by Beryl Best-Brewer (28, November 1978)
We met on a fresh morn in ’68
Now was your birth, great were your hopes
Under your guidance, under your pen
We drew up the nucleus of Refinery Men.
From infancy through adolescence we trailed
Trials and errors, and successes, too
Undaunted, we moved with hearts full of zeal.
At last on the threshold of victory we came
When shadows of gloom beclouded our trail
Outside influences we could not control
Upset our projections, cut deep in our budget.
Frantically we sought to correct this mishap
Employing business strategies we knew worked so well
To the end we found we were deeply entangled
In political webs of greed and corruption.
O, LRC, though your life span was brief
We enjoyed your shelter, your promise, your love
To some you brought dignity, to some you brought wealth
Others found faith in themselves and their worth
You kindled a fire of hope in us all
Maybe this was the real cause of your downfall.
Albite, LRC, we will strive to live on -
Fare-thee-well, LRC - LRC, fare-thee-well.
LRC (the Liberia Refining Company) was a petroleum refining joint-venture owned by Sun Oil Company, Dyne Electron, and individual Liberian citizens. Commissioned in 1987, the refinery was sold to the government of Liberia in 1978.
