Teachers | Down the Memory Lane - Lasallians Remembered

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A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P R S T U W Y

Bro. Edmond John Burke

Date of Birth: 21st May 1907 Date of Death: 1958

Categories: Brothers, Deceased, Teachers

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Bro. Anthony Kilbourn

Date of Birth: 24th June 1894 Date of Death: 1961

Categories: Brothers, Deceased, Teachers

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Bro. Anthony Knoll

Date of Birth: 28th October 1916 Years of service in LS: 9 Period of Service: 1956 – 1975 Subjects taught / role: Spiritual Director of a Legion of Mary Prasidium Date of Death: 28th July 1981

Categories: Brothers, Deceased, Teachers

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Brother Anthony Knoll was born in Toronto on 28th October 1916. He received his elementary education at St. Helen’s School in Toronto where he had his first contact with the Christian Brothers. He was deeply influenced by a Brother Clement. Eventually he decided to join the Order. In October 1938, he arrived in Singapore with three other Brothers. He was posted to St. Joseph’s Institution. During the Japanese invasion, he was imprisoned in Changi Prison and later in Sime Road Camp. In prison, he took care of the sick and the old. After liberation, he became the Director of St. Joseph’s Institution, Singapore. In 1953, Brother Anthony became the Director of St. Xavier’s Institution, Penang. In short, he rebuilt these two schools, which were ruined by the war. His hard work cost him ill health and he was advised to take leave. He spent a year of rest and treatment in Canada. In late July 1956, he was posted to La Salle College, Perth Street campus. For the next twenty-five years, he served in Hong Kong, by preference as a simple teacher. He was always concerned about the spiritual development of students and recruited boys for Rosary Crusade. Brother Anthony was a devoted spiritual director of the Legion of Mary in La Salle College. In 1972, Brother Paul Sun, superior-general in exile of the Sacred Heart Brothers in Mainland China, invited Brother Anthony to help out as Vice-principal of St. Joseph’s Anglo-Chinese School. Brother Anthony could not disappoint his dear friend, although it meant that he had to live outside La Salle College. He faced this challenge with full perseverance. In May 1975, he reached a stage of physical and emotional collapse and was brought back to La Salle College. He was later sent to Canada for rest and treatment. He returned to La Salle College and served in the library. Once or twice he collapsed in the library but he always returned with minimum delay. On 28th July 1981, he was up with other Christian Brothers and said the Morning Office (prayer). He placed his host in the communion plate and left the chapel for his room. After breakfast, he was found dead fully dressed in his white robe. ___________________________________________ The following information was obtained from the HK Catholic Archives: http://archives.catholic.org.hk/memory/A-Knoll.htm On Tuesday morning, 28 July 1981, Brother Anthony left the Oratory in La Salle College evidently feeling unwell. Shortly afterwards another member of his community, feeling concerned about him went to his room and found him dead in his bed. Thus suddenly came to a close the life of one beloved both by his confreres and by his pupils. He died at the age of 64. Brother Anthony came from Canada to the mission-fields in 1938. His first appointment as a teacher was to St. Joseph’s College in Singapore. Here he became a very able teacher, very thorough in method and very devoted to his pupils, who liked his kindly ways. Came the Second World War. The Japanese invaded Malaya and advancing southward very soon besieged Singapore. The city fell and Brother Anthony, while sleeping in a corridor, contracted a severe cold. In that condition he was taken away by the enemy for internment in Chanji Gaol on the island. There with a few more Brothers he undertook the task of teaching the imprisoned children as well as attending to the sick. After the capitulation of the Japanese Brother Anthony was repatriated to Canada to recuperate. Then he returned to Singapore and resumed his professional duties this time in St. Anthony’s School close to his former school. Not long after that he was appointed Director of St. Joseph’s Community and school. During his term of office he endeared himself to all, both staff and community, by his refined and kindly ways. His was never the harsh word to utter. From this community he was transferred to St. Xavier’s College in Penang as Director. Here his health began to deteriorate rapidly. Though suffering much he bore his infirmities with heroic, Christian fortitude, never losing his equanimity. Once more he was advised to take a holiday home with the hope of a restoration of health but this was not to be. He returned to the Far East as a member of the La Salle Community in Kowloon. Here he laboured assiduously in the classroom until his retirement in 1977. It has been said of him that he always preferred to teach the backward or retarded pupils and in this he was very successful. After his retirement he assumed the office of School Librarian which office he held until the morning when Divine Providence chose to call him to his eternal reward.

