Today, we received the bad news that Mr. Anthony Ho, former vice-principal of Wah Yan College, Kowloon had passed away after long illnesses. Just almost three weeks ago, we had the last chance to see him in person at the Wah Yan College Alumni Association of Ontario's 35th Anniversary Banquet in Toronto.
He was frail and weak but insisted on attending, knowing that it might be his last chance to see some of his students.
Last month, I had to write a similarly sad reflection on the passing of another great teacher, Father Harold Naylor, S.J. Both of these gentlemen had a lasting impression and influence on me, and I'm pretty sure they have the same impact on other students of my generation at that great Jesuit secondary school in Hong Kong more than 40 years ago.
Both gentlemen were the icons of Wah Yan, which had produced more politicians than any other high school in Hong Kong. Father Naylor would represent the clergy while Anthony would represent the laymen.
Anthony's role was almost like that of the "whip" of a political party if Wah Yan were to be the cradle of up and coming politicians.
Confirmed by my pedagogical studies at the Harvard Derek Bok Center, Anthony's imposing disciplinary authority aligned very well with what was needed for a thousand adolescences, all boys, aged 12-18.
But he had his softer side, such as even as the school's top administrator on the lay side, he honoured an industrial action which called for parity between "certified" and "graduated" masters. He was the scout leader of the 11th Kowloon Group of which I was briefly a patrol member. He went camping with us at the Boy Scout Jamboree.
When I came to Canada to further my studies, like most professionals in Hong Kong of those days who had doubts about the future because the then political uncertainties, Anthony migrated to Toronto. He continued his pedagogy by starting from scratch a private high school, York Herbert on College Street in Toronto.
I sent my youngest sister, who was studying in the U.K., to continue her education at York Herbert when she came to Toronto. Catherine later graduated from the University of Manitoba.
When I finally settled in London, Ontario for an editor's job at the London Free Press, I met Anthony's youngest brother, Joseph and we got to know each other very well.
Joe recruited me into the Chinese Freemasons and mentored me to become the chair of the London chapter.
Mr. Ho will be missed but again his pedagogy will linger on for years to come. May he rest in peace.