Louis Chan's reply to Peter Tam's letter of appeal:
Subject: Re: Appeal letter from Peter Tam, Chairman, WYHKPSA
I am deeply moved by the work you have done for Wah Yan. I have mailed
a
checque to The Past Studendent Association to your attention. Please
accept my
humble donation.
Your letter brings back torrents of nostalgia for our alma mater. You
have
touched my heart: I am still grateful to the many Jesuit priests
teaching and
inspiring us, not only in academics but also about morality, life and
the arts.
There was Father MacCarthy, the powerful orator. Father Lawler, who
made
physics interesting. Father MacGaley, who tirelessly made the home
visits. We
were kept on edge in class by Father Daly, with his eccentricities.
Father
Foley took us swimming many times in Nam Wan. I remember Father Ryan,
who gave
us the noon time music sessions to compensate for the lack of music
classes.
His legacy continues, music is my lifelong passion and enjoyment.
It was precisely the appreciation for the values of Jesuit teaching that
I
wanted my two children to attend the Jesuit high school in San
Francisco. The
morality teaching is especially important nowadays. American society
operates
only on law, in reality the law could be twisted for anyone's gain.
Many
parents must have the same view. Competition for admission here is
every bit as
fierce as what we faced in Hong Kong. We are thankful that both of them
made it
to the school.
My daughter Karen graduated from UC Berkeley in the Spring, then she
went to U.
of Cambridge, England, on a UC program to study "World Economy". She is
now
back and working in an accounting firm. She plans to pursue the MBA
route in 2
years. My son Oliver is a sophomore at UC Davis, so he has a few years
to go.
I see Chong Chee Yee and Towie Fong now and then. Otherwise we keep in
touch
mainly by phone. Their children are about the same age as mine, in and
out of
college.
The U.S. is certainly a changed country since 9/11. We look at our
priorities
differently; our families and friends are most important now. There is
a big
chill on ambition and spirit of adventure. For myself, there is an
usually
strong desire just to stay home and be close to the hearth. (We
canceled a trip
to Austria in October, perhaps too chicken to fly.) Hopefully, the
spirit will
revive with the passage of time.
Best regards. See you soon.
Louis Kai-shing
Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2001 08:04:35 -0800
From: Louis Chan
Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peter: