Vale, Sir Ralph

In July this year, upon learning that he had been diagnosed with cancer, I wrote about my high school English teacher, Ralph Cecilio. I was a little distraught, the way people often are when those they know to have such vitality face death. As testaments on Facebook demonstrate, he was a wonderful teacher, much-loved by many. Absolutely one of Cagayan de Oro's greats, and they are rare.

Ralph had a brief remission after treatment. He passed away early this morning.

I am deeply sad, but the sadness is not as sharp as it was months ago. It seems to be cancer's dark gift, giving people time to reconcile themselves with impending loss. The grief is also tempered by a very strong sense of legacy. When news spread of Ralph's illness, students from way back 1993 (when he started at our school) to this year, honoured his teaching, honoured the man. He lives on each time one of us drops lines from Keats or Donne. I echo the sentiments of others when I say it was a privilege to have been taught by him, although we can only attempt to qualify why we feel this way.

There was something in his passion for English and what classical literature offered to us. How he always treated us as if we were more capable than we realised. He didn't suffer fools gladly, although he liked to play the fool himself. His reputation for awful puns and lame jokes was the only chink in his imposing armor. But also, he was extremely generous. He had as much of a fondness for the disengaged troublemakers as he did for the bright ones.

I've always had in Ralph a model for teaching. I still have a lot to learn, but I hope that I honour his legacy and be remembered with as much love by my students as he is.

(Photo from Facebook page run by his children)