Last night, the courageous heart of our good friend, client, and business partner, Ambrose Thomas, owner of Gentle Bloke & co-founder of Carli Trading Group, gave out.
Only 26, Ambrose had survived Sierra Leone's civil war and much more. He overcame Hodgkins Lymphoma, then created a line of skin products to help other cancer patients. He and two business partners founded Carli Trading Group to shape a brighter future for his former homeland, Sierra Leone.
By some yardsticks, Ambrose had a short life, but he lived it with intensity, generosity and productivity. A portion of Gentle Bloke's proceeds were donated to Operation Homefront, an organisation which had made it possible for his brother Joseph, serving overseas in the U.S. military, to come back to the states for a bone marrow transfusion critical to Ambrose's recovery. A graduate of Texas A & M's Masters in Public Health program, Ambrose had been invited to the White House, and had recently learned he was accepted to Harvard to do his Ph.D. in Public Health.
Ambrose's brilliance and drive could occasionally swamp your boat. His joie d'vivre, his wide-open smile, and his buoyant can-do attitude persuaded both competitors and colleagues. His mountain-top leaps from one idea to another meant you dare not doze off or let your mind wander. But, if you challenged him, he listened. Ambrose was the embodiment of Gitanajava Productions' company catchphrase, Get Javanated! -- he lived boldly and joyfully. The occasional frustration or disappointment, in his hands, was transformed into finding a jet-fueled solution.
We are better for having known you, Ambrose. Your dazzling energy, your smile, your intensity, and your courage will live on in our hearts and minds. We will work to fulfill your vision.
