Alumni News

In the Spotlight!! - Gerald Hector

There are many individuals in this earthly existence who crave the spotlight, and always have to get a pat on their shoulders for their efforts. On the other hand, there are those individuals who are simply content to work behind the scenes to accomplish the tasks assigned to them. No fanfare, no stroking of the ego, no big parade, not even a flashing neon sign that indicates that something grand has taken place. The latter describes Mr. Gerald L. Hector, CPA.

The son of KC old boy Owen “Yul” Hector (Class of 1964), and brother to Christopher “Cheddi” Hector (Class of 1983), Gerald has accomplished some things in his 36 years on this earth that would make some wonder how he found the time to do all these things, yet remain humble and reserved. His list of accomplishments are too numerous to list on this web site in a single page format, therefore, we will attack this feat by breaking his records of accomplishments down into three categories: sporting career, academic and professional career, and finally his civic and community career. In an effort to save space we will also categorize each level of his “careers” into sub sets. We will highlight one major accomplishment in each career and bullet point the rest.

This young man has done the great institution, Kingston College, proud not only with his long list of accomplishments, but also with his quiet demeanor and humility. He is a wonderful role model for young people and remarkably, he has kept his jovial personality and remains the comedian that his friends can remember.

Kingston College & College Career

One of the few three-sport athletes of the 80’s, Gerald enjoyed successes playing with some of his closest lifelong friends. In 1981 and 1982, he was selected to the Pepsi Cup soccer team for 13and under boys. In 1981, the team was victorious (included Errol “Sala” Lewis, Mabricio Ventura, Jr., David Mais, Wayne “Blacka Pearl” Morris, etc.). However, in 1982, with only two members from the 1981 team returning, and under his leadership, the Pepsi team failed to win even one match. It was a disaster. That experience placed his ego in check, and from that point created in him a humble spirit.

Despite the setback, he got up and dusted himself off, and the rest as many would say is history. Gerald went on to represent Kingston College in the following sports:

The gap in the timeline in the mid 80’s was due to the fact that his father (Yul) was sent on assignment to Trinidad and Tobago with his company. However, the sporting bug did not stop biting as Gerald enrolled in St. Joseph College in St. Joseph, Trinidad. While there, he teamed up with Gordon Charles, a young Guyanese pace bowler and together they helped to win the first ever Eastern Division Championship in cricket for that private high school.

When he returned from Trinidad and Tobago, armed with his CXC subjects, instead of going off to some vocational occupation, he begged and pleaded with his father to allow him to finish up his schoolboy career at Kingston College. He reentered Kingston College to complete the sixth form curricula. Immediately upon returning to Jamaica, many of the administrators who remembered the Gerald Hector that left two years earlier noticed a change in his attitude. He matured while in Trinidad and Tobago. It was also evident that the student body respected him because of his stature as a senior athlete at the school. Recognizing his ability to reach the younger students, he was appointed a school Prefect while in sixth form, and he did not disappoint in that either. He was known to squash disputes before they got up to the level of Vice Principal Ivan “Johnno” Johnson. He was also a member of the Cadet Corps with his older brother Christopher. He played the bugle in the drum corps.

After his final year at Kingston College in the sixth form he received a four-year full tuition and fees athletic scholarship to Howard University in Washington, D.C. The scholarship was to compete in track and field. Many people thought the scholarship opportunity was strange because his stronger sports were soccer and cricket. Nonetheless, in typical fashion, Gerald grabbed the opportunity, and he made the most of it. In four years he graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration degree with an emphasis in accounting. Most importantly, he landed a job with the Big Six (at the time) accounting firm Deloitte and Touche by the fall semester of his senior year. At Howard, he was inducted into the Golden Key National Honor Society, was the recipient of the Bison Academic Award for three years, and had a constant presence on the Dean’s list for the School of Business.

