No one ever wanted to follow Merrick after he spoke…!
His grasp of the English language was excellent and a joy to hear. He would have done Winston Churchill proud…!
We both had an amateur passion for photography…and would occasionally have outings taking photos around LA of places that made it famous…Beverly Hills, where my wife, Petra, had a skin care spa on Rodeo Drive, which Merrick frequented along with many stars in Hollywood…but none more welcome than Merrick.
We had a number of wonderful PIMMS parties at his home…and one time my Croquet partner was Princess Diana who was visiting LA in 1996…which started a close friendship until her untimely death the next year.
There was a time when the four of us…Merrick, Chrystal, my wife and I…were vacationing in Hawai’i at the same time…and we had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant on Waikiki Beach overlooking the ocean…!
We met as members of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council…where he was revered and we immediately became friends…which continued after his LA post as Consult General in LA was completed and he returned to England.
My life was forever enhanced greatly because of the friendship we enjoyed with each other. He was definitely one of a kind…! I miss him greatly…!
Donald G. Lightfoot, MBA, CEBS, IHM, Hospitality Wellness Group, Founder and CEO
Member: AHLA, NHLA, CHLA, HLTA, ILHA, CLIA
United Nations Global Wellness Ambassador
