A tribute to a departed family friend
This obituary was a couple of months old but I wanted to feature him in my blog because of his example of living life to its full.
KUALA LUMPUR: Former New Straits Times journalist David Lazarus, who rose to head the regional information section of the United Nations, collapsed and died at his home in Jalan Ampang here yesterday. He was 59.
With the NST in the late 1970s, he wrote, with a touch of humour, a travel column called Life In A Suitcase.
Lazarus had a stint as foreign correspondent with the now defunct Asiaweek and wrote for several newspapers in Montreal and London.
He joined the UN in the late 1980s and was posted as information coordinator at the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) in Nairobi, Kenya.
In 1993, he was posted as information chief of the United Nations Information Service in Bangkok and worked closely with United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific chiefs, Adrianus Mooey and Kim Huk Su.
Lazarus was instrumental in securing UN support for the then fledgling organisation, the Asia-Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalists.
His last posting was as the director of United Nations Information Unit in Jakarta. On retirement two months ago, he returned to Malaysia.
He is also the author of two books -- A Crack In The Mosaic: Canada's Race Relations In Crisis (1980) and Winds Of Change on politics in Malaysia at the beginning of the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad era (1984).
Lazarus loved journalism, his job and people. He had a zest for life and lived it to the fullest. His colleagues found him to be highly motivated, determined and creative in dealing with challenges.
Above all, he was a good provider and a devoted father.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia, and children -- Annabelle, Adrian and Amelia.
1 comment:
Thank you for your heartfelt account of the life of Mr. David Lazarus. He was a mentor to me and I will always be thankful to have known him and to have learned many valuable lessons from him.
I fondly remember the kindness and guidance he provided to me when I was a young intern in his UN Information Services office. We kept in touch and over the years, he willingly obliged every time I asked him for a professional recommendation.
In the summer of 2007, I contacted David while travelling through Jakarta and he treated me to lunch at one of the city's best hotels. He talked about his passion for journalism and writing, and he spoke with pride about the many accomplishments of his wife and children.
I did meet David one more time after that. The photo on your site is actually of the Lazarus family at my wedding in Bangkok in December 2007.
Sirous T.
Post a Comment