La Salle's Golden Men

The High School Class of ’62 has to be one of the most outstanding ever graduated at De La Salle College on Taft Avenue. It produced four Ten Outstanding Young Men – Bobby de Ocampo for national economic development in 1975, Ramon del Rosario Jr. for investment banking in 1978, Ambassador Joey Cuisia for domestic banking in 1982 and former Batangas Gov. Joey Laurel for government service in 1983. Del Rosario and De Ocampo joined the cabinet as Secretary of Finance. Cuisia became the Central Bank Governor and is now the Philippine Ambassador to the US. De Ocampo, del Rosario, Cuisia and Cosme de Aboitiz received the prestigious Distinguished Lasallian award. Del Rosario, Cuisia and de Ocampo led the Makati Business Club to a position of prominence as an influential opinion-maker and conscience group.

Del Rosario became an affiliate Christian Brother while Toti Villalon was a Lasallian Achievement awardee. Waldo Flores was a senior deputy executive secretary to three Philippine presidents. Max de Mesa heads the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates. Villalon and de Ocampo were bestowed the knighthood rank of “Chevalier” by the French government. Former national football player Florentino (Ponti) Broce was inducted into the La Salle Sports Hall of Fame. Two classmates are professors in US universities – Chiqui Ramirez at Stanford and Wayne Lee at Alabama. Over a dozen companies managed by classmates are involved in corporate social responsibility programs. What’s more, ’62 graduate and real estate developer Arturo (Toto) Acosta said the class has installed over 40 graduates with CEO, COO and Board of Directors credentials in about 350 major companies. “Their sphere of influence covers both local and multinational companies in business, banking and finance, hotel and restaurant, real estate, leisure services, shipping, airlines, catering, the motor vehicle industry, education, energy and travel,” said Acosta. “The classmates carved out admirable futures. They became luminaries in business, finance, culture, the arts and the academe. Many had remarkable post-graduate stints in high centers of learning such as Harvard, Wharton and Cambridge.”

* * *

Starting this week up to March 5, the class will be busy celebrating its Golden Jubilee anniversary which coincides with the climax of La Salle’s own 100-year festivities. Acosta said his classmates were known as the original Br. Benedict boys as they started high school the year of his arrival from the US.

“The class was always looked up to as a group of achievers,” said Acosta. “We graduated with Br. Benedict as our high school principal who played a major role in molding us into Christian gentlemen.” There were 144 graduates in High School Class of ’62. Since then, 31 have passed away. The active roster lists only 107 today.

“Over the past 10 years, class members have been tight with each other, reinforced by the regular reunions – especially the monthly breakfast meeting every first Thursday, now a time-honored tradition,” said Acosta. “This Golden Jubilee celebration will certainly be filled with vivid memories of the 1958-62 high school days when life was much simpler, without the stresses of today. We were known then as La Sallites. Now, we are called Lasallians.”

Acosta said those were the days when high school students wore the gray twill uniform of the Navy, weekly parade drills were a requirement, the City of Manila deputized students as Junior Police managing traffic along Taft Avenue early morning, noontime and at dismissal, quarrels were settled at the “back of the gym” or Capitan Ticong street, the favorite hangout was the Archers Nook owned by the family of a ’62 graduate, the billiard halls on Estrada Street were crowded with students, Spanish and Latin were taught and students served as acolytes and the chaplain celebrated Mass in Latin.

* * *

The two-week Golden Jubilee celebration started with the Invitational Golf Tournament at the Alabang Country Club yesterday. Tomorrow, the class will tour the Bahay Na Bato museum and the De La Salle University campus in Dasmariñas, Cavite. On Saturday, it’s a dinner-dance with a live band Rockin’ Revival at the Wack-Wack Village Clubhouse. Next Tuesday will be the start of a three-day, two-night Palawan holiday packaged by Microtel to include a tour of the Puerto Princesa Underground River, recently declared one of the new seven wonders of nature. On March 2, Perry Uy will host a dinner after the final rehearsal of the class presentation for the annual homecoming. Holy Mass will start off Homecoming Day on March 3 at La Salle Greenhills with six tables reserved for the Golden Jubilarians at the center of the St. Benilde Gym. The farewell dinner-dance will be held at the Manila Polo Club the next day.

As a La Salle graduate myself, I’ve always looked up to the members of the High School Class of ’62 as role models whose resumes will make anyone sit up and take notice anywhere, anytime – the world over. The ’62 graduates were in a class of their own, achievers of the highest quality – De Ocampo, del Rosario, Villalon, Cuisia, Acosta, Larry Gamboa, Perry Uy, Mike Uy, Laurel, Ramirez, Lee, Lino Palenzuela, Louie Campos, Broce, de Mesa, Aboitiz, Lilit Cuisia, Percy Evaristo, Noli Salcedo, Douglas Nazareno, Luismil Gala, Eddie Gonzales, Nonoy Feria, Tony Navarro, Toti Paraiso, Benjie Tiongson, Frank Gotauco, Jackie Arellano, Dong Guinto, Mon Tolentino, Boy Lumba, Rusty Manalang, Carit Realica, Jose Mari Olbes, Jimmy Pabalan and others. We salute the Golden Men of ’62 and cheer them on as loyal Green Archers.