Many of you will remember how Sir James 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, his spirit was fine, unbroken. His words were always encouraging, words of gratitude, never a complaint. He was fine yesterday. A gracious death.
