The Friendship Trophy semi-final on Boxing Day between Somerset Trojans and Hamilton Parish Hot Peppers at Southampton Oval had a special meaning for me. The goalkeeper for the West End team was teenager Nkenge Durham, who is the grandson of a very dear friend, the late Eugene “Bobby” Durham.

Nkenge is home for Christmas, from Allegany College in Maryland, where he serves between the sticks for their squad — following somewhat in his grandfather’s footsteps.

On Boxing Day, I caught the first half of that semi-final and was impressed by a shot a Parish forward made in the first 15 minutes, which was spectacularly saved by the Trojans goalkeeper. I was initially unaware who that agile keeper was until Hasan Durham stopped by and noted that his son was in goal for Somerset — and I was able to tell him what a beautiful save Nkenge had made.

Bobby Durham came of age as a footballer in the legendary Howard Academy team coached by the iconic Edward deJean. From that foundation, Bobby moved on to Devonshire Colts, coached by the notable Donald “Dick” Dane. The avid footballer subsequently joined the storied Philadelphia Textile College team. That squad included fellow Colts players Gordon Cholmondoley and Alfie Smith, who were subsequently joined by the mercurial Dale Russell. They were all embraced by US Soccer Hall of Fame coach, Walter Chyzowych, who went on to serve as the United States coach.

Bobby, a midfielder, made the All-American team two years in a row. He and I happened to return from college in the early 1970s and developed a close relationship as secondary school teachers who were committed to the social justice movement. Key in that regard was setting up the Erskine “Buck” Burrows/Larry Tacklyn Legal Defence Fund along with other comrades.

It was during those times that I got to know Nkenge’s father — Bobby’s son Hasan — who was about 2 at the time. While Bobby had not married Hasan’s mother, Betty Grant, he embraced the role of fatherhood and spent significant quality time with his son.

In fact, it was during that period that Hasan’s surname was changed. With the input of our common mentor, Wilfred “Mose” Allen, Hasan’s surname was formally changed from Grant to Durham, using a template approach with no legal expenses incurred.

One seminal moment during that era was putting on a major fundraiser for the defence fund. Our great friend, Clint “Amos” Smith, secured the use of PHC Stadium for the event. Bobby was able to secure from Boyles Excavating the donation of a trailer truck to serve as the stage for the concert. Notwithstanding the general sense of reserve in the community at the time — given the nature of the charges against Burrows and Tacklyn — these breakthroughs led to various musicians donating their time. Notable among those was the diverse band Fame — the featured nightly band at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club.

The convictions of Burrows and Tacklyn by a special jury in 1975 led to a sentence of hanging.

Southampton Oval was the venue where Bobby and I first canvassed the public in the summer of 1976, with the petition calling for an end to capital punishment in Bermuda. We did this at one of the popular Western Counties cricket match. That exercise of “breaking the ice” let us know that it would take a lot of work to win hearts and minds on the issue. That said, Bobby was an exemplar of commitment, fully engaged and among the very few who spent more than a year engaging at grassroots level in the community with a view to shifting the culture of acceptance that death by hanging was a reasonable punishment.

After many months of canvassing, Bobby and I started at 7am for first day of the 1977 Cup Match in Somerset, and after those two days, the total number of signatures on the petition surpassed the 7,000 mark.

Over subsequent years, Bobby continued teaching roles at various schools while volunteering as a football coach at Boulevard and serving as a cricket coach for youth programmes over the summer. In addition to his continuing support for a variety of social justice initiatives, Bobby distinguished himself in his role as a single dad, fully sharing parenthood with Hasan’s mother.

Bobby’s inspiration helped Hasan to complete university while developing his sporting skills, notably in cricket. The younger Durham subsequently become one of Bermuda’s foremost spin bowlers, serving in Somerset’s Cup Match team for nine years, one of them as captain.

Hasan’s mentorship by Bobby has resulted in him embracing fatherhood with both hands. Although Hasan and the mother of their two children are no longer together, the former outstanding cricketer remains fully engaged with Nkenge and his daughter, Nadhira, herself a budding tennis star.

The Durhams are demonstrating the benefit of passing the baton across the generations.

• Glenn Fubler represents Imagine Bermuda