H. Ian Macdonald, president emeritus of York University, remembers Rex Nettleford, who died on Feb. 2.
I first met Rex Nettleford in 1953 when we were fellow Rhodes Scholars at Oxford University. In the intervening years, our paths intersected often in a variety of shared interests such as World University Service and The Commonwealth of Learning.
Rex was a brilliant conversationalist, no subject too eclectic for his taste. My most memorable discussion was in 2004, at a reunion in Oxford, during a July 4 fireworks display over Christ Church Meadows. On the crowded parapet, I was jostled and stepped back on the foot of a gentleman behind me. In the shadows, I glanced over my shoulder and apologized, but quickly returned to our discussion, which was absorbing as always. Later that evening, my wife remarked: "I don't know if you realize that you stepped on Bill Clinton's toe."
The one practice for which I did not share Rex's enthusiasm was his penchant for breakfast meetings. Nevertheless, I cherish my last such occasion with him on the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies on March 7, 2007, when he was as sparkling as the morning sun.