Welcome to another issue of the Chemistry Alumni Newsletter! We have new features in store for you. Last year, we presented to you the changes in our programs of study. We have another set of transitions to share with you in this issue.

First, November this year marks the 40th anniversary of the Chemistry Building, which has been known as Schmitt Hall since December 7, 1998. We hope that

alumni and friends like you will join us in celebrating this milestone with a Grand Alumni Homecoming in December. Watch out for updates on this website, and please send the Department your contact information, so we can keep in touch and send you more details of the great event.

Second, I’d like to throw the spotlight on our staff members, who make our Department run, even as chairs and administrators move in and out of their posts. They provide the essential services that are the backbone of the Department’s operations.

As you look over the pages of this Chemistry Alumni News, you’ll have a chance to reminisce with Mr. Ricardo Borja about life at the Department. Mang Ric retired in 2004 from his post as building and laboratory stockroom supervisor after almost 30 years with the Ateneo. We are grateful for his exemplary service to the Department and University, and, although we miss him, we wish him all the best in his new life in sunny California.

On a sadder note, laboratory technician Mr. Jaime Amado passed away on February 13, 2004. Those who were with us since the 1990s will remember Mang James as the resident carpentry expert, glassblower, tinkerer, and maker of various objects. His death was a sudden blow to us at the Department and to his family. The outpouring of grief and of generosity among students, alumni, faculty, and other members of the community showed us how many lives he touched at the Ateneo. His eldest son, Daryll, joined the maintenance crew of the Loyola Schools and is currently detailed at Schmitt Hall to learn the ropes.

If you come by and visit the Department, you will still be greeted by the familiar face of Mrs. Milagros Andaya, the administrative assistant, who has been at the Department’s front line for over 27 years. If you continue on upstairs and drop by the stockroom, you’ll meet Mr. Manuel Rodriguez, whom you probably remember as Mang Awel from the 1980s onwards. He now manages the stockroom and oversees building maintenance, filling Mang Ric’s shoes. But you’ll also meet our new technicians, Mr. Perfecto Domingo, Jr. and Mr. Jaime Rene Perez. Jhun joined us after spending several years with various units of the Loyola Schools, while Jim joined us after completing his chemistry studies at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.

I’d like to thank these dedicated, capable, and hardworking people who play such key roles in the everyday life of Schmitt Hall, and who also help in shaping the future of the Department.

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