Maxwell Jing (Emeritus Minister Plenipotentiary ‘Hors Echelle’) of The Woodlands, Texas passed away April 20, 2020 at the age of 64. His Excellency, Maxwell Jing, was born in Bamenda Up-Station on the 6th of February 1956 of Mama Hannah Ngwisah George of blessed memory.
He commenced his Primary School education in Kumba and finished in Bamenda Station. He was admitted to the prestigious Sacred Heart College, Mankon from 1968 to 1973 where he obtained the London G.C.E. Ordinary Level brilliantly and then proceeded to C.C.A.S.T. Bambili where he attended High School from 1973 to 1975 and also brilliantly obtained the G.C.E. Advanced Level in the Sciences.
In his quest for personal development, he enrolled into the then only University in Cameroon, the University of Yaoundé, initially to study Maths-Physics but for some reason developed an urge to move in a different direction. This was concretized when he decided to switch to the Public Law Department of the same university in September 1976. Without a shadow of doubt this switch was to become the foundation of his career in international relations and the highly regarded world of Diplomacy.
During his student days at the university, the young scholar demonstrated admirable skills in many areas and as an example, whilst studying Public Law, his brilliance and flexibility earned him a part time job as chef de bureau in the Ministry of Public Service. He was able to juggle work and studies successfully and at the end, he obtained a B.A. in Public Law in 1981. Thereafter, he was admitted into the International Relations Institute of Cameroon ((IRIC). These were the heydays of IRIC as students were mentored by iconic Professors and in their final years were given the opportunity to tour Cameroon’s diplomatic missions across the globe. At the end of his studies at IRIC, he obtained a Masters Degree in International Relations in 1983 with the distinction of ranking overall 2nd in his class. It is worth noting that at the time, the conventional practice was that the top two (2) best graduating students were selected to work with the United Nations, but unfortunately this never concretized with his graduating batch.
Upon graduation a whole new world was opened to young Maxwell Jing. The IRIC graduate and career diplomat was immediately employed in the Ministry of External Relations Yaoundé as from 1983 in different capacities:
- 1983-1985, Studies Service Yaoundé
- 1985-1989, Chief of Service of Order (chef de service d’ordre).
As a young career diplomat he applied himself to his work and despite rave reviews from his bosses he did not rest on his laurels in a quest for further knowledge. In this regard he engaged in continuing advanced Diplomatic training and studies. Amongst the many courses he took at the time included a course on Operations Cross-roads Africa, U.S. Foreign Policy at the State Department in Washington D.C. In addition, he completed another course on “International Investments in Negotiations” in Mombassa, Kenya in 1984.In Furthermore in 1987, he took a series of advanced training course for Diplomats in Berlin, Bonn and Brussels.
In recognition of his stellar performances, Maxwell was given his first foreign assignment to the newly created Cameroonian diplomatic mission in Tel Aviv, Israel. In fact, it could rightly be said that he effectively opened the Cameroon Embassy in Israel as his presence in that new post preceded the official appointment of a full ambassador by the President of the Republic. He served with distinction in that mission for over seventeen (17) years as a very senior Diplomat holding successively two key positions:
- Firstly, as from 1989-1994, as First Secretary Embassy of Cameroon, Tel-Aviv – 1989 - 1994
- Secondly, 1997-2006, as Councilor II, in the same Embassy of Cameroon, Tel-Aviv, Israel – 1997 - 2006
One of the key highlights of his stay in Israel was that during that period he got married on August 30th 1996 to his love, the young, beautiful Dr Eunice Fondufe Jing, PhD. Many friends and family members who visited the Holy Land remember them as gracious hosts during their time there.
In 2006, Max was elevated to Minister Plenipotentiary (Hors Echelle), meaning “Super Scale Diplomat” and was delighted to be called back to serve his nation back home in Cameroon. He was appointed Head of DIPLOMATIC PROTOCOL and CONSULAR Branch Office of MINREX, Douala. This was an extraordinary opportunity after about 17 years abroad to reconnect with his family, in-laws, friends, and colleagues back home in Douala and Cameroon generally. He graciously excelled in this office until his retirement in 2014. Many remember Maxwell Jing for the grace, elegance, and attention to detail he demonstrated during his stay in that position.
