SUHS 1970

October 13, 2008

Pictures from Yesteryears

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Margie sent us pictures that transported us all back in time. Talk of nostalgia, reminiscence, memories. These pictures capture all these, and everything else that words could not describe. They are priceless gems, and we thank Margie's diligence, patience and care in making sure that these pictures are safe and well-kept for all of us to look back and enjoy, and for our future generations to also appreciate.

Margie had the extraordinary foresight (aside from sentimental reasons, I guess) to keep these pictures handy for when we need them. To satisfy our longing to relive the past, Margie has delivered the goods.

I think what's eerie with all these is that Margie seems to be our conduit between our past and present. When she wrote our Class Prophecy then, she gave us a glimpse of what the future would ideally be for all of us. She took us to a time travel which we found amusing, something to ponder on and look forward to. Now, she is bringing us back to that cherished past with these treasured collection of pictures.

Now, Margie, what do you see in your crystal ball for all of us in 2010 when we celebrate our 40th year? Or in 2020, when we celebrate our 50th?

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Margie Barraquias Ocariza on February 6, 2009 6:47 PM

In 2010, our 40th year SUHS 1970 anniversary I can forsee the wisdom and priceless beauty that run the gamut of our lives despite the challenges that we face everyday. I always believe in hope, love and faith in the Lord that transcends in each one of us that keep us going through the rigors of life. As the signs of aging emerge, beauty runs deep and we are still beautiful inside. That's what counts. Be happy and thankful to the Lord for our existence. To each and everyone including our beloved departed classmates, long live SUHS 1970 class!!
2020 prophecy for our 50th year still pending...

October 1, 2008

Nep Romero passed away

It saddens me to inform everyone that our dear teacher, Nephtali Romero, passed away on Sept. 28, 2008. As of this writing, his body lies in state at the Udarbe Chapel of SU Church. A memorial service was held on Sept. 29, where another teacher of ours, Dr. Henry Sojor, gave some words of remembrance.

Nep Romero was one of those rare breed of teachers who really took his work seriously. He cared so much for every one of his students, and inculcated in us the notion that P.E. is not just one of those minor subjects (P.E. ra bitaw na), but that it was a very important component of our total development as a person. I guess those of us who, at this age, are now complaining of some medical problems and are guilty of not giving much thought to physical exercise, can now look back to what Mr. Romero had been emphasizing to us. I could still picture him straining to the top of his voice explaining patiently the very basic calisthenics that we could use for our daily exercise. We were a very big class then, and the fact that our classes were held at the open-air Silliman grandstand proved to be a challenge to anyone who was trying to speak and be heard. It did not discourage Nep Romero that we could hardly hear him, or that some of us were just a little bit too playful while the class was going on. I remember one time when the class was uncontrollably boisterous, he said we were going to play a fun game instead -- kayukok! It’s a game we who grew up in Dumaguete played in elementary, and I’m sure all of you must have played it and called it by some other name if you grew up elsewhere.

Our P.E. lessons did not end at his lectures. He very generously welcomed us to his home where he would inculcate in us the importance of playing sports -- tennis, bowling, boxing. He had a set of boxing gloves ready for anyone who wanted to bust each other’s chops, or just to spar a few good rounds to show off one’s machismo. Hey, that was the age when we thought we were invincible, really lots of cojones to go around.

We probably didn’t realize it during our high school days, but Nep Romero was a well-rounded person. You just have to look around his house to know that he had been into several sports himself when he was younger; his trophies, medals, pictures and other memorabilia undeniably tell of his storied younger years. He was a serious tennis player, and I think he was also in the track and field events. He was in the varsity baseball team. He was good at bowling, too. To some of us who toured his living room, he would oblige us by playing the piano -- and he was a very good pianist. He would also give us tips in good grooming, something we found necessary and interesting as we were getting more conscious of our looks and demeanor -- with an eye to impress this pretty classmate here or that beautiful girl there in the other section.

Nep Romero remained a mentor and a friend long beyond our high school years. He had the uncanny ability of remembering all our names several decades later. He could very well remember the names of the girls we liked then, as we were comfortable telling him the girls we secretly admired but which we never got the guts to express -- nakatapad pero wala maka-ingon. He always gave a listening ear, and his warm, playful and sometimes teasing way of talking about our adolescent concerns made him the perfect counselor and go-to person when we needed to express ourselves.

Nep Romero will be missed and will long be remembered. I think everyone will agree that our lives now are immensely better, richer and fuller because we have been influenced by teachers at Silliman like Mr. Romero. We can only thank God for the life of Mr. Romero, and how we have all been blessed to have known him. May his soul find peace and comfort in the everlasting arms of God.

(Tribute by Joel Pal. You are all encouraged to add your comments and tribute by clicking on the Add a new comment button below.)

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Phil del Rosario on October 4, 2008 10:38 AM

Nepthali Romero’s demise saddens me. Not too many perhaps knew that my brother and I together with Kalunsiang Dimalen had lived in his house. He offered us lodging during my third year. We were in his house for a few months when my brother Petruz came on board as it was no longer affordable for both of us to live in high school boys dormitory.

If I not mistaken Petruz and your sister were classmates. As you know , the other siblings in my family all went to Silliman except for my youngest brother Patrick, who is in Vancouver . Terry, my older sister, whom you met in the street of New York, was ahead of us of two years.

