to him comes to mind, in memory of Sir James:  "It is not the style of clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile one drives, nor the amount of money one has in the bank, that counts.  These mean nothing.  It is simply service that measures success.”  

My heart goes out to Peggy & the rest of the family.  
With respect and fond memories,
Nancy Trask
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: PSchrijnen at aol.com 
  To: OE at topica.com ; oe at wedgeblade.net ; dialogue at wedgeblade.net 
  Cc: PegLindsay at aol.com 
  Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 4:53 AM
  Subject: [Dialogue] Sir James Lindsay


  Dear Colleagues,

   

  With great sadness I write to inform you of the death of Sir James Lindsay. He died last night at 11pm. Peggy was by his side. They had recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of their first meeting on 7th February 1947. He was 91. 

   

  By chance I took a chance to visit him yesterday, and found that he was moved to the local hospital, because of breathing difficulties.   While I was there he received the last rites and communion. 

   

  Speaking was difficult for him, and yet, every other word he said was one of gratitude, thank you, thank you. Or the single raised finger to indicate: fine, ok. Did he need anything? ‘I am fine’, ‘I have everything’. I told him of family events. And his response was a litany of ‘amazing’, ‘well done’. I told him of Kanbay’s recent success: ‘fantastic’ he said. 

   

  Many of you will remember how he threw himself with gusto at the IERD challenge. Without him, it would have been a very different thing, if indeed we could have done it without him at all. 

   

  I remember John Patterson’s words, when he honoured Jim, probably in the summer of 1984. ‘All of us are no-bodies’ he said. ‘Not Jim. Jim has accomplished things in the world.’ He was knighted for playing a role in the connection between the Indian and British governments after the Independence. He played key roles in various industry bodies and was managing director of Metal Box in India. He taught international management and leadership at Henley and many other places. I remember him talking about a talk he was supposed to do in China. He had expected an audience of 20 or 30, but he found himself addressing an auditorium with several thousand people. 

   

  Many of us had a chance to work and travel with him, as he toured the planet tirelessly, gracefully to get support for the IERD, to support our development efforts, to encourage us and many other development initiatives. 

   

  During the last 10 years, after his strokes, his mind fragmented somewhat. You could see his mind trying to connect various parts, not always succeeding. His spirit was fine, unbroken. His words were always encouraging, words of gratitude, never a complaint. He was fine yesterday. 

   

  He will be buried or cremated later this week in Henley on Thames.

   

  A gracious death. 

   

  Paul



  The address of Peggy is:   PegLindsay at aol.com  or 

  Christmas Cottage
  Crowsley
  Lower Shiplake
  RG9 3IT



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