The milk of human kindness

On stage he rocks, shocks, mesmerizes and even tortures his audiences with his acts. He is known as the original shock rocker. It was also he who brought theatrics to the world of rock and roll. He is Alice Cooper, the rock demigod who brought showbiz into rock and roll.

Famed artist Salvador Dali described an Alice Cooper show (after watching one performance) as "surreal." Dali also made a hologram of Alice Cooper which is on display at the Dali Museum in Florida.

Alice Cooper is one for the books. He is wild. He had his name legally changed from Vincent Damon Furnier to Alice Cooper, the name of his band. During performances, he would shock his audience with his costumes, gruesome makeup and faux blood on his face.

But all these were part of the show. For Alice Cooper, he always wanted his audience to feel that they’ve been to the greatest party in the world. And the highlight of his shows was the faking of his "death" by a magician who would act as the executioner.

Alice Cooper has been copied by several acts including the gothic Marlyn Manson and Kiss. But always, they paled in comparison to the original. As an artist, Alice Cooper has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. He has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Alice Cooper has other passions, too. He is a restaurateur and he owns Alice Coopertown, a restaurant which has a sports-themed menu. He is also into golf and he has hosted his own charity golf, The Alice Cooper Celebrity Golf Tournaments. Alice Cooper is also a good Christian. He has set his sights on helping children stay away from drugs through his Solid Rock Foundation.

Alice Cooper is but one of the many good guys in showbiz and outside of showbiz. Another one of these many nice guys despite his unpleasant public reputation is Larry Hillblom, the H in the worldwide courier, DHL. Hillblom, before his death stayed in one of the many apartment buildings along Roxas Blvd. It was said that he had a penchant for young girls. And in fact after his death (his plane crashed in the Pacific and was never found), women allegedly lined at his door to claim inheritance rights for their children. Of the several women who filed paternity suits for their children, four were determined to be real offspring of Hillblom. Hillblom left hundreds of millions for his heirs.

Hillblom also left part of his money to the University of California. The Hillblom fund will be used in medical, scientific and clinical research, education, literary and charitable purposes.

There are a thousand and one people who have lent time, money and effort to philanthropic causes. Some of them are content to be nameless, others are recognized. Whichever way, they are people who help people.

There is a call for all Ateneans to help the Ateneo Annual Fund (AAF). The AAF aims to raise at least 10 million for three major needs: tuition assistance for students who cannot pay for their complete tuition; support for varsity teams, other than men’s basketball who are struggling to excel and subsidies for student retreats and recollections during this time of confusion.

The Ateneo has always been generous in helping people who are in need. The AAF is Ateneans helping Ateneans.

Ateneo teachers like Onofre Pagsanghan, Dr. Leo Garcia and Dr. Achoot Cuyegkeng were beneficiaries of the kindness of friends and benefactors. Mr. Pagsi who was a poor boy from Oroquieta attended Ateneo because of his mother’s persistence and the kindness of their parish priest and other benefactors.

Dr. Leo Garcia lived in a room above the garage of the Jesuit residence and worked in the telephone operator’s booth on Sundays and holidays in exchange for his education. He was also given a dorm scholarship by Fr. Donelan.

For more information on the Ateneo Annual Fund, please call 426-6001 local 4077 or 4093 or e-mail [email protected]