Boulevard Baptist Church was filled to capacity as mourners gathered from across Jamaica to give thanks and praise for the life and times of Dervan Malcolm.
During a service that was filled with an atmosphere of quiet dignity and mixed with deep affection, family members, colleagues from across the Jamaican media landscape, representatives of the Calabar Old Boys Association, members of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group, and friends from the Jamaican diaspora - at home and abroad - gathered in the in St Andrew parish, to pay their own, personal homage to one of their own.
The respected journalist and broadcaster, who is understood to have died after battling with a long period of illness, was said by many to be one of the foremost voices on the country’s Power 106 FM over a 31-year stint. He was a versatile presenter and host.
Over his three-decade long career in media, Malcolm served at various points as news presenter, news editor, sportscaster, talk show producer, talk show host and quizmaster. He also built a reputation as an outstanding master of ceremonies for various functions and formal events.
His programme, ‘The Jamaican Diaspora Live Online’, allowed him and people in the Diaspora, to capture the realities of their lives. One of the many people who paid tribute to him was U.S.A.-based Jamaica-born entrepreneur and medical doctor Dr Rose Marie Lewis, who described Malcolm as a friend of the Diaspora who gave it a home through the airwaves.
“When he spoke, people listened,” she said.
“Malcolm’s voice was a bridge between Jamaica and the Diaspora, connecting teachers, students, professionals and businesses.” An offering was collected during the ceremony for the newly established ‘Dervan Malcolm Scholarship Fund’, to honour the memory of veteran broadcaster, got under way during a meeting involving representatives of 19 diaspora organisations.