Contributed by:

L.K. Wong 2007-10-19 16:49:07

Description:

Bro Anthony came to LaSalle, Kowloon as master of our Form 2 class and remained with us in Form 3. We knew him to be warm and caring right from the start through a serious accident Chris Wong had early in the school term. He made frequent visits to Chris during the recuperation and though he never mentioned it to us, we felt he was caring for us all. Bro Anthony always came into class well-prepared and gave his lessons slowly and clearly, whatever the subject. He was especially nice to the slower students. I remember one hasty homework I handed in and was afraid he would really get mad, but he looked at it, trying hard to find some merit, and…at last, said softly, “Not famous!” Bro Felix was our Principal at the time and he was a pretty strict master. He had great regard for Bro Anthony and so we in turn were spared some of his sharp remarks. He came in to give out the term reports one day and looking at Wong Cheung Fat’s grades almost blew his top. But he got hold of himself, turned to Bro Anthony, smiled and then threw the Report Card toward Cheung Fat. And the guy picked up the Report, stuck it in his back pocket and sauntered back to his seat. Bro Anthony was a humble gentle spiritual person. He would lead us in morning prayer and then give a short chat on a Christian topic. I was baptised during that period, as were some of my other close friends, among them Wong Hon Fai, who passed away a couple of years ago in Vancouver. The last time I met Bro Anthony was at the Hong kong airport. He had serious eye trouble then and was on his way to Canada for some rest. Since then, he had of course returned to many more years of devoted service to his adoped country and people.

Contributed by:

sk chow (72) 2006-07-05 18:36:43

Description:

The Birth Year is probably incorrect, given that Bro Anthony started his missionary work in 1938. And by golly, we haven’t had a 3rd World War yet. Two was bad enough! (3rd paragraph) Editor postscript (27 July 2006): Thank you, SK Chow, for pointing out the possible mistakes. The text has been updated with available / rechecked information. 29 Nov 2006: The blatant error of “3rd world war” has also been corrected.

Contributed by:

Ng Soon Hong of St. Xavier’s Institution, Peneng 2005-03-23 11:19:33

Description:

Brother Anthony was the Brother Director of St. Xavier’s Institution, Penang at the time when I was privileged to be admitted as a Form 1 student in 1954. The new SXI building which had been under construction for some years was completed and the whole school moved into it from the attap shed classrooms across the street. This was April, 1954. I remember Brother Anthony as a genteel, soft spoken person with fairly thick eye glasses, his hand invariably shaking as he smoked cigarettes to calm his nerves, I was told. This infirmity was the result of the days he spent in the Changi Gaol, Singapore, imprisoned by the Japanese. My memorable experience with him was during the ceremony whence the whole school assembled at the school hall waiting for the mid-term examination results to be announced. I was in Form 1C and my results excelled over all the top boys of the Form 1 classes. Bro. Anthony then turned to Brother Irenus Joseph Yeoh (deceased) on stage and asked why I was put in the C Class with such good results and directed that I be transferred to the “A” Class straightway. It was a priceless moment of encounter with Brother Anthony Knoll.

Bro. Vincent Kozak

Date of Birth: 1909 Usual Classes Taught: 3C Period of Service: 1968 – 1990 Subjects taught / role: English and Religious Studies / Ethics Date of Birth: 15 June 1990

