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April 20, 2001 | |
Dear Friends and former MEHS classmates and schoolmates, I am writing to share with you my recent visits to Yangon, and to make an appeal to you on behalf of our former teachers who played a special role during our formative years. During my last two trips to Myanmar I searched for some of my teachers who made a difference in my life. I found Saya U Than Tin, our General Science Teacher, Sayama Daw Than May, our Math Teacher, Sayama Daw Khin Nu Shwe, our Burmese Teacher. Ye Chit Pe, George Min Gaung, Rosaline Wun, and Clement Tin Htut were kind enough to help me track down these teachers. Attached are the photographs of Saya U Than Tin (Attachment 1), Sayama Daw Than May ( Attachment 2) and Sayama Daw Khin Nu Shwe (Attachment 3). I also located Mrs. Hein Tin, our Geography Teacher. I was able to pay my respects in person to Saya U Than Tin, Sayama Daw Than May and Sayama Daw Khin Nu Shwe. Unfortunately, Mrs. Hein Tin was not in very good health, and I was only able to give my respects to them through Melvyn Hein Tin. Around October of last year, Allen Khoo came to San Francisco for a visit and gave me the sad news that Saya U Than Tin had passed away. A week later, I received a letter Saya U Than Tin had written to me a week before his death. It seemed surreal to me to learn of his death first and then to read his letter afterwards. I felt that he was bidding me a final farewell. I am attaching his last letter (Attachment 4). A few weeks later, I was saddened to get the news that Sayama Daw Than May had also passed away. Our teachers are getting older, and there are fewer and fewer of them left each and every year. Many of them are in need of help. Many of them had given the best part of their lives to teaching. In their old age, they cannot make a good living. It is especially very difficult for those that do not have any children or younger relatives to take care of them. I returned to Yangon this past January. I met Maung Ba Win in Yangon, and I took him to see Sayama Daw Khin Nu Shwe. I was again only able to pay my respects to Mrs. Hein Tin through Melvyn Hein Tin because of her poor health. Last year, during our mini reunion of the GCE class of 1964 in Los Angeles, Mya Tun brought a photo of our Cub and Boy Scout troops to share. He was kind enough to send me a copy of this photo (Attachment 5). It brought back many fond memories since I was the Cup Scouts troop leader when I was ten years old. I took a copy of this photograph with me this year on my trip back to Yangon in January. I used the photograph to try to locate three of my Cub Scouts teachers who made a big difference in my life, more that they ever realized. I had no address other than a faint memory of where one of my Cub Scouts teachers, Daw Aye Aye Soe, lived. When I arrived at that location I could not find any trace of the building because the whole area had been rebuilt with new buildings. With a lot of luck, persistence, and God's help, I was able to locate all three of them (Attachment 6 and 7). I met Daw Aye Aye Soe, Daw Mya U, and Daw Han Han after forty-five years. Two of them, Daw Aye Aye Soe and Daw Mya U, are spending most of their time as a nun and are devoting their lives to religion. Needless to say, I was overjoyed to see all of them. I thank God for giving me this chance to pay my respects to them in person. Daw Aye Aye Soe came to see me a few days later. She told me that she was so touched that one of her students remembered her that she could not sleep for a few days. I myself was overwhelmed with emotion to be able to see them again after so many years. Thanks to Mya Tun for sharing the old group photo taken in 1956. During my visit, we had a small reunion dinner with some former MEHS students. About seventy people, including some who now live abroad, attended the dinner. Among them were Carol and Patricia Cliff, Glen Ba Thein and Marilyn Smith, and Glen's sister, Dixie and her husband. I also met Douglas San Lin and Mya Darli. It was nice to see old friends after so many years. It was a wonderful walk down memory lane. I learned that a group of MEHS alumni has formed an association called MEOSA, which is active in several different social activities. U Hlaing Myint San is the president, and Rosaline Wun is the treasurer of MEOSA. They are also helping some of our old teachers. I attended one of their meetings and also met with several of them. They would like to get help from MEHS alumni living abroad, such as yourselves. They have established a committee to assist our old teachers in getting medical care. The Medical Benefit Committee of MEOSA is headed by Professor Thein Tut (Clement). The following is a quote from their letter to me. " SWAYING PALM MEDICAL BENEFITS COMMITTEE, formed to assist the medical expenses of 16 of our old teachers, aged 70 to 92, so that they will receive proper medical care for ailments which require hospitalization. MEOSA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Green Cross Specialist Center, Yangon, to provide medical care to the teachers, on a need basis, for an initial period of one year starting January 2001. The Medical Benefits Committee has been given the responsibility of canvassing donations to pay for the expenses, which ceiling has been set at Ks. 50,000 per annum per person. MEOSA need to generate funds for this activity, because, as you know, old teachers do need the loving care and financial assistance from their old pupils."Our old teachers need our help and I think the medical fund for them is an excellent idea. I am enclosing a list of our surviving MEHS teachers (Attachment 8). I believe there are only about sixteen of the older teacher (age between 70 to 92) still living as of last January. As they are very elderly, time is of the essence, if we want to help them we must act now. Donations to the Medical Benefit Fund for the teachers can be sent directly to Rosaline Wun who is the Treasurer of the Medical Benefit Committee. Her address in Yangon is as follows: Daw Htar Cho (Rosaline Wun)I told the Medical Benefit Committee members that for those that do not have a means to send the donation to them directly I am willing to collect your contributions and arrange to transmit it to them. They have given me a receipt book so that each donation to the Medical Fund can be properly acknowledged. I know you will agree that this is a wonderful opportunity for us to say thank-you to our teachers. My address and telephone number are as follows: Benny Y.B. Tan (Tan Yu Beng) With Best Regards. Sincerely,
BENNY Y.B. TAN (TAN YU BENG) |
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