One of the highlights of the 75th (Diamond Jubilee) founding anniversary of Foundation University, Dumaguete City is the launch of the biography of President Emeritus Dr. Edelmira Fe “Mira” Dragon-Sinco, which was held on Friday, December 6 at the new Science Wing of Foundation Preparatory Academy in the nearby North Campus.
Titled “A Lifetime of Learning: The Story of an Academic Trailblazer,” this is the first biography that I have written, although this is my fourth book. Writing this has been both a humbling and inspiring journey.
From the very beginning when I was commissioned to write it in order to pay tribute to the life and times of the 90-year-old matriarch of Foundation University, who served in various capacities until she became president, I knew this wasn’t just about chronicling the life of a person who has been a significant part of the university, but about understanding the forces that shaped its existence, the triumphs and challenges it experienced through all these years, and the impact the school has made in the community, the nation, and the world.
Initially, I had some reservations. How does one breathe life into someone who is larger than life? I wanted a fuller picture of the subject of this biography and I had hoped to capture it in the pages of this book.
I want to thank those who helped bring this book to life and for keeping it a secret for one entire year as this was meant to be a surprise for our President Emeritus. Her son, the current university president Victor Vicente “Dean” Sinco and his younger brother Luis Leandro “Tata” Sinco were my main sources of information, as well as colleagues in the university who I had talked to and quoted in the book; and, the youngest Dragon sister, 79-year-old Pinky Dragon-Laher, who I had spoken lengthily over the phone and chatted even on a holiday and a weekend, and who shared some off-the-record information, which I promised not to include in the book.
But, the primary source of this biography is, no doubt, President Emeritus Dr. Mira Sinco herself. Despite her insistence that she wouldn’t want anything to be written about her, I persisted and engaged her in short conversations at the slightest provocation anywhere I would get the chance to see her, which is quite often. One time, she chided me and told me I talked too much.
Ultimately, this biography goes beyond one person’s story—it is about how the lives of all those who have passed through the pillars of Foundation University intersperse with its 75-year history and beyond, and how we are all part of the larger narrative.
This biography serves as a reminder that every life, no matter how public or private, has the power to shape the world in ways we may not realize. If there may be some aspects of the life and times of our President Emeritus that I may have overlooked, I take full responsibility. This biography is an attempt to offer a more nuanced and honest portrayal of the person that she is.
It is my hope that this biography serves not only as a tribute to President Emeritus Dr. Mira D. Sinco, but an invitation for all of us to reflect on the legacies we are building with our own lives. | NWI
