In Memoriam Jeremy Gaylord

Robert Morton and Richard Barlow
September 12, 1990

Jeremy Gaylord, age 39, was a beloved member of the New York City Tribune staff

Jeremy Gaylord passed into the spiritual world on September 12, 1990 at the age of 39, succumbing to a rare, extended illness which he contracted during his childhood in Zimbabwe. Robert Morton gave this tribute at his Sunghwa Ceremony.

"Let us become windows of God's love; shining into the darkness of men's hearts."
Rev. Sun Myung Moon

These words were written in a notebook of Jeremy's as one of his favorite quotes from True Father. I think Jeremy really took those words to heart. Indeed, to know Jeremy Gaylord begins by understanding his deep faith in the Divine Principle. That faith was the core of the rules by which he led his life.

No, Jeremy Gaylord did not approach life on earth in a casual manner. He always knew what he was about. He cared deeply for his God and his Church, for his wife Helga and their infant son Martin, and for his work at the New York City Tribune. With his intravenous unit attached, he edited stories on a laptop computer from his hospital bed. I have been repeatedly moved by the purity and extent of Jeremy's commitment to responsible journalism.

Journalism has been an essential bond between Jeremy and myself; to Jeremy, this bond was a question of honor, diligence and unconditional commitment. What I remember about Jeremy is his unfailing generosity, unselfishness and uncomplaining spirit. As he faded from this life, he was expressing gratitude and apologizing for letting his health interfere with his work.

Jeremy loved to travel. But when he served as the New York City Tribune correspondent in Germany, he was more than a journalist with a job and a salary. He became a patriot of that nation. This man with an Irish passport and born in Rhodesia, came to speak German like a native. He sensed the pining of that people for unification and responded through his dispatches. In that sense he was true to the founding spirit for Free Press International, the New York City Tribune and The Washington Times, as conveyed by Reverend Moon.

There is something else significant in this life. Jeremy is a man with no enemies. He won people over. He was the first member from Zimbabwe. His parents were the first to join the Unification Church of Zimbabwe.

Let me tell one final story about him. I remember sitting down with Jeremy in a restaurant in Bonn and telling him he was needed in New York as the editor of the International Desk. Although Jeremy loves America, he was a man of culture and loved to travel. Being posted to the desk, even as editor and living in New York was not necessarily his heart's desire. But he offered absolutely no resistance whatsoever to the idea. In that same spirit, he has sacrificed his life for the Providence of God.

For those of you who know Jeremy, take a moment and reflect: recall him when he was so healthy and energetic. That is the way he will be from now on. One member of our Sunghwa committee had a dream of Jeremy where he greeted her, smiled and said: "I feel so much better. I am completely healed." Believe me his life is just beginning.

We have all benefited and can yet learn from this precious life, and it is in that spirit that I offer these words of respect for Jeremy.

Testimony to Jeremy Gaylord
Richard Barlow
Jeremy's spiritual father

Jeremy was born and grew up in Salisbury, Zimbabwe. In the late 1960s, he spent a year in a U.S. high school on an exchange scholarship, returning home with a lasting love of America.

His keen interests in both photography and international affairs led him into his work at the international desk of the New York City Tribune.

Jeremy was unfailingly courteous, helpful and conscientious; he felt a very strong bond for his spiritual lineage, and was fortunate to have several members of his spiritual family on the team at the Tribune. He also maintained close links with his physical family. His father, Stanley Gaylord, a South African, was a senior manager with Grindlay's Bank in Zimbabwe; his mother, Nita, was a Rhodesian. His parents were instrumental in helping the foundation of the Unification Church in Zimbabwe in 1975. They supported financially and were like parents to the missionaries. Stanley was in fact instrumental in getting the Unification Church officially registered in Zimbabwe.

Jeremy's parents quickly accepted the Divine Principle, and many years later were blessed in marriage by True Parents on April 7, 1989. At the time, Stanley was an invalid and not able to travel as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage. Though unable to speak, when asked by his wife he confirmed his desire to receive the blessing with tears in his eyes. Some months after Nita's return to South Africa after receiving the Blessing, Stanley passed into the Spirit World on February 2, 1990. Nita Gaylord herself passed away earlier in this month of September 1990.

Jeremy was a bright, loving and sociable man; I could not ask for a spiritual son who could make me more proud of him.