Who is Ichabod Crane?
Sun, 8 Feb 1998 11:07:11 +0800

In his "Memories from A to Z", Henry Yu mentioned about a "tall and lanky person known as Ichabod Crane."  That person referred to was a very good friend of mine.  I have long forgotten that he was called "Ichabod Crane" during our time in LCHS, until Henry brought it up again.  "Ichabod Crane" was Wilson Lao (Lao Shi An). If I remember right, he was called that name because of a character in a book by the name of Ichabod Crane that was similar to him - tall and lanky.  I think we all read this story during our high school days.

Wilson was from Mandaue, Cebu.  He studied in LCHS until he graduated from high school. He returned to Cebu and worked as a sales clerk at the Cebu Young Hardware.  He married Carmen and had an adopted son and a daughter of their own.  His wife managed their repacking business. They did well until one night some 5 or 6 years ago, Wilson, his wife and 2 children, aged 11 and 8, were all stabbed to death by 3 of their employees inside their house.  One of the culprits was later captured wearing a class ring belonging to Carmen.  The other two are at large.

Nelson Sy (Batch '62), Cebu, Philippines
mtvland@geocities.com

Time to Plan for Grand Reunion 2000
Sun, 08 Feb 1998 11:38:20 +1100

Is there a definite plan already for the Grand Reunion in July 2000?  By this time, our LCHS alumni association should have a committee already handling this.  They have to consider alumni from far away places overseas who have to plan their visit to Iligan way ahead.  For example, I might plan to spend Christmas in Iligan in 1999.  Instead, because of the Grand Reunion I might as well move it to July 2000. Then comes July 2000, the event is cancelled!

Leonardo "Loloy" Tan (Batch '66), Sydney, Australia
edtan@bigpond.com

Plane Crash Extras
Mon, 02 Feb 1998 09:52:54 -0700

Thanks for the latest news updates on the Spectrum Extra Editions regarding the plane tragedy from Manila to CdeO.  I was worried because CNN reports didn't specify the airline company and gave no detail. Keep up the good work!

Peter Dy (Batch '66), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
pdy@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca

Thanks for Plane Crash News
Wed, 4 Feb 1998 10:03:11 -0700

Thanks for the up-to-date news about the Cebu Pacific Airlines crash.  I also saw that on our local TV news.  But it only mentioned about a Canadian passenger on board.

Mike Lee (Batch '66), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
mnmm@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
 

Dateline Buffalo

By Ernesto L. Yu, M.D., Batch 1965 Ernstyu49@aol.com

The air these days around fortysomething clubs is fortified with brooding half-truths when prickly age-related issues are tossed in intimidating bluntness.  A question about age has more emotional whack than a relentless whine about epidermal blemishes secondary to being a quart low on beautifying hormones.  Due to the gravity of this hysterical denial, such inquiry commands a slightly more cynical spin, a highly safeguarded (and manipulated) reply.  Oftentimes, when a discoloring princess or a wrinkled prune with extra flesh at the waist is pressed about her/his down-to-the-bone earthly years, it is not atypical to be oscillated by a feedback of vaguely garbled-sounding first number, followed by a second numeral mumbled in fractured Russian or Arabic.  What galls me is the misplaced priorities of a breed of forever-young wannabes who would dare to bare their consuming passion just to mask an empirical birth age of fifty with a well-buffed forty four, when emblems of god-awful physical mileage like facial sags and rickety joints easily delineate the baffling white lie.  This really hits a raw nerve; a capricious mockery of grand illusions!

For Pete’s sake, don't be a spoil-sport. Do I have to mop your bald spots to distill the bottom-line of your gritty defiance of extinction?

My diplomacy filter prescribes: Never verbally dissect a mortal who defies conventional wisdom when submerged in a sea of irrational numbers.

Anybody with Mr. Juan Ponce De Leon’s e-mail site?
 

Sentimental Journey

By Henry L. Yu, M.D., Batch 1969

Where's Abraham Edusma?

Remember Abraham Edusma of Batch '67?  Well, he's now a resident of San Clemente, LA, California, U.S.A., where he works as a computer programmer for a swimsuit factory.  He also maintains the company's computer systems.

Alumnus-Doctor Makes Good in Cebu

Another LCHS alumnus who is doing very well in his medical practice is Arthur Y. Dy, M.D. (Batch '74).  Art is now an ENT (ear, nose & throat) specialist in Cebu City.  He obtained his medical diploma from the UP-Diliman, and pursued his field of specialization in the U.S.A.  He is the son of Dy Tiao Un.  He's married to Elizabeth Sy (daughter of Sy Chu An), who is also an LCHS alumna (Batch '74).  Elizabeth is pharmacist of the Cebu Ever Drug, Inc.  They have three children.
 

LCHS alumnus Leonardo "Loloy" Tan is now abroad. He immigrated to Australia with his family.

At the despedida party for him, a lot of friends were present, food and drinks were aplenty.  Yet amongst the drinks and laughter, we couldn't help feel a sense of sadness, never knowing when and where all of us will meet again.

Life is short.  During our short existence, the cycle of life and death is inevitable.  But when someone who is a good friend leaves, deep inside one feels as if something is missing, something that is hard to describe.  And you just feel sad, and it stays there for a long while.

Perhaps when one reaches middle life one somehow becomes more sentimental and more sensitive to the pain of departure and death.  Over the last two years, after my better half passed away, whenever some relatives or friends are leaving or going abroad, I always feel sad for some time. Something mutual binds us to become friends.  So instead of feeling sad whenever one leaves, why not treasure what we have when we are still together?  Don't hurt each other over petty or trivial matters, something that you might regret for the rest of your life.

Although we are supreme among all living things, we can never control life and death.  Sometime when one leaves, it may take ten or more years before we ever meet each other again.  So let us cherish the moment when we are all still together.

Loloy, do you know that everytime we have our meetings, we always remember you?  Who can forget you when at every meeting you were always the emcee?  That's because you are intelligent and full of wholesome humor.  Everybody feels at ease and happy with you. Sometimes you gave us a good laugh when you singled out someone to crack some jokes on him.  Loloy, we really miss you, we pray for you and your family. May you all be happy and healthy.