Categories: Brothers, Deceased, Teachers

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Brother Vincent Kozak, FSC, of La Salle College, Kowloon, died on Friday, 15 June 1990, aged 81. He had been suffering pain and discomfort for some time and had been hospitalized several times. On 14 June he fell gravely ill and was admitted to St. Teresa’s Hospital. He died early in the following morning. Brother Vincent was born in what is now Czechoslovakia on 8 June 1909. He joined the De La Salle Brothers on the Feast of the Assumption, 1925. Three years later he went to Burma, where he was to serve in the Brothers’ institutions for almost 39 years, spending long periods in St. Patrick’s High School, Moulmein, and St. Peter’s High School, Mandalay. He was principal of St. Theresa’s School, Rangoon, in 1965, when all the Brothers’ schools were nationalized. He and many other Brothers were forced to leave the country. He came to Hong Kong in 1966 and spent the rest of his life in La Salle College, Kowloon. The salient facts about any great teacher’s achievement are found, not in lists of dates and places, but in the life of the students he helped to form. Thousands of Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, Confucianists, Hindus and others in Burma and Hong Kong and in many lands oversea bear in their careers and their characters the stamp of Brother Vincent’s training. In the homily preached at his Funeral Mass, he was described as preeminently a Boys’ Brother. He gave himself wholly to the service of those he was teaching. Many of them, now middle-aged or elderly, still salute the memory of what he gave them. Brother Vincent retired from teaching in 1973. Among the various activities of his years of retirement, he took the post of Sacristan. His community recall with affection and gratitude the care with which he provided all possible helps to devotion, small and great. In retirement, as in his years of labour, he took delight in community life, enjoying to the full the consolation of his Brothers’ companionship. They will miss him, but they will always rely on the help of his prayers. Information obtained from http://archives.catholic.org.hk/memory/V-Kozak.htm

Contributed by:	Yuen Kar Ngai Robert (71) 2009-01-19 22:01:11
Description:	Brother Vincent was my form-master when I entered LSC in 1966. He is well remembered for his strong affection to his students and his tender loving care to them.

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Mark Huang (85) 2004-06-28 00:31:06

Description:

I fondly remember Brother Vincent for his linking to meet with the students, and also for his liking to pinch the tummies of students. Brother Vincent used to come round our classrooms with the La Salle newsletters booklets, saying “Ca-ta-lick” Boys?, and he would hand out the booklets to the boys who raised their hands. After Bro Michael passed away in 1983, I think his two beloved dogs (thereafter one) always followed Brother Vincent.

Bro. Casimir L’Angelier

Date of Birth: 6th May 1900 Period of Service: 1969 – 1970 Date of Death: 18th December 1975

Categories: Brothers, Deceased, Teachers

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Bro. Dositheus Le Du

Date of Birth: 17th February 1889

Categories: Brothers, Deceased, Teachers

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Fr. James Lea

Date of Birth: 11 July 1933 Subjects taught / role: English, Religious Studies / Ethics Date of Death: 13 July 1993

