My friend for over 55 years-we grew up together in Norman Gardens, affectionally known as “ Range” off Mountain View Road. My family moved to Norman Gardens in the mid-sixties, and we met shortly afterwards. He was a few years older than me but the age difference was minimal and we quickly became linked with other “Rangers” who all remain close friends to this day.
Regardless of where each has landed, for the last 35 years, we’ve alternated in hosting a “Range” Super bowl party every year. Kingsley’s turn came in 2020, and he actually hosted the party in Kingston, Jamaica, bringing us back to where it all began.
We attended KC together and were both members of the Norman Gardens youth club where we played cricket and soccer. Kingsley started out as the resident goalkeeper and I will never forget how on Friday evenings while the game was in progress, as soon dusk fell, he would disappear unannounced from the goal as he had to be home before the sunset, to satisfy his mom’s Seventh-Day Adventist protocol.
Kingsley was always close to my family and my home was one of his many stops on Christmas day for dinner, which would continue for the next 20 years (even after I migrated to the USA).
He went on to study law in Barbados and upon his return, we knew he had no intention of practicing as his entrepreneurial skills started kicking in. He started “Soul Construction “ playing out on Friday and Saturday nights (since he could now make his own curfew rules). Though the cricket and soccer wins may have been scarce, we from the Normans Garden youth club can remember Kingsley-hosted parties any night we pulled out a victory. From Soul Construction, “PULSE” was formed and I will not forget I always got my free wristband to attend EVERY show or concert. The rest is history as we see the legacy of PULSE today.
We never lost contact, communicating regularly and on each visit back to JA we would have lengthy phone conversations or I would visit him at PULSE at the Trafalgar Road location. He was the only Range man that referred to me by my real name -Donat.
I last spoke to Kingsley seven weeks before he gained his wings. Unsuspectingly, his words to me were “I think I got food poisoning but I will be ok”. Though we know it was not that simple, I pray he knows he will always be remembered and cherished by his loved ones and closest friends.
Rest well my brother, you are no longer with us physically, but you will never be forgotten.
Donat Thompson is a director of the KC Old Boys Association (GA) Inc. aka the Atlanta chapter.