MANILA, Philippines?Some people breeze into your life momentarily and you are forever changed by knowing them.

Lorraine Forbes Villanueva, dean of Enderun Colleges, was one such gracious lady. I worked with her over the course of two semesters when I taught at Enderun and had always been so awed by her serenity and gentle ways. Lorraine always had an ethereal quality about her. She had a sharp mind, was an excellent mentor to hundreds of students at UP where she taught Hotel and Restaurant Administration for many decades. At Enderun Colleges, she was dean until her gentle passing into the night of Sept. 20. Unknown to many, she was stricken with cancer, and within five months, she was gone at age 55.

I am reminded of that beautiful poem, ?The Dash? by Linda Ellis, which speaks of how the worth of one?s life is measured by that little dash that separates the time of our birth from the time of our passing from this earth. A portion of it goes: ?For that dash represents all the time that she spent alive on earth. And now only those who loved her, know what that little line is worth. For it matters not how much we own?the cars, the house, the cash. What matters is how we live and love, and how we spend our dash.?

Many were so surprised to hear the news, but that was so like Lorraine, always placing others first, never wanting to inconvenience anyone.

Her student from many decades ago, Mon Eugenio, a successful businessman-restaurateur who had lost his own mother, son and nephew in the Puerto Galera tragedy a few months ago, was struck by Lorraine?s selflessness.

?She took time out to offer sympathies. I did not even know that she was already sick at that time. But that was so like her, generous and always looking out for you at the same time.?

Mon had been her student in the mid-1980s and remembers her not only as an intelligent but gentle teacher, but also an adviser and friend as well.

?I would listen intently on what she had to say, because it wasn?t only what she taught, but how she taught it. I learned that the practice of our craft was preparing both our mind and heart to be in the same place, that what we do is a deliberate result from much preparation. I know her legacy among her students will live on, because she had fully realized her potential both as a human being and as a teacher.?

To her Enderun students she was Dean LV.

Her student, Tyn Reyna says it best. ?She gave LV a new meaning, excellence in teaching. Dean Lorraine never failed to give pieces of advice whenever we needed someone to aid us on how to go about a certain problem, be it school-related or about our personal lives. She would constantly take time out to remind us to do our best and she inspired us both by her action and words. It?s those little reminders that make her special. These are the things that we will miss most about her.?

Best friend

Another student, Mylene Rhea Tan says that Dean LV was more than a teacher. She was a wise best friend and second mother to her. ?She would always open her door, despite her busy schedule for our day-to-day chat. We talk about anything and everything, from the goings-on in school and grievances, to her personal experiences to help me through my own growing process. She was able to relate to my experiences even if she was older and I was younger enough to be her daughter. I fell in love with the kind of lady that she was?wise but humble, soft-spoken but radiating inner strength. One day, I hope I can be like the kind of teacher-mother that she was to many of us.?

Oli Ang, who had moved from another culinary school to Enderun, had doubted whether she would be accepted because of her mediocre performance. ?Awful would have been an understatement, truth be told. I was called for a second interview, and that was when I met Dean Lorraine. She asked me what made me decide to go to Enderun. But most important of all, she told me that she had looked through my CSB transcript, was put off by it, but refused to judge me until she had met me and talked to me. She told me that the numbers hardly gave any indication of what a person was like. That 10-minute conversation affected me more profoundly than anyone could ever imagine. In that instant, my respect and admiration for Dean LV grew. I resolved to do my very best in school, as well as in everything else I did, just because one person had believed that I was worth more than some numbers printed on a piece of paper.?

Her maternal instincts were legendary and her sincerity and love would always shine forth. Krystelle Andres and Rachelle Yu say that she always had a ready smile for everyone no matter how tired she was, even at the end of the school day. ?She never failed to thank each and everyone of us for the work that we put into the student government. I could not get over the fact that someone who I look up to and had a high status in school would take time out to thank an ordinary student for her efforts. That was truly memorable and admirable,? Rachelle relates.

Honor student Kayla Rosales says that to really understand Dean LV, ?Don?t look at her excellent credentials. You have to see the way she works. Dean Lorraine commanded authority and respect as if she was born with them. She never used force when dealing with people. Her voice was always calm and gentle, but enough to influence you to agree to what she says. She was the epitome of grace under pressure. She remained simple and understated. She did not use designer power suits and expensive cars in order to get your attention. You just knew that she was a person who maintained her principles despite a very competitive environment.?

Mother, manager, mentor, and, above all, friend to everyone whose lives she touched at work. She will be terribly missed. My one regret was that I was unable to bid her goodbye, but knowing how she did not want to see anyone sad or in pain, perhaps it was meant to be. So instead, I celebrate her memory here and choose to remember the gracious, ethereal Dean LV that we had all come to know and love.

E-mail the author at cathybabao@gmail.com.