James Alfred Hanson

James Alfred Hanson loved the land. When he planted a seed, he nurtured it with quiet strength and love until it became strong and fruitful. The same can be said for how he lived his remarkable 95 years. He was born on May 25th, 1919 in the country town of Browns Town, St Ann Parish, Jamaica, WI to Francis
Jarrett and Wilfred Hanson. He received his educational foundation at " The Park School" and also learned to work the land with his mother, selling the lime fertilizer that they ground down and burnt from stone, to the local farmers. In 1938, with his strong desire for a more prosperous life, he made the 65-mile trip to the capital Kingston; a trip he often made by bicycle. This time he stayed and began to develop his skills as a master craftsman under the apprenticeship of a local cabinetmaker. In 1944, with prosperity in mind, he seized an opportunity to travel to America to work on a sugar plantation in South Florida via the "War Manpower" program.

The program required that participants travel with absolutely no money. Thus, penniless, but with higher aspirations in mind, he boarded the warship and sailed across the waters. As he touched American soil, however, he immediately made his way north to Long Island, leaving any thoughts of plantation work behind. He has often told of how, upon arrival at Grand Central Station, as he sat pondering his fate, someone flipped him a dime. He took that as a sign that his life was about to change or " turn on a dime." Jimmy was welcomed into the home of the Codrington family, where he met their daughter Christine. She was a bright, beautiful New York career girl and he was smitten. In 1946 they married and, sharing an independent and
entrepreneurial spirit, began to build businesses and raise a family. He was able to join the Carpenters Union, no small feat for a young Jamaican man in the 1940's. Through the years, he worked on many skyscrapers in New York City, including the "World Trade Center" and many of the
offices and banks on Park Avenue.

In 1950 Jimmy and Christine purchased their first business, a grocery store on Tinton Ave in the Bronx, with cash. He tells that they had only two dimes, a nickel and a penny left after that purchase. But with hard work, discipline and determination, and not wanting to incur debt, they went on to obtain several properties and businesses over the years; many with cash. These included tenement buildings, brownstones, private homes and a grocery store and luncheonette on the corner of Clinton Avenue and Jefferson Place in the Bronx." Mr. Jimmy's" store "The Hanson's Superette" was literally the cornerstone foundation and pillar of support for the community for many years. In addition to providing food, his store became, in essence, a port of call for people arriving from the Caribbean and the south.

So well respected was "Mr. Jimmy " that he served as defacto banker and trusted advisor, teaching others how to succeed in a society that was often less than kind to them. It must be noted that he took extreme pride in the fact that the "The Jamaican Gleaner" newspaper published that "Hanson's Superette" and "Macy's" were the only places where one could buy ackee in New York City in the 1960's. Jimmy had significant influence on his six daughters, Beverley, Ama, Sayeda, Jasmin, Angela and June; and their children, in whom he instilled the importance of education, hard work, and doing things " the right way!" Jimmy loved travel, and, with the exception of Antarctica he reached his goal of visiting every continent in the world. He was honored that in the Fiji Islands, A local chief named his son Jim after him. In 2008, he was especially proud to travel to Denver, Colorado to see his granddaughter perform at a convention event for the soon to be first Black president of The United States, Barack Obama. This was something he never believed he would see in his lifetime.

In 1986 Jimmy retired back to South Florida, where he had first touched ground so many years before. There, after having spent his life generously providing financial support, shelter and encouragement for many family members and friends, he was able to recreate the lush environment of his childhood. He planted his seeds lovingly, and with quiet strength and pride tended to and watched them grow blossom and bear fruit. His inspiration and the "fruit of his labor" have been lovingly passed onto those who survive him; daughters, Ama, Sayeda, Jasmin, Angela, and June; grand children Amoa, Kwasi, Ihsan, Sharika, Nichelle, Tsihai, Phillip, Jonathan, Kevin, Sienna, Navae, Milan; great grand children, Daveya, Nzingah, Niomi, and Orion; sisters Hyacinth, Pat and Lol; sons-inlaw Kevin and Deric; and a host of nieces, nephews family and friends.