Accra, July 8, GNA - The death is announced in Accra of Mr Paul Mark Owoo, General Secretary of Akuafo Hall Alumni Association of the University of Ghana, Legon

Mr Owoo, 75, was also the former headmaster of the West African Secondary, Assistant Headmaster of Odorgonno Secondary School, a tutor at Sekondi College.

Funeral arrangements would be announced later.

Mr Paul Mark Owoo gets last standing ovation

By Nana Appau Duah

Accra, July 8, GNA - Wonders will never end in this world. A modest man takes a microphone at a public function and for the first time tells us all about himself and a few days later he is gone. This is the classic case of Mr Paul Mark Owoo, General Secretary of Akuafo Hall Alumni and the former Headmaster of the West African Secondary School.

Mr Owoo, 75, was expected to fly to Nigeria on the eve of Ghana's Republic Day, July 1, as a Chief Examiner in Geography, his passion subject.

He postponed his trip, the patriot that he is to attend Akuafo Hall's meeting on the Republic Day at the Fellows Gardens towards the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Hall. I told him I heard he was travelling to Nigeria on Geography Examination issues. He told me he was asked by colleagues to stop and attend the alumni meeting at the Hall first. So he would make the trip later.

That was not to be. He deserved to pass away in his own country; given the best that he had offered this nation. At the Alumni meeting, every Alumnus was asked to stand up and tell the gathering when he entered the University of Ghana and when he left. When Mr Owoo took the microphone, he spoke longer than everybody there. With hindsight, I now know that he was writing his own tribute, which I am privileged to pass on now to a nation he served so well. Nature has a wonderful way of telling us about the great deeds of people.

He told us that he was in the University of Ghana from 1964 to 1967 and a student of Akuafo Hall.

He was a former General Secretary of the University of Ghana Alumni Association and that he and Professor George Benneh, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, toured the whole country trying to organize the Regional branches of the University of Ghana Alumni Association He taught at Sekondi College, was Assistant headmaster of Odorgonno Secondary School and Headmaster of West Africa Secondary School for many years.

He taught most of our current and retired military officers Current Affairs in Accra. He said he trained world Champions like Azumah Nelson, and D.K Poison and noted that after winning the World Boxing title, Ghana's legend Azumah Nelson in an interview said the person who had had great impact on his life is Mr Paul Mark Owoo. After his speech, everybody at the function clapped and cheered. What an ovation to a hardworking man.

Mr Owoo, an unsung hero, however forgot to tell the gathering about his leadership role in the Geographical Association of Ghana, which is well known to us. He had a passion for Geography. We left the function about 3 p.m. It was Friday. Mr Owoo saw me off at the car park before going back to the Alumni Office. We hoped to meet again soon for a meeting of the Planning Committee of the Akuafo Hall's Golden Jubilee Celebration. But Alas! There is no armour against fate. Early Monday morning, it was announced that Mr Owoo had passed away in the night in his sleep. That is one of the marvels of nature.

Anytime he visited us at the Ghana News Agency (GNA), some of my staff came along to greet him as their former Headmaster. They told me he was A good Geography master and a boxing coach. He made an impact on people and on life, hence the standing ovation he had on Ghana's Republic Day. He served his nation well. May he have a blessed rest. Adieu! 8 July 05