Moreover, that Thursday (January 30) was the worst day of the winter in the UK and the snow in London was so bad that flights were cancelled or delayed. For these reasons, the family could not pick him up since whoever went to get him would have missed the funeral. When it was agreed that he would take a taxi to Edinburgh, no taxi would take him because of the snow. So he had to catch the train. Sadly the train got into Dundee just after the funeral at the Crematorium had finished. But quite luckily, a number of people had come back to the Pearson residence afterwards so once he was picked up from the train station, he read the message of greetings and condolence to the people who were at the house.

The Headmaster was with the family till the Saturday; he visited Rev. Pearson's house, the church in Arbroath and the Crematorium in Dundee where the services were held. He flew down to London on the Saturday and then home to Ghana on the Monday. Actually his original ticket given to him was for him to fly back on 10th February but since he was desperate to return to Prempeh College, the family kindly made the necessary arrangements for him to get new tickets so he could fly home earlier.

The services were well attended and the Founding Headmaster's life of service and ministry to others was suitably celebrated. People were very uplifted by those services.

The photograph above shows Headmaster Owusu-Achiaw paying his last respect to the First headmaster, whose casket is wrapped in Prempeh College's Suban Ne Nimdee seal. The Prempeh crest itself was designed by Reverend and Mrs. Renee Pearson, after the King bequathed the School the official Asante Confederacy colours.

The photo on the right depicts the Headmaster with Keith Pearson and his sister Wendy. Keith was born in the Kumasi Hospital in June 1944. Though it was normal in those days for Europeans to return home to have their children, the Pearsons opted to remain and have their children in Kumasi so Keith was the first white baby to be born in Ashanti. When Prempeh College was opened he was befriended by the pioneer students. He had a small-size Prempeh College blazer so he regards himself as an honorary Amanfoo. When we asked him about his green Prempeh blazer, however, he replied, "Afraid the blazer has disappeared into the mists of time!"

Wendy was supposed to have been born in Kumasi in March 1953 but owing to the father's poor health, they had to leave Ghana on the Christmas eve of 1952. She regrets not having been born in Ghana.

Interestingly, they both followed their father's footsteps: they pursued careers in Education; Keith is now a Head of the Social Sciences Department in Dundee College, one of the biggest Further Education colleges in Scotland. Wendy is Head of Religious Education in a secondary school in Kirriemuir in Scotland.

He'd had a number of strokes and a heart attack since last summer. Though he suffered another heart attach a few weeks ago and had been very frail, he celebrated his 87th birthday just last Saturday. He suddenly took ill this morning and was taken into Ninewells Hospital in Dundee and as the day wore on his condition deteriorated. He died peacefully at 17.45 hours GMT today, January 24, 2002, survived by his son Keith and daughter Wendy, and their children.

He had to leave Ghana on December 24, 1952 when his heart collapsed and he received a bleak prognosis. However, he surprised everyone with his doughty spirit, living into the 21st century and seeing Prempeh College turn 50. Even when he was frail, he gave an interview to the College's website and bequeathed some rare photos from his archives for the website a few days before his death. He derived great joy from following the achievements of the Old Boys through this website.

His last words to Amanfoo were as follows: "I have really had the greatest satisfaction from seeing how the school has grown and how the old boys have made such a valuable contribution to the development and running of their country. Christopher Wren, the architect and builder, when asked what he would like his memorial to be, said while standing in St Paul’s Cathedral in London, which he had built, “if you want a memorial, look round about you”. I feel very much the same – Prempeh College stands as a proud memorial to what I was able to start in Ghana. "

He will be missed.

The President later toured the Basilica.

After private discussions with the Pope, President Kufuor and the Pope exchanged gifts and pleasantries.

President Kufuor’s convoy had earlier driven past a guard of honour mounted by a detachment of Vatican’s Swiss Guards and welcomed by the Papal Household by Bishop James Harvey and escorted to Paolo VI Hall, where he met with the Pope.

Recently | Recently 2004