Late IE President Remembered

By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.

                          The late  Mr. Ben Turtur Donnie

  The President of the Promoters of Liberian Athletes (PROLA), Mr. Joseph H. Farkollie has paid tribute to a former President of the Invincible Eleven (IE) Majestic Sports Association, Mr. Ben Turtur Donnie.

  Mr. Donnie died on Friday, March 27, 2009 at 8:00 PM at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital following a brief illness.

  In this tribute in remembrance of the deceased, Mr. Farkollie described the late Donnie as an astute sportsman and a great fan of IE.

  “I got to know him during our days at the University of Liberia in the 1970s, when we all formed part of the IE Fan Club there. He was in the College of Agriculture and Forestry.

  “This man had no match in terms of the love he had for IE. He used his meager stipends to support players those days.

  “He took his little brother Solomon Donnie from Young Eagles to play for IE. That was his personal contribution to IE. He even paid the guy’s transfer fees on behalf of IE.

  “After the war, Mr. Donnie took over IE as President and the team won the championship for the first time after ten years. The team produced Josiah JB Seton, who later became Most Valuable and Highest Scorer in Liberia.

  “Mr. Donnie can be remembered for the being one of the brains behind the first post-war participation of IE in a CAF competition.

  “Mr. Donnie has left a vacuum that will take a long time for anybody to fill,” stated Mr. Farkollie.

  The body of Mr. Donnie is presently deposited at the Samuel A. Striker Funeral Service pending funeral arrangements.

  Mr. Donnie died a month after taking over as Board Chairman of IE, succeeding Willard A. Russell, another former President of the club.

  The deceased was also the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

  Mr. Donnie was instrumental in putting together the current IE leadership, headed by Madison Tukpah and the Election Commission, chaired by James B. Konuwa.