Author Harold A. Fonrose’s story, as presented here in his memoir, evolves as a historical perspective of a young male arriving in a humble environment of Caribbean culture in Trinidad, British West Indies along with his sister after the death of their mother. There, under the guidance of his paternal grandmother, ambitions and musings began as he was exposed to the characteristics of determination, discipline, and sustained diligence. These attributes became embedded and forged his decision to enter the structured profession of medicine, to which he later made major contributions in the realm of geriatric thinking.

Fonrose is firmly convinced that these similar, average characteristics are available to each and every subset of people and culture. This journey is not about the individual; it is about the memories.

With regard to the title of the book, there is no attempt to be either dismissive or derisive. But he has a certain degree of contempt for people who genuflect at the altar of money, thereby assuming a posture of kneeling and worship with their eyes fixed to the ground, missing or intentionally avoiding the positive vision of a distant horizon.

That general statement is embedded in the title It’s Only Money ... Memory is the True Value.

The events which led to a ten-year stay in Trinidad began with the untimely death of my mother in 1932. Two young children, ages seven and five, were left with the need for continued care and supervision. A young father and bereaved husband was left facing an unwelcome chore. The solution of sending us to my paternal grandmother seemed attractive, thus the decision for transfer to Trinidad.