Immortalizing a Friend

Immortalizing a Friend

Believe Me Or Not!
By Jose Sison Luzadas

A news feature story that appeared in July 9, 2010 issue of Canada’s Toronto Star is about the next Canadian Governor General, David Johnston. The incoming GG currently the president of University of Waterloo has an exciting life to tell starting his student years at Harvard, where he was a Captain of Harvard Hockey Harvard Crimson. Later he was inducted to Harvard Hockey Hall of Fame.

Among early notable hockey players of Harvard Crimson is the future author, Erich Segal whose book was made into film that brought greater fame to Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neil. Andy Williams took care of the theme song,”Where Do I Begin?” a song you will still remember if you have watched the movie, “Love Story.”

The incumbent president of the University of Waterloo, David Johnston and author Erich Segal were never strangers. Both loved playing hockey while in Harvard. Both have been resident in the same dormitory. That was when Segal was teaching at Harvard and Johnston was working for his BA.

The author’s disclaimer in the novel says that the story to which the film was based is pure fiction and the characters, the product of the author’s imagination that any resemblance to real life is “entirely coincidental”. Not so says feature writer Jim Rankin. The recently appointed Canadian Governor General was the inspired character of Erich Segal’s “Love Story”.

Now stretch your imagination to the Philippine setting. Fast rewind on the time Dr Jose Rizal was gathering materials to write his novel, Noli Me Tangere.

One story says he has a classmate and friend he met at the Ateneo de Municipal who came from a rich family in Dagupan. It was this gentleman from Pangasinan who introduced Rizal to his lovely cousin Leonor Rivera from Camiling, Tarlac. Like many problems experienced in many love stories, Rizal and Leonor Rivera tried their best but failed to keep their relationship intact. In the end Leonor married an English railroad engineer while Rizal took an Irish woman for a wife.

Erich Segal did to perpetuate the persona of Davey Johnston choosing an inspired character to play Oliver Barrett IV, a rich kid taking up law who fell in love with Jenny Cavillerri a working class girl enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts course. If you saw the movie you could be in the audience with teary eyes as Jenny died in this weepy “Love “Story.”

In the case of our national hero, he was an Ateneo boy to whom a classmate named Villamil introduced him to cousin Leonor Rivera. Villamil was so special that Rizal immortalized him. If this is a case of “utang na loub” where else can Rizal repay but to let him be remembered in his novel.

So the “Juan Crisistomo Villamil” in real life is the fictional character “Juan Crisostomo Ibarra” we met in NOLI ME TANGERE!

What is the best song that Dionne Warwick will sing?

That’s what friends are for.