His sporting obligations did not falter either while at Howard. He was a part of a sprint medley quartet (400 meter leg) that saw the university returning to the Championship of America in the event at the prestigious Penn Relays Carnival. He also had the opportunity to represent the university as a guest of another university in Martinique where he met and fellowshipped with world-class sprinters like Dennis Mitchell, Atlee Mahorn, Dianne Dixon, Joe Green, and others. Their insights into the cutthroat world of professional track and field drove Gerald closer to his books as the way to his future. His tenure at Howard was punctuated by the relationship he developed with his coach who was also an ordained Baptist Minister, William P. Moultrie. Coach Moultrie will later prove to be a major influence on his spiritual life.

Professional Career

The same tenacity that was applied to Gerald’s athletic endeavors from early childhood spilled over into his academic pursuits at Howard, and by extension spilled over into his approach to his professional career. In typical fashion of a Kingston College old boy, he was always searching for an angle, an edge to see how he could get close to the “right people” to advance his career. He did just that. Using his love for cricket, he latched on to one of the senior partners (Christopher Nicholson) in the Deloitte and Touche Washington DC office who was from England. This partner also happened to be the lead partner for all Independent Power Plant and Utilities clients in the practice office. Therefore, Gerald became one of the few people of African descent that chose this particular line of industry at the time. His clients in this field were primarily multi national independent power companies with asset holdings in the billions. During this time, he became a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of Maryland. He excelled in what he did, and he once again exhibited the same character traits as he did when he returned to Jamaica from Trinidad. The right individuals noticed his administrative strengths that allowed him to accomplish quite a bit while at Deloitte and Touche. So much confidence was placed in him in that he became one of four employees to assist the Washington D.C. practice office to roll out the national firm’s AS/2 audit software. However, his true calling in life was that of service, and an opportunity came knocking that he could not refuse.

In the fall of 1998, the United Negro College Fund (“A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”®), created the position of Accounting Manager and offered him the opportunity to leave Deloitte and Touche and join that organization. He made the switch at the request of Mr. Sydney R. Storr, Sr. (CFO) and the Honorable William H. Gray, III (President); major milestones will mark the rest of his time there in his personal life and career. At the time he made the switch, he was 29 years old. Gerald realized that his role was to be of service at UNCF, and boy did he serve. Below is a brief listing of some of his accomplishments while at UNCF:

Gerald quickly became known as a young man who got things done. He was also blessed to sit in the presence of some of the most powerful people in business in the United States, or the world for that matter. As the Corporate Controller with the United Negro College Fund, he was afforded the opportunity to be a part of committee meetings and made presentations to the Board of Directors. During his tenure as Controller he developed working relationships with several of the board members who were committee chairpersons. That list included James Hance (former CFO Bank of America and former Chairman of the Audit Committee), Hebert Allison (Chairman and CEO TIAA CREF and former Chairman of the Investment Committee), Michael Jordan (Chairman and CEO EDS and former Chairman of the Board), William Stasior (former Chairman and CEO Booz Allen and Hamilton, and Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee). He will tell you his most memorable board member experience was having a dinner conversation with General Colin Powell where they discussed his Jamaican lineage and his opinions of the future for the “Rock.” However, despite all the interactions with the board members, it was his ability to observe and learn political and strategic thinking from William H. Gray, III that stuck with him the most.

His efforts at UNCF did not go unnoticed, and true to form, his next assignment came from the President of one of UNCF’s member institutions. In the spring of 2004, at the age of thirty four, he was approached and asked if he would leave UNCF to join the staff of Johnson C. Smith University as its Vice President of Business and Finance. Reluctant at first, he took the assignment because he realized it would further his love for service to others. Secondly, he would be able to serve under the leadership of Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy, the first female President of the institution, who is an inspiration to him. In similar fashion to William Gray, III, he now sits at Dr. Yancy’s feet, who by example is teaching him the high and lows of the higher education community. Mr. Gray taught him how to raise money for higher education (approximately $2.3 billion over thirteen years), now Dr. Yancy is teaching him how to run an institution of higher education.

