Goodbye ‘Charlo’

Albert Charles
Albert Charles

On September 25, the Charles and the Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT) family, friends and other members of the media said farewell to Albert Charles, former television producer, at St Finbar’s RC Church in Diego Martin.

Lisa Wickham, who practically grew up at TTT under Charles, and Charles’ stepson Dexter Matthews delivered eulogies.

Wickham told the congregation that everyone really loved the kindness, helpfulness and care that Charles, also known as Charlo, displayed.

Wickham said he grew up in humble beginnings in La Brea, and as an adult his first job as an insurance agent allowed him to garner communicative skills; the art of friendship and influence that eventually propelled him into his future career at the original TTT. She described him as one of her TTT dads.

She remembered Charlo’s smile when she recently visited him in Miami. He had said to her: “You and Wendell (Constantine) are my children you know!”

Albert with daughters Allyson & Beverly

Charles left TT in 1962 to pursue studies in television production and studio operation at RCA Institutes – New York, completing his course in July, 1965. A few years later, he studied General Television Production through the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association at the Jamaican Broadcast Center-(JBC) Kingston, Jamaica, which he completed in September, 1975.

Under the original TTT management, which saw Albert as a highly talented individual and with great leadership skills, he was awarded a scholarship to attend a production, editing and directing course for producers and directors at the Sender Freies Berlin, TV Training Center, in West-Germany. Charles graduated in November, 1978 and even learnt to speak a fluent level of German.

He was eventually appointed executive producer, producer and director of local content at TTT. He worked alongside senior producers like Horace James, Hazel Ward-Redman and Holly Betaudier during the 70s, 80s and 90s on shows like Community Dateline, Best Village, Heritage, At Home with Sylvia Hunte, Christmas specials, Carnival specials, live Carnival broadcasts, beauty pageants, Nescafe Party Time, government and parliamentary programmes and protocol events.

During his many years of service at TTT, Charlo also contributed to the broadcast coverage of many a TT historical moment. And while serving in various capacities during his tenure at at the television station, his service as a producer of events and studio productions stands out as a hallmark of his excellence.

Albert at right, with brothers Henry and Joel

Charlo worked alongside contemporaries such as Henson Bovell, Lancelot Sargeant, Wellington Yen Chong, Burt Hinkson, O Neal Davis, Linus Pitt, Terry Walker, just to name a few to produce anything and everything on TTT in its golden years.

Wickham said: “At a recent planning meeting for Carifesta, that is scheduled to take place next year in TT, reference was made of TTT’s 1992 Carifesta coverage as being memorable and of a high standard. Albert was part of the production team for the nightly live broadcasts of Carifesta in 1992 that TTT delivered via satellite to the Caribbean.

“Charlo made local television production look easy. He had a vibrant and energetic spirit. His service to TTT and to TT by extension is noteworthy and pioneering in many ways.”

From a family point of view, Matthews said: “Albert didn’t let anything move him when giving himself fully to his work. For he knew his dedication and hard-work would not be in vain. Nevertheless, Albert’s family was just as important to him as his career, and he made lots of sacrifices to ensure that his family was well taken care of, in a number of ways.”

He said his mother Emerall, Charlo’s life partner, had many fond memories of him. “Just as noticeable to her, was Albert’s love for food. From barbecue chicken with his famous homemade barbecue source, to black cake, to coo-coo and callaloo, or a good pelau. And on other days, from pancakes to a nut cake. But best of all for him was my mother’s sweet hand. When it comes to her cooking he would always say to everyone, ‘my wife could real cook yuh know’. Or when he returned home from a long day at work, he would say to my mother, ‘Emm, what yuh have to eat, Ah so hungry I could eat ah horse between two mattress’.”

Matthews recalled Charlo’s final months after he suffered a stroke on July 24, and was admitted into the Florida Medical Center, where he remained in the intensive care unit for a week before being sent to the Healthsouth Rehabilitation Hospital.

“During that time, Albert would joke and laugh through it all, saying he would be going to Trinidad for Christmas and having a bake and saltfish. In a short space of time he made tremendous gains in his recovery, with some challenging days in just getting his legs to move. Needless to say, he was also fearful of what the future held for him in his current predicament.”

Matthews said a few hours before Charles died on September 10, he mentioned to the doctors and nurses that he was returning to his home in Sunrise Lakes, Florida where a warm welcome awaited him. But this did not come to pass as Charles, during a last round of physical therapy, fell ill and was taken to the Florida Medical Center.

“As I walked into the ER room, I only had to look at the tears streaming down from my mother’s face and that of my brother’s wife Cindy-Ann, to know that Albert was no longer with us.

“So, we were left hanging short of a celebration at his home –a memory burnt into our minds and our hearts forever. But now we must celebrate his onward journey to his eternal home,” Matthews concluded.

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"Goodbye ‘Charlo’"

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