Moss-Solomon lauded as patriot

James Moss-Solomon, the private sector and trade advocate whose voice commanded attention in the realms of business and politics but who charmed common folk, died on Tuesday morning at hospital.

The manufacturing and philanthropic stalwart was 70.

“As of last night ... a vacuum has been created in Jamaica,” said Jeffrey Moss-Solomon of his father.

The elder Moss-Solomon underwent hip surgery on December 21, 2021, and was expected to recover, said Jeffrey.

But undisclosed health challenges weakened the elder Moss-Solomon after surgery, his son said.

“He seemed okay and like in a very short time he deteriorated past the point of helping,” said Jeffrey.

James is survived by his brother, Peter, and sister, Joan, who are both his seniors by more than a decade.

“They would have never expected to outlive him,” said the younger Moss-Solomon, adding that the deceased’s elder siblings have been taking the news badly.

Moss-Solomon married three times, with Rachael Moss-Solomon his widow.

His first marriage to Jeannie Moss-Solomon produced their first born, Jeffrey.

He later wedded Pat Moss-Solomon, who birthed his three other children, Damon, Sarah, and Joseph.

Moss-Solomon was lauded in death by his son and business and political leaders as a patriot who was a leading voice for integrity and accountability in all sectors of society.

“He always wanted what was best for Jamaica; he was a visionary thinker. He was always trying to find solutions to problems and advocating for the less fortunate,”said Jeffrey.

Moss-Solomon never shied away from candour, earning respect and admiration when he resigned from three public-sector boards in 2010 in protest over a perceived failure of both Government and Opposition to give strong, effective leadership at the time.

But his passion for service impelled him to backtrack on that decision two years later, causing him to hit back at critics of his about-turn.

“I have not said I would never serve Jamaica. I just said I would not work under certain conditions,” he said.

Moss-Solomon began his career in 1971 as a management trainee and climbed the rungs of power in the manufacturing behemoth at GraceKennedy Limited, a company which was co-founded by his father, James Moss-Solomon Sr.

As a believer in stewardship, 11 years later, in 1982, Moss-Solomon founded the Grace and Staff Community Development Foundation – an outreach arm of the now GraceKennedy Group in which he was an active contributor.

Moss-Solomon served two terms as the president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce during the years 1995 to 1997 and sought to position the organisation as a catalyst for positive change in the community.

Fay McIntosh, with whom he worked for more than 30 years at GraceKennedy, told The Gleaner that “he was someone that you couldn’t forget.”

The retired chief financial officer said on Tuesday that the news of Moss-Solomon’s passing was shocking.

McIntosh described the late business leader ‘Jimmy’ as a man who “walked with kings but still had the common touch,” which she further explained to mean that he would socialise with the employees from all levels and did not see titles but saw persons as human beings.

“He had time for everyone and he had time to listen and hear their story ... . He was really someone who was loved by everyone,” she said.

As GraceKennedy prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary this year, McIntosh said that Moss-Solomon would have contributed greatly to where the company is today and will be missed in the upcoming celebrations.

Michael Lee-Chin, a Jamaican-Canadian billionaire and a fellow business colleague and friend to the late Moss-Solom, said that after meeting ‘Jimmy’ in 1970, their bond continued to thrive.

“Jimmy was very compassionate, uplifting to others, bright, very decent man ... . He had the integrity typical of old-time Jamaicans, [an] intelligence that gave him a thoughtful position on issues [and] passion which made him a great advocate ... always aligned to do the right thing,” said Lee-Chin.

“Jamaica and the Caribbean has lost an avidly Caribbean person who ambition was always to unite people,” he said.

Moss-Solomon was also heavily involved in the sport of swimming, holding national records for the 100 and 200 metres butterfly between 1966 and 1970.

Sarah Newland-Martin, general secretary at the Kingston YMCA who met Moss-Solomon in the sixties, trained alongside him at the National Stadium pool (now the National Aquatic Centre) in preparation for the Annual Pepsi-Cola Cross the Harbour Race - which covered 6,000 metres.

In 1962, he was the youngest to ever cross the Kingston Harbour at 10 years old and was, a year later, among a group of eight swimmers who returned to the island with eight medals in a swim meet in Florida.

He was also an avid water polo player.

Newland-Martin said that Moss-Solomon offered her words of motivation and encouragement while passing on his knowledge of swimming.

Even when the training programme became tedious and tiresome, she told The Gleaner that his enduring message stuck in her memory was to “finish the race on that day”.

“Jimmy’s butterfly stroke was one of the best that Jamaica has ever produced,” Newland-Martin said, referencing Moss-Solomon’s forays in both local and international swim competitions.

Moss-Solomon was heavily involved in and held the following positions:

• In 1995, he was elected the youngest president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce.

• In 2000, he was awarded Manager of the Year for 1999 by the Jamaican Institute of Management.

• Moss-Solomon served as chairman of the board of Jamaica College, his alma mater.

• He was executive-in-residence, for two stints, at the Mona School of Business and Management at The University of the West Indies.

• Moss-Solomon chaired the board of the University Hospital of the West Indies.

• In 2012, he was awarded the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander for his contribution to Business and Regional Integration.