Categories: Deceased, Teachers

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Biography

Father James Lea, of the Hong Kong diocesan clergy, died at his home in the early morning on Tuesday, 13 July 1993, just two days after celebrating his 60th birthday. Father Lea was born on 11 July 1933, in Dublin, Ireland. In September of 1946, he entered the minor seminary at Longford to begin studies for the priesthood in the archdiocese of Dublin. While a student at Longford, he also enrolled in the faculty of philosophy at University College, Dublin where he eventually obtained his B.A. degree. In October of 1954, he was sent by his archbishop to the Pontifical Urbanian University in Rome for theological studies. While there, he met a Hong Kong seminarian from the Beda College, Francis Hsu, who later became the first Chinese bishop of Hong Kong. This relationship helped spark an interest in Hong Kong and in November of 1957 while still a deacon, he was incardinated into the Hong Kong diocesan clergy. Father Lea was ordained a priest in Rome on 21 December 1957 and after the completion of his studies arrived in Hong Kong on 28 October 1958. The next two years were spent at Sedes Sapientiae House in Cheung Chau where he studied the Cantonese language. For the nest twelve years, Father Lea ministered as associate parish priest in Rosary Parish, Kowloon, the San Po Kong parish and Christ the Worker Parish in Jordan Valley. During this time he also acted as chaplain at La Salle College in Kowloon. In 1970 he began a long ministry as chaplain at the Kai Tak International Airport. At the same time he continued to both teach and act as chaplain at La Salle College and played a major role in the Hong Kong Legion of Mary. During the course of his years of ministry, Father James Lea made many friends who held him in very high regard. He will be deeply missed by all of there as well as by his fellow clergy in Hong Kong. His funeral Mass was held on Friday 16 July at St. Margaret’s Church in Happy Valley. Cardinal Wu was the main celebrant assisted by fifty concelebrating priests and many of his friends. His co-worker at the airport, Father Patrick O’Regan, SVD, paid fitting tribute in his eulogy to Father Lea’s years of service in the diocese. After the Mass, burial took place at the Catholic Cemetery in Happy Valley. *Birth in Ireland: [11 July 1933] *Ordination: [21 December 1957] *Death in Hong Kong: [13 July 1993] *House of Studies, Cheung Chau: [1959] *Rosary Church, Kowloon: Vicar Cooperator [1960], [1961] *La Salle College: Assistant [1962], [1963], [1964], [1965], [1966] *Mother of Good Counsel, San Po Kong: Assistant [1968] *Christ the Worker’s Chapel, Ngau Tau Kok: Assistant [1969] *La Salle College: [1970] – [1977] *Sacred Heart Chapel (R.A.F.Chapel), Kai Tak: [1970] – [1993] Information obtained from http://archives.catholic.org.hk/memory/J-Lea.htm Father Lea’s grave is located in St Michael’s Catholic Cemetery, Happy Valley. The remains have been exhumed and are now placed in the wall behind the Chapel (outside the Chapel).

Contributed by:

Ignatius Wong (1981 F7) 2006-03-13 05:33:15

Description:

Father Lea’s command of the English language was very inspiring. At Form 6 and 7, he was our Ethics teacher. One day he came into the classroom, greeted us and was greeted by us, and then proceeded to write two words on the blackboard: “facetious”, and “abstemious”, and asked us to find the similarities between them. We quickly turned to our dictionaries and all other means possible, but to no avail. At the end of the class, he pointed out the obvious: that the two words contain all the vowels, a-e-i-o-u, and in order. “Now,” said Father, “try this on the DBS boys.” Another time during Ethics class, he spoke softly about an incident that had happened at school, the details of which I can’t remember. But what he did say I remembered for life. “Don’t curse the darkness, but light up a candle.” These words have been my guiding star for many years to come. Thank you Father.

Contributed by:

Tommy Chan (77) 2005-12-30 17:52:22

Description:

Father Lea always like to ask us funny questions during English lesson , eg,”What is LOYAL ?” Of course,no one knew or had the guts to answer his question in English . After moment of silence and all our heads kept down,he would give us the answer with his usual similing face , “LOYAL is LOYAL !” We have learned this simple way or trick of answering from him. Whenever any of us had the guts to use this simple way to answer his funny questions,he always seemed to be contended with his usual smiling face. I miss Father Lea !!

Contributed by:	Victor Cheung (89 AL) 2004-12-25 22:51:16
Description:	It’s rattlingly sad to learn that Father Lea has passed away. He will always be remembered for his sense of humour and pleasant personality. A lot of funny memories are still sticking in my mind and I will certainly treasure them in my life. His jokes and smiling face will always be remembered by all those people who knew him.

Contributed by:

Mark Huang (85) 2004-06-29 23:37:23

Description:

At Form 7, classmates were busy burning the midnight oil for readying themselves for the coming A-levels. Often students would fall asleep at ethics class, resting their head on the desk. Fr Lea never raised his voice (and he was kind of understanding). He would very gently say, “Anyone who would like to read the next passage, please put his head on his desk.” Then at final / mock exams for A levels, most students did not use their precious time to revise for the ethics exams. Many learnt the trick to pass the exam: once the test paper is received, the students would dictate the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be continuously for the duration of the exam. No student every failed that test when writing the exam like that. It’s well known Father Lea’s English was impeccable. Once he saw a student using a dictionary that was, in his views, not of a very good standard. He went to the boy, held up his book and said: “This dictionary is not so good. Maybe you should find a DBS student, and hand it to him and nicely say to him, “送俾你” (soong bei lei) (A gift for you)”. Fr Lea said it in his rarely used Cantonese, and I can still remember the broad cheeky smile on his face, clearly enjoying his own joke as much as we did. May God be as gracious to dear Father Lea’s soul as he was to us! RIP, Father Lea. We miss you.