Nepthali was a very kind person who was always willing to extend help to everyone. God bless his soul.

Your classmate, Phil

Joel Pal on October 4, 2008 10:41 AM

Phil, I remember that. You and Kalunsiang, and I think Enrico Garcia also at some point lived in Nep Romero's house.

I finally met Edgar Saberon in person last night at the dinner-dance to organize a new alumni chapter in their area in South Jersey. We were both excited to meet again after 38 years! We were seated together in one table, together with our wives. We have pictures, and I will upload them soon in our website. It's really a nice feeling to reconnect with old friends and classmates. We are planning to have a mini-reunion of those classmates who are within driving distance, and hopefully we can talk of expanding it to all of us in North America, in preparation for the big event in 2010 in Dumaguete.

Enrico Garcia on October 5, 2008 1:06 AM

Yes Joel, I was once a boarder in the Imperial's residence where the late Nep Romero used to live as well. That was during my 4th year (1969) and I was there with Kalunsiang and another student named Frank.

I still had vivid recollections of how concerned Mr Romero was that we always had nutritious food in the table and a quiet room for study. He was always there ready to help us if we encounter any problems. Although he was such a kind person, he could actually be quite firm and stern if we broke the house rules.

I pray for the eternal repose of his soul. May the loving arms of our Almighty God reach out for him in afterlife.

Kind regards,

Enrico

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September 27, 2008

Our Class Website

Dear Classmates,

Our class website is now up and running, and we have just crossed the 300-hit threshold. That means there have already been more than 300 visits to our website, and it is creating interest not only among our classmates but also to their families and friends.

As mentioned earlier, this website can be a powerful and useful tool if we all make use of its capabilities. As a website is an evolving thing, we have to revise it many times to cater to the needs of our group. In consultation with some classmates, we have set up pages which we think are relevant. So far, these are our pages and their descriptions:

1. WELCOME. This is the front page of our website, and for lack of a better picture, we just used a stock photo of the Gates of Knowledge along Hibbard Avenue. If anyone has a good photo of the high school, please email it so we can consider putting it on the front page.

2. CLASSMATES. This is a very interesting page. Shown here are our individual pictures THEN and NOW. This is an interactive page; you can upload your own pictures by clicking on the ‘Edit Entry’ icon next to your name. You can also key in your information while you’re on the Edit mode. Your email address, postal address and telephone numbers will not be published; it will only be for the information of the website administrator(s). The information that will appear for public consumption are: your occupation, civil status, number of children, and whatever comments you type in the text box. Your birthday will be published, and it will also automatically appear in the Calendar page.

For the ‘Now’ pictures, we have taken the initiative of cropping the headshots of some of you from the pictures we have on file, and uploaded them. If you find your picture unflattering and you want it taken out, let us know. Or you can also upload or email us a better picture.

For the ‘Then’ pictures, you will notice that there are blanks. These are the classmates who a) did not graduate with us because they moved somewhere else before 1970, or b) did not have their pictures taken during our senior year. We still consider them, though, to be part of Class 1970, so to those concerned, please find time to upload your pictures there.

3. PHOTO ALBUMS. We have uploaded on this page pictures of our different class reunions and other mini-gatherings. You are encouraged to send in pictures. We are also looking for old high school pictures; please scan them and email to us for uploading.

4. LIFE STORIES. We would like to hear your journey from the time we left high school until now. You are encouraged to send in a picture(s) of you and your family to go with it, and we will create a page for you.

5. MESSAGE BOARD is our discussion forum. We can start topics ranging from reunion planning to possible projects our class may want to undertake. You can also start a topic on your nostalgic reminiscences of high school experiences, unforgettable classmates, favorite teachers, etc. Everybody else can add their comments to any topic. You will need to log in to post your messages to this page; the same User Name and Password that you use in the ‘Then and Now’ page. We will provide your secure password if you ask for it, to deter possible hackers.

6. CALENDAR will show our planned activities and reunions. It will also post our birthdays, taken automatically from your entry in the ‘Then and Now’ page.

7 & 8. GUEST BOOK and CONTACT US. The public, as well as our classmates, their families and friends, can post their comments here, but they will need the approval of the administrator(s) to be published on our website.

9. CLASS BLOG may be used to publish reflective thoughts or contemplations we want to share with our classmates. You may email your entries to this page to our website administrators. Your blog entry could elicit comments from others which makes it a good forum for introspective discussions.

For now, we are using this blog page to put forward announcements on how we can better utilize this website.

10. OUR CLASS YAHOOGROUP (suhs1970@yahoogroups.com) will continue to function as our email group. This will be our means of communicating quickly among our classmates. Our original set up was for one to enroll into this yahoogroup to be a member. But we have revised that policy, so that we can enroll your email addresses without you doing anything more than submitting it to our yahoogroup administrators: Mina Montilla Ladlad (3ml@sbcglobal.net) or Dondon Gonzaga (see his email below).

We welcome any suggestions on how we can improve this website. If you have any questions, we will be glad to answer them as best we could.

Your website administrators:

Joel Pal - JVPal@aol.com

Cris (Dondon) Gonzaga - dgonzaga@sallybeauty.com or dgonzaga219@hotmail.com

Our class website: www.suhs1970.com

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