Gerald is currently relishing his assignment at Johnson C. Smith University, as he is able to interact with young people who he labored long and hard for at UNCF to assist with scholarships. He is also elated to be there because he is now officially a part of the educational history of the United States at this storied institution built for slaves in the 1867. One of four Duke Indentured institutions in the entire United States, he is all about serving the students who go through those hallowed halls. He is just getting his gears going, and many of the people on the campus are still adjusting to him, but he is having a ball. He is responsible for all Business and Finance (including auxiliary services) activities on the campus, and recently the President increased his portfolio of responsibility by adding all aspects of the Physical Plant and Grounds, Custodial Services, Mail and Purchasing/Receiving Services, Risk Management, and the Motor Pool to his management responsibilities. He manages the budget of the university (approximately $32 million) with an eye towards growth, and supervises a staff of over forty people. If his track records at Deloitte and Touche and UNCF are any indication, the rest is a foregone conclusion as to what is in store for the university.

His advice to many young people today is to get a mentor(s) and learn from them. He personally has his own “kitchen cabinet” who he relies on for guidance on every aspect of life. The list includes his current boss Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy, his former boss William H. Gray, III, Dr. Barron Harvey (Dean, School of Business Howard University), Mr. Frank Ross (Former Managing Partner KPMG Peat Marwick), and Reverend William P. Moultrie (Track Coach). Simply put, you need people around you to share with you their experiences so you won’t make the mistakes they did. By all indications, it looks like he listens well.

Community and Civic Activities

Gerald is known for his awareness of social ills and his lack of patience for people who whine about circumstances instead of doing something to fix them. This was evident in 1996 while trying to recruit kids from Jamaica who ran at the Penn Relays. He became extremely disturbed by the fact that the kids were running fast times, but their grades and academic preparation left much to be desired. Filled with his usual passion for a worthy cause, he took a vacation that summer and flew to Jamaica to drum up support from some of the titans of Corporate Jamaica. His intention was to start a campaign to educate the coaches and student athletes in the island about the need to focus on academics as well as athletics. He implored the business leaders that there needed to be a link between the two. His argument centered on the fact that athletics and academics are not mutually exclusive, they are inextricably linked. He made presentations to local civic groups, including the Rotary Club of Kingston, and had an expose written about his efforts in the Jamaica Observer; still support did not come.

In typical Gerald Hector fashion, he loosely formed an organization in the United States called “BEAR”, which stands for Better Education Athletes Require. Although grammatically incorrect, the name of the organization bore the nature of his concern. He cited statistics and trends, and even wrote a position paper (Education is Key; Education is Essential) describing the inevitable pitfalls for young Jamaican athletes who can run fast but are forsaking academics. Still no support came his way to bring the message to the masses back home to Jamaica. In the fall of 1996, the NCAA handed him a gift. The gift was called the NCAA Clearinghouse that had the potential to cripple the influx of high school student athletes from entering college athletic programs. The iron was hot, and Gerald struck. He convinced his wife to allow him to take a portion of their savings, and he sponsored a trip to Jamaica for his former college coach William P. Moultrie. Coach Moultrie was a member of the Olympic Track and Field staff, and also a world class coach in his own right (he coached a 4x400 quartet to the world record in 1992). He was recently nominated to be inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame (ustfccca.cstv.com). The focus of the trip was to educate the coaches and student athletes in Jamaica about the new rules and regulations of the NCAA Clearinghouse. The island was split into two regions, with sessions held at Mico Teachers College in Kingston and Sam Sharpe Teachers College in Montego Bay. Gerald also appeared on Sport talk shows and radio call in shows.

The former President of the JAAA, the late Mr. Adrian Wallace was so moved by his sacrifice that the JAAA reimbursed him for a portion of the costs of travel, accommodations and transportation. What still disturbs Gerald today is that the things that were illustrated in his document in 1996 are still in need of implementation on a national level, and to date he still hears complaints about student athletes getting scholarships to schools that are not accredited and the hardships that brings. At some point he might pick up that mantle again.

