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Luisa Medel Reyes, LCC Icon, Teacher, Mother, Patriot, Activist, Friend
At 7:30 PM EST, May 14, 2011, Mrs Luisa Medel Howard (Formerly Reyes) passed on to the next life to join her Maker. She truly was an LCC Bacolod icon: teacher, mentor, activist, patriot, parent, wife and mother to many. Her legacy lives on in the many students she has touched and transformed to be effective, confident, responsible citizens of our country and the world; real Christians committed to the highest Christian ideal.
She will be certainly missed. She is survived by her husband Henry Howard, a retired Broadway
actor, devoted life partner her last moments, her daughters, Ricci and Greer.
Please remember her in your prayers. May she find true PEACE in the real Presence of God. She is finally Home. (Eustaquio "Boy" Abay).
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Mrs. Reyes, as most of us knew her, was an inspiration to her many students. We had her for English or Speech, I'm not sure but I know that she caused us to work on our ability to speak clearly, to enunciate, to project our voices, to emote, to use variations in tone and volume, to take on the character of whatever role we were playing. I recall that she could shock us with her sharp comments but she was a teacher that we all wanted to please because we knew she was right, we knew she believed we could do what she wanted us to do, and we knew that she cared for us and wanted us to be as good as we could be.
I have started this page so that LCCians all over the world can pay tribute to a woman who was a teacher, a mother to all of us, an activist, and a patriot all her life. Others, especially the members of her drama class, knew Mrs. Reyes better than I know her. Below are comments lifted from the LCCian Ako Facebook page as of May 20, 2011. For the sake of remembering and to give tribute to a teacher who deserves this tribute, also to condole with Ricci, Greer and Mr. Henry Howard, Mrs. Reyes' husband.
Alfie Gonzales II
Luisa was an institution in La Consolacion College, Bacolod City and a very well respected professor of drama. My first encounter with Luisa was in 1st Year Speech Class. She entered the classroom in her pompadour hairdo. She was really intimidating that I did my best to behave in class!! One day she asked me to report to the Little Theater after class. I was shaking all the while asking myself have I done something wrong? It turned out that I was to audition for ANG PAMAMALAYE. She was a heckler for discipline. You must have to be in character onstage and memorize your lines otherwise... It is not uncommon to hear PROJECT!!! YOU ARE NOT IN CHARACTER!!! CONCENTRATE!!! I got my fair share of these. She spearheaded the Noli Mi Tangere presentation during the Golden Jubilee of LCC and was responsible in bringing the play to Rajah Sulaiman Theater at Fort Santiago. She was also a strong advocate of human rights and one who rallied against the excesses and abuses during the Marcos regime.
One fond memory of her was in college. She was late for English 21 (Public Speaking) and Boy de la Pena naughtily wrote on the board "Are you late again ma'am?" When she came in and saw the writing we were expecting her angry tirade. Instead she proudly praised us for being frank and being brave to speak out our mind. Her attitude further strengthened my admiration and respect for her. We met constantly during homecomings. My last encounter with her was in Sugarland Hotel when she was feted to a Despidida by one of the LCC Class as she was returing to the USA for good. We requested to be present and gave her a boquet of flowers and a farewell message.
A small lady but filled with boundless energy, she inspired her students to stand for their rights by being vocal. Our discipline in life comes from lessons in theater we learned while performing onstage. Luisa you are a part of our success! You were one grLCC eat mentor, a surrogate mother and most of all a friend. You may have gone to the great beyond but your legacy lives on in people whose life you have touched. WE WILL MISS YOU, Luisa!!
Jardie Gasataya Rest in peace Ma'am.
Cecilia Vera Rest in peace Ma'am, you are the best teacher we have during our high days. Thank you so much Ma'am wewill miss u.
Eulamy Lizada
My condolences to the family of Mrs. Luisa Medel Howard. We were horrified to be in your class but you made us eloquent speakers. Thank you.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Maria Milagros Medina-Crouch on -
Mrs. Luisa Medel Reyes was my instructor in College, Speech, Drama Argumentation & Debate. She also directed plays during our time while she was with LCC of which I was a participant. A very compassionate teacher and with a wholesome discipline, Mrs. Reyes had a lot of sense of humor. I learned a lot from her & most of all she inspired me be to be the best of what I was. I watched my first television program at her house. Most of all I can still envision her being around us in the College campus & on stage. Over all Mrs. Reyes was a terrific teacher. My condolences to her family & yes another star in heaven & in one of those stars she is smiling. My prayers for her.
