GLADSTONE’s 36
Tribute to Gladstone Bonnick 1933-2020
“A Jamaican Son, Brother, Husband, Father Grandfather and Massively Humble Intellect (Deputy Govenor for Bank of Jamaica, Mission Chief of Inter-Agency World Bank and Exec Chair of FINSAC). His only goal was to serve his country and be there for his family and friends.
This portraiture tribute was made with your old Mamiya C3 TLR Camera in your 20s. We are meeting 36 individuals many of which are strangers (until now) and listening to stories on their happiest memories with their grandfathers or other significant relatives. With heavy hearts we want you to know that you’re missed.”
Hover over the images below to read their stories (mobile users click). New stories/portraits are added daily.
Leland: I have a photo that captures it well with my Uncle David, Phillip Henry, and my Grandfather Sonny. My Grandfather's nickname was Jazz because he was a very accomplished musician and singer from New Jersey who played the Trombone. He loved and lived music. In the picture, we just finished playing a concert at my little cousins elementary school. My grandfather was elated, and loved seeing us perform. He was always so supportive. He has had such a huge influence on me, artistically. And times like this, are what shaped me to be who I am today.
Sammy: One of my grandfather's favorite things to do was grocery runs for bread in his old Crown Victoria Station Wagon, with purple velvet interior. He also loved singing about what he was doing. My favorite memory of him was having a goodnight song for everything in our house. "Good night sink, goodnight photos,..." lol. Watching TV wasnt big for us outside of Wheel of Fortune, we always took time to play cards, paint and go for walks. He made life a enjoyable game. Funny enough, I get fond memories of him when I smell Old Spice haha. I miss him.
Torrance: Life without my pops is unimaginable. The good memories are still being made.
Chris: When I think of my Grandpa Warner, a smile appears on my face as well as a sense of admiration. From a young age, I noticed my grandpa was extremely skillful. He could fix or build anything - and if he didn’t know how, he would figure it out. One of my favorite projects of his was a shed he built for my parents. It was pretty big, and only took him a couple of days. This shed ended up as a source of play for my two brothers and myself as we would climb all the way up top and jump off. I am very grateful that he passed some of his knowledge down to me, and am always excited for the next visit to enjoy his company and learn more.
Tyler: I really dont have a best memory that stands out...What I can remember off hand was that my Dad used to beat me at pool (billiards) even though I would practice everyday religiously. Lol. Yes i did win once but it was a extremely rare occasion. To be honest he shouldn't have won any game though for as good as I was. That was our thing.
My grandpa had a ranch in Mexico. I remember learning how to ride horses with him and my dad, when I was about 11. I’m not any better at riding but had some good times out there.
Jackey: My grandfather loved to take me on little road trips and go to the lake, mountains or even small hike. During these times he would always tell how it was when he was a kid and would always intertwine history with those stories. He read a lot of history books and knew the history of most countries and cultures. He’s always been patient and loving with me, from teaching me how to drive to teaching me to focus on being quality person with integrity. My favorite man in the world 🌎
Julio: "I remember changing the view I have of my mom. From she’s just a mom, to she’s a person who’s been through pain, heart break, happiness and joy.
We haven’t had a tight relationship in the past, and It made me feel vulnerable. She can be a friend and not just a mom."
Jaffer: "My grandpa was sick and didn’t talk much while I was a kid but I spent a lot of time with him and my grandmother at their house. One of my favorite memories of him was having picnics outside of their apartment and I would run around and play in the grass. It wasn’t much but it was enough for me to know he was there watching me. I miss him dearly."
Brent: "My favorite memory of my grandfather was a quote that he gave me he said 'No matter what you do be the best at it. If you're a janitor janitor be the best janitor'. It has resonated with me ever since.”
Rinora: "Both my grandfather's died before i was born, so i never got to met them ... but i was lukcy enough to have my blue eye grandmother that radiated strength and love. She was pretty traditional in her quite way. Her attitude to life and people were shaped by the faith in God, i remember she would always say " i lay my trust in God, whatever comes from him is welcomed, he protects us " Memories that I have with her take me back always to her delicious meals, warm house that always welcomed others wholeheartedly. She was a wonderful mother to my mom and uncle and a very loving grandmother to all of her grandkids."
Kul: "My grandfather would send a 5-year-old me to buy cigarettes for him while he was playing cards. Sometimes he would ask me to go light the cigarette from the firewood stove in the kitchen. To make sure it is lighted well, I would take a couple of puffs and give it to him. Hahaha. Of course he would never know I smoked his cigarette." Wont lie Kul has some amazing stories of life in Nepal, we narrowed it to this story after sharing a good laugh. Thanks bud.
Greg: "As a kid I was always on my bike, to the point that I was started entering competitions. I was almost good enough to become a pro BMX rider but had a bad accident. I was lucky to have grandfather who was always supportive".
Simon: "My first job ever was with my grandpa, I was 14 at the time . He asked me to help him with a carpentry project he had. For a whole summer, he'd pick me up at 4:30 AM drop me off at 6:00 PM, long day it is, but no worries I had a 30 minute lunch break. He didn't let me touch anything, but I did see how hard of a worker he was. He taught me how to appreciate a job and respect its time. One of his favorite line was "take your time doing in right or your frustration will double". The amazing part was him showing me how to use geometry in real life to make his job easier while he didn't have any education.
It truly is the best job I've ever had even though it was unpaid."
Kaela: "I’m thankful that I grew up knowing both of my grandfathers. My favorite memory of my paternal grandfather was the day he showed me how to make collard greens. He was known in our family for making the best greens and even grew his own in his backyard. He was always happy to make them for family gatherings and would have this huge smile on his face when he saw how much people enjoyed them. I was walking around a plant nursery one day and saw that they had collard greens plants. I immediately thought of my grandfather and couldn’t resist. Thanks to him, I know how to grow my own collard greens in my backyard. As for my maternal grandfather, my favorite memory is when he sat me on his lap and taught me how to wiggle my ears. I don’t even remember how old I was, but I remember being so happy and him being excited yet shocked that he actually taught me how to successfully wiggle my ears lol. It was such a simple moment but one I’ll never forget."
Jeron: "What seemed to be every Thursday Dinner of my life, I would hear the story from my grandfather of the time he rolled his stock car on his family farm in Iowa as a young teenager. What's surprising is that he didn't do it on accident, rather he tried multiple times to do this just because his two older brothers said he couldn't. But he was persistent and continued to try until he one day he rolled the car a complete rotation just to say he did. While this story was told multiple times, it never got old. These Thursday dinners were a huge part of my growing relationship with my grandfather as they were a wealth of knowledge of his life. Even after I left for college these dinners continued and I would receive photos of dinner every week and updates on his stories and this continued until his passing. He always somehow managed to tell me a new story that amazed me every week. Not a Thursday dinner goes by that I don't think about my crazy teenage grandfather trying to roll a perfectly good car."