Urgent Request posted 07 July 2008
We would seek the help of the Rhodesian-Zimbabwean Community in helping track someone down.
We have received the following email. A child in California needs a bone marrow transplant within a few days and it seems the only possibility is from his grandfather who at one time was in Rhodesia.
"I am looking for information as to the whereabouts of one James
Alan Smith.
Mr. Smith, born in London UK, accompanied his parents to Rhodesia as
a young man in 1949. Mr. Smith would be in his 76th year now. He was
known to attend the 1986 World's Fair in Vancouver, Canada. His family
resided in an area now known as Chadcombe,(a suburb of Salisbury?),
for about 5 years. His father was a member of a British Trade Commission,
probably involved in the tobacco industry. His parents returned to England
in 1965. He married and stayed in Rhodesia for some time.
It is believed that Mr. Smith attended undergraduate Engineering classes
at the University of Zimbabwe. However my several queries to the Administration
Office of the University of Zimbabwe have gone unanswered. He may have
been enrolled in another College or University in or around Salisbury.
Were there any other Colleges in Rhodesia in the early 1950s? He may
have belonged to a Fraternity or given his education credentials on
a license or job application. Excepting his parents, now deceased, Mr.
Smith had no relatives in Africa. He does, however, have a grandchild
in California who desperately needs a bone marrow transplant. Mr. Smith
is the closest living kin and the Doctors say the best chance for lifesaving
"match".
If anyone has any information, however small, about Mr. Smith, the Schools or businesses with which he was connected, that information would be most helpful. Of course, time is very much of the essence!
Thank you
John A. Stevens Esq.
jas-merlin@pacbell.net
Voice: 818-790-4393
Fax: 818-248-3943
Mr. Steven's email address and contact telephone numbers are included. If anyone can help, please contact him direct.
Many thanks
Dave Cushworth
www.memoriesofrhodesia.com
I am your host, Odette, and your guide to researching your ancestors in Zimbabwe.
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