After serving his nation with distinction he went on a well- deserved retirement in 2014. At this point in his life he considered a series of options and overtures but at the end of the day decided to relocate to Dallas-Texas in the United States of America. In Texas, the retired Diplomat did not stay idle. He opted to put to good use his God-given gifts in IT by enrolling in a series of intensive training courses and obtained a series of certifications in Digital Innovations and Cyber security.
These qualifications opened an entirely new chapter in his life. He was able to land a consultancy position in Dallas for the first two (2) years and then he moved to Woodlands, Houston-Texas, where he continued to excel as a cyber-security consultant until his death on the 20th of April 2020. Even more tragic is that prior to his death, he had finally fully settled down in the profession and was already contemplating setting up a full-fledged, independent cyber security consultancy firm in the United States.
Uncle Max as we fondly called him, was very meticulous, dedicated and a stickler for accuracy and punctuality. Throughout his career he always placed a premium on integrity and honesty. He epitomized the very essence of a diplomat and it is true to say that his nature and character were a perfect match for his beloved profession. He was the Diplomat par excellence.
He was a popular colleague and boss and it is no secret that his colleagues were his second family. He went out of his way to give them a listening ear regardless of their status and it was common sight to see him entertaining his entire office either at home or in upscale restaurants in Douala. The security guards of the Governor’s office in the Littoral Region still testify to his polite, respectful, and outstanding generosity.
He equally kept a very strong professional and friendly relationship with Diplomatic colleagues and during his tenure, the bonds amongst the Consuls and Honorary Consuls based in Douala were greatly reinforced. As a matter of fact, many do attest that he elevated Diplomacy in Douala to extraordinarily higher levels.
Quoting one of the CONSULS in Douala : « Excellence Maxwell Jing was the most exceptional Cameroonian career Diplomat, I had the distinct honor and pleasure of meeting in my years as Honorary Consul of the Republic of Turkey to the Republic of Cameroon, resident in Douala.
The Diplomatic Corps in Douala is still talking about his suave, debonair and prestigious statue to this day. This shows that the true greatness of an office comes from the beholder rather than the other way round. He was a diplomat par excellence!!!.... He undoubtedly brought class and dignity to the office like no other. He took the time to mentor and guide each of us in great detail as to the dos and don’ts in carrying out our duties. Those were the glorious days in our Diplomatic fraternity indeed. We will fondly miss him and his ideals ».
Uncle Max was naturally and effortlessly bilingual and knowledgeable in Hebrew. He was passionate about football and in this regard, he was a die-heart Tonnerre Kalara Club fan and like his beloved junior brother Paul, was a Manchester United member. Max loved playing Basketball, Football, Jogging, Scrabble, Lawn Tennis and was a computer addict and like every true Diplomat, he always had his Phone handy, ready to be in touch or be reached and glued to his mobile TV, keen to be informed.
Amongst many distinctions in his career, Maxwell Jing was a Knight of the Cameroonian National Order of Valor and a member of the International Law Institute, New-York.
Max was a Christian of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon.
Our Dear Father, Husband, Brother, Uncle and Friend, Max was a very quiet, reserved and peaceful Christian and in the same vein, The Almighty, in his infinite wisdom decided to transition him into eternity in a very quiet and peaceful way.
He is survived by his wife, siblings, nieces, nephews and a host of other loving family and friends.
Maxwell was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Rita Jing Atang.
In support of our local, state, and federal govt including CDC directives and to protect the physical health, safety and well-being of our community, only a limited number of 100 guests will be allowed to attend the Funeral Service.
A funeral service will be held at 4:00 p.m., Saturday, August 1, 2020, at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home Chapel, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas, and will also be live streamed on the Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Facebook page and a recorded video will be available following the funeral service on Maxwell’s obituary page.
However, when the maximum number of guests are reached, those who would like to honor Maxwell and show their support to her family may remain at the funeral home in your vehicle, where you can watch the live streamed service on your personal device (laptop, tablet or smartphone) or listen through a designated FM radio channel.
A visitation will be held immediately following the funeral service.
Facebook live stream for service https://www.facebook.com/TurrentineJacksonMorrow/videos/341621240169319/