We finally caught up personally this week with a distingished Jamaican, Vincent Samuels who can best be described as a man on an exciting mission to Bermuda.Vincent is secretary-treasurer of the Beersheba Old Students Association (BOSA), connected with the Beersheba Primary School Community in New Market, St Elizabeth, Jamaica. His mission is to follow up on the life and times of James (Dick) Richards, a Jamaican who came to Bermuda in 1902 with the “Bully Roosters” of the British West India Regiment, settled here and became one of this country’s richest black men, a substantial property owner, a great philantrophist; and a really colourful icon during the first three-quarters of 20th Century Bermuda.One of the great virtues of Mr Richards was that he never forgot from whence he came. He was born in a village in one of the poorest regions of Jamaica. Both his parents died when he was at an early age, leaving him to fare for himself. Seeking broader horizons, he set out, walking in three days the 115-mile distance to Beersheba.There he attended Beersheba Primary School and worked day and night in a bakery. Beersheba Primary School was like a leaky shack; when it rained, students had to shift from place to place to avoid getting soaked.As the fortunes of Mr Richards grew in Bermuda, he was mindful to take care back home of his old community friends. Periodically when he returned to Beersheba, he would have with him trunkloads of goodies. He endeared himself to the peasant farming community that nurtured him as a child. According to Mr Samuels, they revered him as “Bermuda King”.Eventually Mr Richards bought the land on which Beersheba Primary School was built, and leased by the Jamaican Ministry of Education, and he bequeathed money for scholarships to two of the best performing students at his alma mater. Mr Samuels and his BOSA colleagues have been working inconsultation with the administration of the school to establish a mini-museum, which is going to be renamed James Richards Beersheba Primary School.The main purpose of the mission to Bermuda has been for Mr. Samuels to ascertain what ever artifacts, memorabilia, biographical and writings exist about James (Dick) Richards. He visited the Archives, the Gallery of the Bermuda Historical Society in the National Library Building. Also he spent hours witn journalist Meredith Ebbin, the founder and editor of Bermuda Biographies, the website that has considerable data on Mr Richards.Among the many persons Mr. Samuel met was Valerie Smith Pethen, the retired head of Government Information Services. She was one of the first two former Central School students to receive Dick Richards Scholarships annually to attend secondary aschool at the Berkeley Institute. The scholarships were for five years in the first instance with an extra year. That was back in the day before free education came about.He has visited St Paul AME Church on the corner of Court and Victoria Street in Hamilton, which is regarded as the cathedral of African Methodism in Bermuda. Aware that Mr Richards, during an earlier renovation at the church, donated money to defray those costs, among other things a stained glass window, the organ and the balcony He interviewed its pastor, the Rev Lanel D Guyton and selected congregrants headed by retired educator, Mrs Edwina Smith.Aptly named, The Good Shepherd, the colourful stained glass window has an inscription noting that it was donated, by and dedicated to the memory of James (Dick) Richards.As a budding journalist for the now defunct Bermuda Recorder newspaper this columnist clearly remembers one of the hot topics of the time was whether the church should accept the the largesse, or “rum money'”of Mr Richards, because he was the leading and most colourful innkeeper of the city. Among other things Mr. Samuels has been endeavouring to ascertain was the extent to which Mr. Dick Richards was involved with the church spiritually as well as a philantrophists.There were no radio and talk shows back in those days, but I recall the pro-Dick Richards people clearly enunciating the text from the Holy Writ about “Judge Not”! And there was one pastor who exhorted his congregation to always bless the money (collection) because one does not know from whence it came.Another hot topic was when Mr Richards’ daughter was engaged to and about to become the bride of Russell Levi Pearman. Levi himself had a high profile being one of the most handsome men in town; and a master mechanic, restoring old furniture. He made the headlines when he became fhe first black Bermudian to book a flight on the old passenger flying boats, travelling to New York, and starring on the most popular radio show of the day, talking about valuable old coins he found in furniture he was restoring. The show was called 'Ripleigh, Believe it or Not.'In any case the couple married and as a wedding gift, Mr Richards gave his daughter the three-story mansion, renamed 'Ripleigh' still sitting atop the corner of Victoria and King Streets, Hamilton. Levi Pearman in subsequent years was elected a Member of the House of Assembly (MCP).James (Dick) Richards was most famous for building the Canadian Hotel in Reid Street East. That was the most popular resort for soldiers and sailors from the US bases who wanted to 'hang out' during and after the closing years of the Second World War. That was back in the day when mainstream white-owned and operated hotels, clubs and theatres had been empowered by the infamous 1933 Inn Keepers Act to legally refuse accommodation and service to Black People and Jews.The 1959 Theatre Boycott resulted in desegregation of hotels and other public places in the Island. Before that happened, Mr Richards had found favour with a nephew he brought here from Jamaica named D. Wesley Gayle, whom he set up in business. Gayle operated a first class hardware shop situated in the Canadian Hotel. And he teamed up with the late MCP, Hilton G. Hill and six or seven other operators of black-owned hotels and guest houses in forming the Bermuda Resort Association (BRA). Gayle became President of the BRA and journalist Ira Philip was its Secretary and Public Relations Officer. Mr Gayle built and operated the largest of the black-owned resorts, called Sunset Lodge, in Pembroke West.Back to Mr Richards. After finishing Beersheba School he joined the British West Indies Regiment, and saw active duty when BWIR served with valour in the late 19th Century Wars engaging the Boers in South Africa. The Third Battalion of the BWIR was posted to Bermuda in 1899, where they were the Prospect garrison while Boer War prisoners were interned here.In my book, FREEDOM FIGHTERS - from Monk to Mazumbo, just before Page 132 there's a photograpn of the Bully Roosters on guard duty. And there's commentary of how passions were aroused in Bermuda over the stationing of 'all those black soldiers' in what conservatives perceived to be their white Bermuda.Dick Richards not only expanded his fortunes on the Churches and Salvation Army in Bermuda and his homeland, he was a great promoter of cricket, billiards and other sports. He teamed up with Dr EF Gordon in bringing the first West Indies Cricket team to tour Bermuda, in the summer of 1939.Incidentally, Dr. Gordon's landmark residence Beaulah sits on the lower western boundary of 'Ripleigh' in Church Street. Mr James (Dick) Richards died at age 92, while playing cards in the Canadian Hotel with friends.