Contributed by:

David Hsu (1973) 2004-06-29 13:37:12

Description:

Father Lea was our form master of F3A of 71-72. His English vocabulary is astounding and whenever he introduces new vocabularies, we have to raise our hands and ask him to explain the meaning. As those English words are just not in the lexican dictionary there is no way we could get the meaning. He is kindhearted and never did spank any students except asking the student to stand on the chair for first offence and to stand on the table if of more serious offence. Can you visualise standing on the table and Rev Bro Casimir doing the routine walking the corridor exercise. It is the most scarry mind boggling treat.

Contributed by:	Lee Fong 2004-06-28 18:41:18
Description:	I think Father Lea used to teach at a girl’s school before joining LSC. He said girls were very emotional so he preferred to teach boy’s school.

Mr. John Richard Lee

Date of Birth: 1923 Subjects taught / role: English, Religious Studies Date of Death: 21st November 2003

Categories: Deceased, Old Boys, Teachers

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A Requiem Mass for Mr. John Richard Lee, our beloved teacher and loyal old boy, was held on 10th December 2003. JR Lee, as he is usually referred to, passed away on 21st November 2003. The requiem mass was attended by Mr Lee’s family, Brother Thomas, Brother Patrick and over 30 old boys in the School Chapel. A special Memorial Book with 73 messages from old boys all over the world was presented to his family.

Contributed by:	Brian Ho 2014-01-22 10:34:58
Description:	Mr Lee was my formmaster of 5S2 in 1973. Every day, he delivered a nice short story to the class first thing in the morning. Many stories were about life, in addition to augmented English instruction. Mr Lee stressed that, if he did not teach us the proper way, other people in the workplace would laugh behind us instead of correcting us.

Contributed by:	Edwin Kwok 2009-11-16 17:57:55
Description:	“STUDY YOUR SPECIAL BOOK AND YOU WILL GET CREDIT!” I FOLLOWED HIS INSTRUCTION AND I GOT THE CREDIT IN THE EXAMINATION. LEARNING FROM HIS ENTHUSIASTIC WAY OF TEACHING, I GOT MORE CREDITS IN MY LIFE. THANKS FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!

Contributed by:	Matthew WU 2007-06-23 11:18:05
Description:	I echo K Leung’s description on Mr Lee. He has his unique and effective way of teaching English. He bought different items to class and taught us a new word. One stunning example of the items was an axe. The other thing is that, he taught us by our mistakes and asked us to write it down in a “Special book”. My “special books” are still well kept at home. Thanks Mr Lee. Class of 5D 1982.

Contributed by:

K Leung 2005-10-01 15:42:08

Description:

John Richard Lee is the first teacher who really taught me how to make good use of a Dictionary. He always insisted that we should look up a dictionary when in doubt of the meaning, pronunciation or where the stress should rest…thus correcting a lot of our mistakes and most importantly, he taught us to how to learn for ourselves. Thanks again my teacher, I’ll always remember you as an insisting and enlightening teacher. Class of S.4 1978

Mr. Peter Chung Sum Lee

Subjects taught / role: Coach to La Salle Fencing Team Class of Graduation: 1958 Date of Death: 3rd September 2008

Categories: Deceased, Old Boys, Teachers

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Peter Lee (58), second from left

