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Dr. Emmanuel
Evans-Anfom was one of us
A desirable essence of citizenship is needed
today.
And we, the alumni of Osu Salem
(Presbyterian Middle Boys Boarding School),
OSOBA, declare that this essence can only be
distilled from the life experiences of a
personality like Dr. Emmanuel Evans-Anfom, whom
we mourn today.
In life, Dr. Evans-Anfom represented boldly the
ideals of our alma mater:
About the love of God, for humanity,
country, character, and nursing the
qualities of honor and the self-discipline that
go together to make the good citizen.
The love and reach for academic excellence were
also Dr. Evans-Anfom's strong pursuits, besides
being a staunch Presbyterian.
And very
few can truthfully say that they came out of an
elementary school more prepared for success than
Dr. Evans-Anfom, the iconic personality and an
alumnus who with every minute of his existence
created more declaratory examples of life of the
Ghanaian as a good citizen of the world.
We loved him while in life.
And we will certainly miss him after
death.
Yes, we will never forget him.
Nor, will we forget the
old Presbyterian values of hard work, the
holistic training in discipline, and
perseverance that forged the sundry acumen that
prepared him for future triumphs - the highly
competitive work ahead and for the appointment
as a doctor with the Gold Coast (Ghana) Medical
Services, starting April 1950.
At Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology (KNUST), “there were doubts about his
administrative skills when he was appointed the
Vice-Chancellor.
Yet he excelled.
It was the Salem character at work,” said
Senior Ebenezer Amatei Akuete, Class of ’51, a
retired diplomat, about Dr. Evans-Anfom, Class
of ‘34.
Until he passed, Dr. Evans-Anfom was our most
senior alumnus - our best.
And all the hallmarks of this once
illustrious school called Osu Salem; established
by the Basel Missionaries in 1843, were
personified in him.
Many of our seniors today arrived at Osu Salem
to find Dr. Evans-Anfom’s academic and character
excellence already established and inscribed on
the Scholarship Board that hung at the assembly
hall of the school.
To note, on first sighting this name on the
board, many were inspired.
And from then on, he became the legendary
figure that urged latter OSOBANS on to success.
His life
throughout was stellar.
In 1996, Edinburg University alumni gave him the
“Alumnus of the Year” award to cap his
outstanding contributions as a humanitarian,
scholar, and scientist.
As his massive reputation grew at every
stage and turn in life, he never seized to be
the alumnus, the big brother, and mentor to
many, while his support for the church also
continued to grow.
And even at the late age of 97, when it came to
the drive to renovate Osu Salem, his leadership
and help were unfaltering and pivotal, showing
energy level and resource inputs that many half
his age couldn’t match or reach.
“His lifetime has spanned the heyday and end of
colonial Gold Coast... and touched the lives of
many people in this country and abroad," wrote
the late Prof. Kwapong, Vice-Chancellor of
University of Ghana, Legon, in the foreword to
the book “To the Thirsty Land,” Dr. Evans-Afom’s
biography.
The late Mr. K. B. Asante, writer, and diplomat,
also wrote, that this “seminal figure in Ghana
and his biography is essential reading for those
who want to understand how colonial Gold Coast
turned into modern Ghana."
Those who have or cared to read “To the Thirsty
Land” will know the above statements as truths.
But they would still feel cheated if they
never met the man. We knew him as an
OSOBAN and are proud to let the world know that
even in death Dr. Evans-Anfom still stands as a
towering example of the historical good citizen
and a spirit that Osu Salem produced.
For us, President Roosevelt, the 26th
president of the United States had unknowingly
described our Dr. Evans-Afom, when he held that
the good citizen, “in
doing his work shall show, not only the capacity
for sturdy self-help, but also self-respecting
regard for the rights of others."
May the ancestors keep Dr. Evans-Anfom in
perfect bliss from now on.
The much-decorated, honored,
distinguished, and acclaimed surgeon and a lover
of music was our brother and a son of OSOBA.
And for all this, we thank the Good Lord.
May Dr. Emmanuel Evans-Anfom’s soul Rest
in Peace.
E. Ablorh-Odjidja, OSOBAN, Class of ‘58
Written
May 12, 2021
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