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Permalink Reply by Lanniene S. Capalad on -
Mrs. Reyes as we called her way back in 1957 was our teacher in Speech. Speech has just been added as a subject in the high school curriculum at LCC. We had fun doing plays , reciting speeches like Marc Antony's and Macbeth. We enjoyed doing brief skits. I really enjoyed her class. The last time I saw her was way back in 1980 at the airport. She was going back to the States and I was on my way to Japan for a conference. May she rest in peace.
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Permalink Reply by Eduardo Fuentes (Arch'72) on -
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Permalink Reply by Andrea Lizares Si (HS'73,AB '78) on -
From the "Huling Tertulia" Events page. The names are linked to the facebook profiles of the senders.
In one's life journey, a turning point is spun by a touch, an influence of one special person. It is not surprising, the very same person has profoundly changed so many others.
She exacted perfection, nothing less. In her domain that was the stage, dramatic theatre arts, she honed so many to give their utmost, and often, it did not suffice. On or off stage, her sincere reach for the core of .indelibly etched priceless life lessons, driving them to excel in whatever undertaking they choose to take.
Strength of spirit, daring to test the unknown, thrive in adversity, rise a better person in failure, appreciation for the arts, zest for life, friendship; love of God above all-but a few of her lifetime legacies to many.
I for one, would have remained a withdrawn, shy, clumsy. insecure boy who couldn't express himself, let alone speak in front of people.
"Eustaquio!!!" in her shrill, resounding voice. (Can you hear your name?!)
"Be the character!", "Do not pretend, feel it!", "Keep your head up!", "You can do better than that!","There is always room for the best!", "Aim for the stars, and go for it!", "Live and love every minute, each one counts!", "In the end, It matters only that you have lived your life to the fullest, and served God in the process!"...
That was Luisa Medel (Reyes) Howard.
She was a mother to me. Mentor, confidant, teacher and friend.
She is gone and will be sorely missed. But she lives in all of us!
Boy Abay
Eustaquio O Abay II, MD, FACS
NeurosurgeryPS: I regret not being able to join you, but with you in spirit I am
thank you for everything that you've done. You will always be remembered! Rest in peace Tita LUISA!
I would like to encourage all those whole lives have been blessed because of the gift of Tita Inday's person...whose ways of meeting life's challenges have been made more meaningful and fulfilling through the formation and by the values that were intrinsic in the way she gave life to the title WIFE, MOTHER, TEACHER/MENTOR, DIRECTOR, PATRIOT, FRIEND...whose passion for expanding life's horizons have been guided by her words of encouragement and by her own example...and, whose lives now are dedicated not just for their own benefits but for the betterment of others, the community and the nation...I urge you to reach out to Ms. Lilia Tacardon and the LCC Alumni Association and find out how YOU can lend a hand and make the memorial/tribute YOURS as well for our BELOVED LUISA MEDEL REYES HOWARD. To you, Tita Inday, my deepest love and gratitude for ALL THAT HAS BEEN and ALL THAT IS TO COME, BECAUSE OF YOU. God grant you eternal peace and happiness.
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Permalink Reply by Sophie Lizares-Bodegon (HS Class '71) on -
Mrs. Luisa Medel Reyes
“If I had only one talent, it would be to spot talent,” Mrs. Reyes told me one afternoon when I was sure I was hopeless. We were rehearsing for the one-act play “The Wedding,” using a script that would probably take the two protagonists 30 minutes to deliver. I would speed through it and finish in half the time. The play was about a husband and wife who, although they loved each other, were following tribal custom were separating because they had no child. I hadn’t even had my first dance, had suffered no deep and real loss, but there I was playing the wife. Where I should have been tactile and emotive, I was wooden. Mrs. Reyes took me and Eli Aragon, who played the husband, to the deck of the college building, asked me to close my eyes and walked me to the middle of a circle made up her, Eli and Miss Tacardon. If you want to learn trust games, this was it! Mrs Reyes pushed me from side to side, assuring me that someone would catch me. And of course someone always did. It must have worked because friends tell me that my mom was in tears as she watched the play.
