Eulogy for Dr. Florentino H. Hornedo
The passing of Dr. Hornedo is indeed a great loss for all of us. He has left behind enormous amount of unfinished works and people whom he has helped and others who depend on his support, on his encouragement, and on his expertise. His passing has created a huge vacuum in our academic and personal life which is almost impossible to fill in.
I heard of the news of his passing through a text message early morning of Wednesday while in a class. I was shocked and I have to stop and get out of the room to compose myself. This may have been a common reaction of the people who know him and are closed to him to his untimely death.
I will speak of him as his student/advisee and colleague because my relationship with him although also personal is more academic and scholarly. He seldom discusses his personal life with his students other than use his personal experiences as examples in his lectures or class discussions; although I have my own personal encounters with him and some snippets of his personal life. Though he did not have a biological family of his own being married to his profession, he welcomed many young people in his home, treated them like his children or grandchildren and supported their education, becoming a father and a lolo to them.
My relation with Dr. Hornedo started way back in 1988. As a graduate school student of philosophy I attended many of his classes and I was instantly inspired by his style of lecturing and the way he discussed philosophy. He was my adviser in my masteral thesis in 1991 and in my doctoral dissertation in 1995. After earning my Ph.D in philosophy I was invited to teach in the UST Graduate School, and since 1995 we have been colleagues at the UST Graduate School. When I was elected as president of the Philosophical Association of the Philippines (PAP) I regularly invited him to be our speaker in our conferences and seminars.
Dr. Hornedo was a tireless, selfless and dedicated teacher. He taught in several universities and schools - Saint Louis University in Baguio, Ateneo de Manila University, University of Santo Tomas, Philippine Dominican Center for Institutional Studies in Santo Domingo and in the schools of his beloved province of Batanes. These maybe beyond his physical limitation but for more than five decades he did these with utmost dedication. Several years ago he was confined at the UST Hospital and we thought that for a while he would rest and temporarily stop from his teaching as he recovers. But when his students visited him in the hospital he started giving them lecture as if they were in a class. When I visited him during his confinement, he complained about not being able to do what he needs to do, that is, teach and continue with his many research projects. He felt like being in prison and he said he does not what to be there and wanted to get out. I told him to relax, take some time to rest and recover anyway there is plenty of time teach and do his works. That is how dedicated he is to his vocation as a teacher, sacrificing personal convenience for his students.
His lectures and discussions are clear and get not only to the mind but also to the hearts of his students. He teaches many disciplines - philosophy, history, literature, anthropology, culture, and in his lectures he is able to integrate these disciplines into one coherent topic. Concepts or ideas that are difficult to understand are clearly explained and applied to personal and practical life. At the end of a three-hour lecture you are filled with many ideas and information ranging from philosophy to history to literature to anthropology, covering several disciplines. He would start from different perspectives, discuss about different ideas and at the end integrates these into one coherent lecture giving his students a wider and much better view of the whole thing. Sometimes to the dismay of some his students he conducts lecture beyond the class hours. It is a common anecdote in UST Graduate School how he goes beyond 9 p.m. in his classes. Sometimes lights were already out and he was still discussing; the guard had to remind him that it is way past 9 p.m. When students tell him that the lights are out already, he says, you do not need light to listen me.
His students would agree that Dr. Hornedo is a very strict and demanding teacher. He requires his students to submit and finish their papers on time, to read the handouts he generously shares to his students and to make their reports coherent. Unprepared students would definitely hear an earful and get the bitter taste of his temper. I had the experience of being scolded by him over the phone for an hour, weeks before my dissertation defense. I must have said something wrong and insisted on something that he thought would not be good for my dissertation. His words shocked me and to this day I remember them. He said: “If you will not follow my instructions you better look for another adviser because I do not want to be part of a dissertation that will just gather dusts in the bookshelf.” For almost half an hour he lectured on me over the phone. That dissertation is the basis of my book on the philosophical thought of Karol Wojtyla (St. John Paul II). He reads closely the papers of his students and one would often find his paper with doc Hornedo’s many comments written with red ink; the paper appears like a Valentines card. He does not spare anybody; he would often scold his students for being lazy, for not being responsible and being remiss of their duties. He does not give anybody special treatment particularly those who are not diligent. While he was supportive of hardworking students he was hard on the lazy ones.
Because he was a very busy person, it is difficult for his advisees to find and track him and do consultation with him. One day he is Manila either in UST or Ateneo then he travels to Batanes and stays in Batanes for several days, goes back to Manila and then after several weeks he is in Bicol or other parts of the country doing all sorts of research and field works and conducting classes or lectures or speaking in a conference. Then he goes out of the country doing also what he does here. One time, while we were talking about my dissertation defense another advisees approached him and ask him for his schedule and how he can find him. He pointed to me and said, you ask him.
Dr. Hornedo is a passionate scholar. His writings and publications cover many disciplines from philosophy to history, literature and language to culture, anthropology to heritage preservation. He is disciplined and an erudite scholar very particular of details and substance. He gathers his own data, does his fieldworks, spends hours in the library and archives. He is generous and supportive of his students sharing with them his expertise and passion for research, often inviting them to join him in his fieldworks.
His passing certainly left tears in our eyes but he has left us with lessons in our hearts and minds. His is a beautiful and meaningful life because it was lived for others.
Sir, thank you for the many lessons you have taught us, thank you for your inspiration and for the encouragement. You may have gone ahead but your memories will remain in our hearts for a very long time. We, your students will always be guided by the lessons and knowledge you have taught us.
Farewell to you my beloved mentor, my esteemed colleague, my dear friend and my intellectual father.
I admire you Sir for the kind of life you have live; your dedication for teaching and passion for research are inspirations to me. I am honored and grateful to have met in my life such a beautiful mind, a gentle soul and such a truly great person.
Farewell Sir, may the Good Lord welcome you in His Kingdom. You have lived your life well; truly you have a special place in our Creator’s Kingdom.
Goodbye Sir, 'till we meet again.
