A legacy for Dexter Kalla
Last Saturday morning, looking in my book case for a legal hand book in connection with a complicated case I was working on, I saw this book by the cardiologist Pim van Bommel “Eindeloos Bewustzijn” (Dutch for “Infinite Consciousness”) wickedly smiling at me. In that 400 page book the author makes a strong academic point for the theorem that consciousness continues after the end of one’s physical life. That indeed threw me back to the wake that was held for Dexter Kalla, the prior Friday evening at the Rupert Maynard Community Center in St. Peters. The Center was filled with people, which was logical as Dexter had a great personality and many friends. The atmosphere, despite the shock of Dexter’s unexpected decease after a very short illness, was a combination of deep sadness and near to esoteric lightness.
Quite a few of the people (including myself) were also there for their very warm connection with Dexter through our mutual love for the basketball sport. I therefore said to Dexter’s brother Darrel and some basketball friends that we will miss Dexter’s expert input in the upcoming NBA play-offs debates.
When, at the end of the evening, I went to Darrell to say bye he said to me: “ Yes, Monday will be the hardest day”. These words here therefore are also meant as an effort to counter said sadness with something, hopefully enduring, to which I was brought while reaching my work/dinner table that Saturday morning with the aforementioned book about the infinite consciousness. On said table I saw the Friday morning Herald newspaper with on its front page a picture of the next new St. Maarten coalition members signing the agreement for their government term. That picture connected me to the scene prior Friday evening at the basketball court by the Community Center with the boards and rings which had been destroyed by Hurricane Irma and still, after 7 months, not having been put back.
We all know that these days in most neighborhoods on Sint Maarten one of the greatest joy for the youth to pass their free time in a healthy way is by playing basketball and that particularly in St. Peters with its great court. As it, quickly after the passing of Irma, became obvious that new elections were on their way, I have said to various politicians I happened to meet: why not score some slam dunk political points by you and your party putting back those boards and rings, which request I repeated to them during the campaign time. Well … as we can see: nothing done yet.
The infinite consciousness which I truly believe Dexter now has passed on to, then brought me to this very favorite political talking point of mine: the self-activity of our citizens which, applied to the remembrance we will have of Dexter, led me to the following idea I was allowed to bring forward at Dexter’s funeral service at the Good News Baptist Church at St. Peters on Monday afternoon.
“I would like to present to you the idea of establishing a foundation with the name of Dexter in it, for example: “Dexter Youth Basketball (DYB) Foundation”, with the objective to promote the basketball sport on Sint Maarten, particularly for its youth and with its seat at the Community Center at St. Peters, but with the door of its contributors also being open to residents of other neighborhoods (so that I, for example, can also personally participate in it).
I discussed this idea with Darrel who told me that he likes it, so, ladies and gentlemen, you are hereby invited to register with said foundation as Darrell and his family will inform you how. And don’t worry you don’t have to be a particularly basketball fanatic to be involved. There are many ways to be found, like serving Kalla oyster soup and bottles of water, to make you feel happy being part of this foundation.
And I guarantee you that Dexter will be smiling his great smile knowing that we will be doing the same. Thank you.”
Elco Rosario
St. Maarten, April 9, 2018
