Silliman in early 1950s was a small university community of about 500 students, a few large buildings, and many structures called T-rooms (or temporary rooms) made of native materials.
Most of the pioneering faculty and staff lived in campus homes, including many missionary families from the United States.
The campus was quiet and laid-back, with sounds of galloping horses that pulled tartanillas (horse-drawn carriages).
On the second floor of Guy Hall was DYSR, Silliman’s radio station. We, locals, listened to news, good classical music, and featured programs, one of which was the weekly Children’s Hour with Tiyo Gordo.
Tiyo Gordo was Rev. Gordon Mahy, the interim University pastor then, and one of the DYSR officers. He and his wife, Tiya Helen were missionaries from North Carolina.
As needed, Tiyo Gordo would gather us campus kids to be his audience for his Children’s Hour. He would pick us up from our homes, and load me and my sister Nene (Ma. Elena Mangaoil) on his bicycle. Nene would sit on the front bar, and I would sit in the basket attached to the handle bar.
Off we would go to DYSR, where other campus kids would wait eagerly for him. Then up we would climb to what seemed to be the longest staircase leading to the second floor.
Tiyo Gordo was an excellent storyteller. We would listen to his Bible stories with excitement and eager participation.
When the audio recording was over, we would take the same places in his bicycle, but on the way back, we would stop by their home where Tiya Helen would prepare the most delicious freshly-baked oatmeal cookies for us. To this day, I can still smell and taste those oatmeal cookies.
Those are some of the precious memories I have stored up all these years. The memories of a long list of missionaries who lovingly shared their lives with us at Silliman — the Mahys, the Laubys, the McKinleys, the Berans, the Buchanans, the Roy Bells, the Boyd Bells, the Wicklers, the Palmores, and many others. They are part of the legacy of Silliman University, an institution gifted to us by God.
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Silliman Church is collating stories of faith by members of the congregation, in time for its centennial celebration in August 2016. Please email your stories to [email protected]