Peter Lee (58), the elder brother of Bruce Lee (60) and Robert Lee (66), passed away of a heart attack on 3rd September 2008 at the age of 69. Peter’s Chinese name was Lee Chung Sum. Peter is arguably one of the all-time greatest fencers of our school. He was the Hong Kong colony champion, and among other competitions, he represented Hong Kong in the Commonwealth Games in Wales, United Kingdom, in 1958. Quoting from the “Sons of La Salle” school history book relating to Peter and his fencing team: – quote – La Salle began fencing in the late 50s, and won the Championship in the first interschool Fencing Competition in March 1958. Peter Lee (58), the elder brother of Bruce Lee, was the Colony Champion-at-Arms, and represented Hong Kong on a number of occasions. Peter was both fencer and coach to the La Salle Fencing Team, which later started a streak of winning the Interschool Fencing Championship from 1968,, amassing eleven victories in the next thirteen years. – unquote – Peter was not only a top athlete, but also a scholar. He worked in the government as an Assistant Director of the then Royal Observatory. He later migrated to Australia. Peter also taught in La Salle College for a time in the 1960s. Peter had two brothers and also two sisters. May Peter’s soul rest in peace. In the fencers photo, Peter is the second student from the right. In the group photo of the staff of the Royal Observatory (1983), Peter is fourth seated person from the right, with a hallmark La Salle student photo pose of crossed arms. (Old Boys, please offer any additional information on Peter, as we currently do not have much more. 8th September 2008) PS: thanks to Clement Chan (87) for pointing out some errors in the information, which have been rectified.

Contributed by:	djuro george madjarevic 2013-09-13 17:42:47
Description:	please,i need more information about peter lee and bruce jun fan lee school days. and more true facts! thanks and heartly greetings from island of krk north dalmatia croatia europe

Contributed by:	Clement Chan (1987) 2008-09-11 00:18:05
Description:	Two more photos of Peter can be found here: http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/news/2004/pre0218c.htm

Contributed by:

Clement Chan (1987) 2008-09-09 10:58:54

Description:

According to the recent interview of his ex-wife, Mary Cheung, Peter was only Assistant Director but not the “Head” of the Royal Observatory. Another proof is as follows: http://www.hko.gov.hk/abouthko/history/directors_c.htm The Directors were all Britons during Peter’s serving period. But we can also locate him in this old photo as follows: http://www.hko.gov.hk/abouthko/history/photos/gp_1983.jpg The gentleman who sit at the fourth from right is obviously Peter. May he rest in peace.

Mr. Lawrence Chi-sing Leung

Date of Birth: 1940s Period of Service: 20 years+ Usual Classes Taught: All forms Subjects taught / role: Physics, English

Categories: Old Boys, Teachers

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Mr. Peter Leung

Date of Birth: 1930s Years of service in LS: Approximately 25 years Subjects taught / role: Laboratory Master

Categories: Teachers

Mr. Jih-Hsing Liao

Years of service in LS: 1950s to 1965 Subjects taught / role: Various

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Mrs. Rosalina Lim

Years of service in LS: Over 10 years in LSPS Period of Service: 1960 – 1975 Date of Death: 8th September 2006

Categories: Deceased, Teachers

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Bro. Sebastian Lim

Usual Classes Taught: Catechumen Date of Death: 8th October 1969

Categories: Brothers, Deceased, Teachers

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Mr. Francis Xavier Loo

Date of Birth: ~1910 Years of service in LS: 23 years Period of Service: 1946 – 1969 Subjects taught / role: English

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Mr. Shiu-Yong Mann

Date of Birth: 189? Years of service in LS: ~1955 to ~ 1966 Usual Classes Taught: Lower Classes Subjects taught / role: Chinese and Chinese History

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Bro. James Marcian

Date of Birth: 1868 Date of Death: 2 September 1938

Categories: Brothers, Deceased, Teachers

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Bro. Lewis McGiverin

Date of Birth: 25th August 1864 Date of Death: 1938

Categories: Brothers, Deceased, Teachers

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Bro. Wilfred More

Date of Birth: 28 January 1886 Date of Death: July 1960

Categories: Brothers, Deceased, Teachers

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Bro. Celestine Morin

Date of Birth: 5th December 1901 Date of Death: 1975

Categories: Brothers, Deceased, Teachers

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Contributed by:	Lee Fong 2004-06-28 19:05:55
Description:	Was Lawrence a Physics teacher? I thought he’s a Science teacher. Some teachers said he’s an adept martial fighter and a Chi Kung master. When RE teacher Kwok sir suffered from diabetes, Leung used Chi Kung to heal him.

Teachers - Down the Memory Lane – Lasallians Remembered

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