His other community and civic activities include:

The Gerald Hector that many people see today is a totally different person spiritually from the one that most are accustomed. His sunny disposition has not changed. His comedic routines and constant attempts at singing have not changed. However, the change that everyone has noticed is his spiritual commitment to GOD. He and his wife Sharon-Kaye accepted Christ together, were baptized together and are now currently enrolled in pre-ministry classes together. His good friend Mabricio Ventura, Jr. at times teases him that the old Gerald will be back, however, he knows that that Gerald is gone forever. In private moments when you talk with him, he will tell you that the poem Footprints in the Sand is really a testimony about how he views his youth. In his youth, his beloved grandmother Edna “Mae” Broderick used to drag him to church, however, he never got it. His coach at Howard University, William Moultrie had his athletes pray the Lord’s Prayer after every practice, but he did not get it. It was not until he had his Damascus Road experience with his health being challenged that he got it. He now believes that the prayers of his grandmother and the predestined will of God for him are responsible for the blessings that he has been afforded to date.

Gerald, like many people thought that his tenacity, bravado and being in the right place at the right time were responsible for his rise to where he is at such a young age. However, he will quickly tell you that God did it. He now acknowledges that there is a greater power at work in him that he alone under his own strength could not have accomplished. If you take a look at all he has done, he did it armed with only a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and a Certified Public Accountant’s license. Conventional wisdom says that he was supposed to have two more degrees and some other professional classes to accomplish what he has achieved. However, he will quickly point out that wherever he was short, God made up the difference. He has figured out his life’s purpose, and that is to serve others, and the more he serves others, the more opportunities come his way. Therefore, he strongly believes that as long as he walks in the purpose God has given him, he will be fine.

His current church home, the University Park Baptist Church has ratcheted his faith upward to another level. His Pastor (who is forty two years old himself) Dr. Claude Richard Alexander, Jr., and the ministry he leads have taught Gerald that he needs to die to himself, and let God lead him wherever he wants. God is all around him, and all he has to do simply help God; he will take care of the rest. He was looking at life from a standpoint of ignorance, thinking that his life was really only for him.

A committed KC man, he is always thinking about his alma mater. However, for the folks that have been around Gerald when he gets to thinking, they will simply say watch out, because when he speaks something, he does it. This web site is a good example. The brothers needed a way to communicate regularly, thus “JustAlwaysRemember.org” was born out of a commitment while sitting in Franklyn Field in Philadelphia. A regularized reunion schedule was needed for the brothers to connect in person more often; he opened up his home in Charlotte, North Carolina to start the annual affair. Now, the exciting news is that his laser like focus is on his beloved alma mater like never before, and he has joined forces with the likes of Paul White, Mabricio Ventura, Jr., Curtis “Big Reds” Limptom, Errol “Sala” Lewis, Brian Clarke and Christopher “Boom Head” Williams to go about doing something for the great Kingston College. This august body of alumni is about to take up something they see lacking. It might not happen right away, but watch for it to happen.

Gerald still stays in shape to keep up with his beautiful wife Sharon-Kaye who is a former aerobics instructor and who happens to have two degrees in Computer Systems Engineering. She is also a St. Hugh’s (KC sister school) old girl; therefore, their union is even sweeter. Their twelve year marriage has produced three wonderful children; Joshua (9), Timothy (6) and Kezia (4). As hobbies, Gerald now plays soccer in a “manish water” league in Charlotte, runs four miles a day (only in the summer), doing crossword puzzles and playing golf (he sports a 15 handicap). When you get an opportunity, please drop Gerald a note at ghector@aol.com and let him know that you appreciate all he has done to keep the purple and white flag flying high, and letting the world know that “The Brave May Fall But Never Yield.”

 

 

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