JANICE : Who is John Crow Alexander ? JOHN : A very energetic , go getter kind of a person with a keen sense of humor ; could be very serious at times ; but for the most part , a very light-hearted , genuine kind of individual … a family man . God fearing .
JANICE : What are the principles which guide you ? JOHN : My principles are shaped by the values that were instilled in me from a very impressionable age by my grandparents . They were no nonsense kind of persons and valued hard work . I value hard work … it pays off . My grandmother on my father ' s side was the one who actually molded me . And then my grandma and my grand-aunt on my mother ' s side were playing a supportive role . I had the best . I was one of the beneficiaries of the African Village . One of my rebellious moments is when I realized that everybody had their hands on me . I had to put a threat out and say , listen - don ' t be thinking that you can put your hands on me .
JANICE : Who are your mentors ? JOHN : It was a network – part of that network was Mr . Claney , my grandfather who had a shop in St . James , and Mr . Johnny Matthews – the bus driver . My father was a disciplinarian and had lots of rules and my grandfather was sometimes not nice . I think that ’ s why I am so rebellious and I am strongly against women ’ s abuse . Other important mentors were Mr . Creswell Julien , Principal of SASS ; he had great respect for my writing and encouraged me . My writing was very good as I was an avid reader of
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