Page 166 - 聖文德書院（五十周年金禧特刊）

前老師贈言

光陰荏苒，1974年我來到聖文德書院任教，直至 hinted that the Education Department inspectors didn’t have
2010年退休。轉瞬間，退休後亦已超過十個年頭了！ the guts to challenge his prudent school administration by
saying something negative.

猶記得踏進校園第一個印象是校舍非常簇新，原來
當時它只是啟用了半個學年；之前因校舍尚未建成，師 Surreally in 1982, two years before his retirement and
return to the USA, I was appointed by him as the Chairman
生要借用慈雲山德愛中學上課，首年只開辦中一，其後 of the Ad hoc Preparation Committee of the Tenth School
逐年增辦，至中三下學期才遷至現址。 Anniversary Celebration. It took me one year to prepare
and arrange all kinds of celebrative events like the Opening
我來到聖文德時，中四的同學已是全校最高班的 Ceremony, Open Day, and the release of school magazine.
「大哥哥」了，所以他們要擔任領袖生、學生會及各屬 The most unforgettable one was the grand banquet at a
deluxe restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui. He was very happy to see
會的幹事，及早培養出領導才能。由於是新校，老師們 the dining hall full of alumni, church ministers and teachers on
都很年青，充滿教學熱誠，同學則大多來自屋邨家庭。 that evening. A special souvenir of his portrait specially made
教師雖然沒有太多經驗，但都能悉心教導，加上同學勤 by a photo studio was granted to him for our appreciation of
奮向學，嚴守紀律，他們在公開試都能取得令人鼓舞的 his arduous dedication to the school which built up the golden
成績，給學校帶來良好的開始！ age of its reputation. That evening, he might have drunk too
much and then forgotten to bring it back home. On a later
day, I was called up by the restaurant manager to pick it up.
五十年來，校方積極改善學習環境及增添教學設
施，並培育出許多優秀學生，在各界綻放光芒，為社會 After a serious traffic accident, he was taken care of in a
作出貢獻。 rehabilitation center in the State of Wisconsin in the USA,
after having left Hong Kong for many years. The center was
欣逢金禧校慶，衷心祝願師生繼續努力，迎接另一 close to the home of my sister-in-law in Milwaukee. It was
個五十年的纍纍結實！ about a 45-minute drive to visit him. For more than three
decades I had missed him.

前副校長黃耀榮老師 Before my visit on a day in May 2016, I didn’t notify him on
purpose in order to give him a big surprise during his lunch
time. I was told by an alumnus who visited him before that
he liked to have his favorite dish of ginger and onion mixed
在聖文德書院二十七年(1/9/1973-31/8/2000)的教學
生涯，確是ㄧ段美好的回憶！祝願聖文德書院校譽日隆， chicken which he used to enjoy while he was in Hong Kong.
I told this to my sister-in-law and my wife. They kindly made
繼續本著方濟精神辦學，無私育人！ it and also prepared a bowl of fried rice with BBQ pork, egg
and shrimp. We were prepared to bring it on our visit to share
羅澤民老師 during his lunch.

One day before we were set to visit, I called the staff of the
Fr. Howard became known to me in August 1973, after my center to enquire his room number. The answer was, ‘he was
graduation from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. On gone’. I was absolutely shaken to ask what she meant. She
a wonderful day he interviewed me only once, then invited replied, ‘He went to Heaven two weeks ago.’
me to sign the contract promptly. After my deal, he shook my
hand abruptly and said his congratulations to me with a smile. Oh my God, he didn’t let me see him after a thirty-year hiatus
Then I found my right hand was tingling a little bit uneasily. except having occasional emails between us. I was very sad.
I rushed home to massage it with the Chinese herbal oil for
relief. Fr. Howard was a chaplain in the US army during the Second
World War. His life was the cryptic one before he took up
I had much pleasure to take up a post as a novice teacher the St. Bonaventure and High School. I once asked him why
starting my profession at St. Bonaventure College and he added the ‘High School’, making it different from others
High School. Until 2010, my retirement year, I found myself in Hong Kong. He told me that his school would outstrip the
indebted to Fr. Howard, for he had brought me up and reared other schools by reaching the university level in Hong Kong.
my family along the course of my teaching career at his All graduates would be the potential professionals and all
school. teachers like the professors.

In my impression, he was tough with a hardman persona. This is the short history in my fond memories of the
One day he disclosed to me that Mr. Canning, the Director Franciscan Fr. Howard, an educational giant who has been
of the Education Department at that time, was his crony. He living in my heart forever.
164 50 周年金禧校慶 Mr. To Chit Man