of service to others and the desire to do even better. I am self- propelled on my own but I have found greater purpose about what I am doing at TIP by reflecting on Papa’s life and example. Lester (in Sullivan, 1996) wrote: “A good teacher is also one who says something you won’t understand until 10 years later.” This harks back to my conflict-ridden relationship with Papa. Oh, the many tampuhan and misunderstandings we had. Having mellowed myself, I now see more clearly the wisdom and the meaning of Papa’s teachings. Hence, this “song for my father” for whom I never sang, before I am forever deprived by the fates to give honor to my father, my teacher. If I were now to look at myself as the teacher of the next genera- tion of students or of stewards who will take on the challenge of continuing the legacy of TIP, then I should also be judged by the success of the next generation—by their even greater outcomes and more inspired application of the lessons about life and by their outstanding practice of their own brand of grit and determination. Papa did not leave behind a body of philosophical work or a compendium of literary and scientific knowledge which is the usual hallmark of a learned man. Rather, he was the sidewalk version of an educator. What he did was to leave behind a vibrant, thriving institution of learning, an engineering college. Papa admonished me to have the grit and determination to succeed despite the lack of resources, which definitely is not the most ideal situation. Papa advised me to make sure that TIP always did its best to give its students value for the hard-earned money of their parents. This commitment is Papa’s legacy. And this legacy has become a challenge for TIP’s new stewards to live by. Meanwhile, Papa’s TIP had taken a life of its own. The TIP community is determined to make TIP even better, to bring
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