[ACSians] To Mr Lee Hah Ing - from Irene

You moved quietly, spoke softly. Yet you always commanded attention and respect. Even from troublesome teenagers who didn't hesitate to torment their teachers. You were our principal. But you were always more than just the head of the school we attended. To some, you were the father they didn't have. Or the father they would have wished for. You once said that the greatest lesson you had ever learnt could be summed up in the words of Phillip Brooks: "Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks." We thank you for showing us the way. Even if we were too cool to say the words then, we always knew why you were special. You cared. You believed in us. You were proud of us, even at times when some of us might have felt that there wasn't much to be proud of. You never wavered. And because of that, we strove to be the men and women you could be proud of. Years later, at one of our earliest reunions, you would tell us how pleased you were that ours was the very first pre-university class to hold a reunion. More than once, you have said how very proud and happy it made you that these bonds of friendship forged in ACS, some over a mere two years, had endured throughout the decades. We had hoped you could be with us at our latest reunion last month. Though you could not be present, you were much in our thoughts as we celebrated and gave thanks for the ACS spirit that continues to unite us. You will always be part of our lives.

from Class of '69