More than acting, directing and other theatre skills, I learned about politics from Mrs Reyes. From her I learned that theatre wasn’t only for entertainment. It could be used to raise social awareness. This was the beginning of social unrest in Negros and LCC, being the school that it is, was right in the midst of it. She directed the Noli Me Tangere, the biggest play I had ever acted in in my entire life. All right, it was a bit part made up of maybe three lines. But it was a part which drove home the message that religion could be reduced to empty formulaic rituals. Under Mrs Reyes’ leadership, we organized a street theatre group that made the rounds of urban poor communities. It was a hilarious yet intense enterprise learning how to do impromptu skits that directly encouraged the audience to talk about social issues.
In theater we learned discipline and how to take criticism, organization and teamwork, risk and creativity. These experiences have formed the base of many enjoyable and meaningful family presentations as well an appreciation for theatre –on stage and back. To this day, I do many of the stretch and warm-up exercises she taught us. We learned in theatre, as well in life, there are no small roles, only small actors.
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Permalink Reply by Andrea Lizares Si (HS'73,AB '78) on
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Dear Mrs. Reyes - For the three years of my high school at LCC, 1966-1969, my parents banned the mere mention of the name--- Mrs. Reyes at home. Because they were sick and tired of hearing me say all the time, "Mrs. Reyes said this; Mrs. Reyes said that." So when you see Daddy there in heaven, (died December 1973) and Mommy (died July 1984), please tell them that I'm OK but more importantly that my own oldest grandson (Connor) recited.. without a single mistake... The Gettysburg Address at his parents church wedding reception.. when he was only 5 years old. And that my youngest grandson, Colin, at only 3 years old can sing (ABC, Twinkle Twinkle, Jingle Bells and a host of others) like the Eveready Bunny Rabbit.
Mrs. Reyes - My grandsons would not have been able to do these things if not for your mentorship of me. What I've learned from you in Speech and Drama has stood me in good stead for the rest of my life. Many a time especially in my never-ending daily struggle here in America, I realized that if not for the discipline you had instilled in me, I would not be where I am today. And so, on behalf of my family, thank you from the bottom of my heart for having been such a good teacher to me. I pray that you are being cloaked in the protection of Christ's love.
Maricar Loyola (Class '70)Dear Mrs. Reyes,
You have been an icon for LCC. I first experienced your direction on-stage when I started acting at 8 years old. Every year, LCC produced plays and stage show extravagancas in the form of theater and you, as the First Lady of Theater, was always at the helm. I watched with awe and admiration all the productions you had directed. I was proud to be one of your students and moreso humbled to be one of the chosen students to be in the Drama Guild that you formed meeting after-school 2-3 days a week for training.
Among the major productions I am proud to be a part of were Scintilla, Igpat Sang Bulawan, Fantastiks, Noli Me Tangere and countless one-act plays. You trained us in every facets of speech, communication and theater acting. I thank you for recognizing and choosing me in my high-school batch as the St. Genesius awardee. That meant so much to me.
Your impact on your students are forever and your legacy, as we carried on the training of not just acting but the training we underwent in observing people when we develop a character. That to me was very valuable in reading people. Empathy, empathy. I always remember you telling us. I will always remember us shaking when we hear you yell with that booming voice in the auditorium or the Little Theater during rehearsals. "Project, project". How can we ever forget that echoing through the halls? Miss Helen Hayes of Bacolod, we will always remember you.
After all these years and LCC, I'm glad I was able to speak with you the first few years I came to America when I asked you to be one of my references in my plan for a masters at UCLA. You were already then Mrs. Howard. It was good to hear your voice. Now, even though we won't hear that voice anymore, you will be forever etched in our hearts and minds.
Love,
Susan Villamor Larson
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Tita,
Go now and be forever with our dear Lord. You were my teacher . . ., not only speech, drama and english, but most importanly, you taught me life. Thank you, You will always be in our hearts and prayers.