I wrote about the sudden passing of one of the most influential professors I’ve ever had, Sid Gomez Hildawa, a couple of days ago, still reeling from the shock of this terrible news. Today I noticed my blog had more traffic than usual, and the searches for Sid Gomez Hildawa directed some of the googlers to my site. I guess that’s how many people care about him, and I know now that many are saddened by his sudden demise. I then tried to google his name and I was led to many other bloggers’ sites where they, too, wrote about their sadness and sense of loss. Reading their entries and the comments of his students, the people he worked with, etc. made me tear up. I realized I wasn’t the only one feeling that sense of loss. I am not the only one whose life he’s touched. I am not alone in wishing he could’ve stayed a while longer. Many beautiful, touching stories have been written about him, snippets of random acts of kindness and how much he inspired and encouraged. He was undeniably one of those rare, gifted and kind-hearted individuals this world needs so much more of. And this overwhelming confirmation of what I’d remotely suspected before, makes me sad and also happy in some ways. Sad, because his loss is nothing short of a tragedy. And happy because there is a glimmer of hope in me that is wishing that he left knowing how many people’s lives he has touched and blessed with his presence. I pray that his soul has found rest.
Here is a link to his blog: http://www.lihawad.blogspot.com/
Filed under: art, musings and random thoughts, news | Tags: art, death, humanities, professors, sid gomez hildawa, teachers, U.P.
(photo from Inquirer.net)
What is it about artists and tragedy? Why are their paths often intertwined?
I learned about Sid Gomez Hildawa’s passing through a friendster bulletin posted by one of my friends, Cindy. It saddens me to read about his death; he was so young. He was my Humanities professor in U.P., and though I only had him for a sem, he was a very influential teacher and I enjoyed attending his classes immensely. Even then, more than a decade ago, he was larger than life. I did not have a personal relationship with him, but he was a great teacher, and his classes were very enriching and never boring. I remember I would always be excited to attend his class – his, and that of my other Humanities professor, Ricardo de Ungria, who is one of the country’s acclaimed writers.
I never saw or heard about Prof. Hildawa after that semester, but strangely, I feel a deep sense of loss and sadness now, after reading about how he spent his last few days. He could have had many more years to teach and inspire, and to somehow touch other people’s lives by sharing his knowledge and appreciation of art. I hope he died knowing that he made a difference, somehow.
News about his passing from the INQUIRER:
