The "Drum Major" Instinct

Whatever game I play, I play to win! It could be a board game or a soccer match, it doesn't really matter, I dont' just participate. Like the verse in 1 Corinthians (below), I run to win the race. I am not sure about you, but I think this competitiveness streak is in most of us... to be the first in everything, top on the list (nobody remembers the second name on a list), to be champions (history will forget the runners-up) , winners (nobody likes losers).

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Photo: Rag & Flag, NUS

Do you know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize - 1 Corinthians 9: 24

Besides being a civil rights fighter, Martin Luther King was also a pastor of a church in Georgia. During his funeral, one of his great sermons, "The Drum Major Instinct" was played. The essence of which is contained in the following words,

Photo: New Orleans

"There is, deep down within all of us, an instinct. It's a kind of drum major instinct - a desire to be first... we all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade...

Don't give up... Keep feeling the need to be first. But I want you to be the first in love. I want you to be the first in moral practice. I want you to be the first in generosity. It's what I want you to do..."

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Somehow, reading the above exhortation by King reminded me of Eusoff Hall, NUS. Between 1998 and 2004, we stayed in a student hostel, where I was the Resident Fellow (RF, Block D) overseeing around 100 undergraduates. Although the administrative duty as RF as well as serving as the Domestic Bursar of the Hall was time consuming, I never considered them as a chore but a real joy and privilege. Indeed, serving as a RF had been a dream of mine since I graduated from NUS in 1988.

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During our 6-year stint, we shared many pleasant and memorable experiences with the students, the admin staff and the SCRC members/families.

The fondest memory of our 6-yr stay would be the enriching and interaction we had with the students - especially the informal sessions with the block residents.

File photo: Celebrating CNY with the foreign students. .
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The house we stayed in had a big courtyard, which we occasionally held BBQ sessions.

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We also planted a row of lime hedges and chilies when we first moved in to provide some privacy.

Watching them grow and harvesting the fruits and sharing them gave us a genuine sense of satisfaction. Just the other day, we were amazed that a supermarket here was selling fresh lime (kaffir) leaves for US$ 40+/lb! (In comparison, fresh mushroom sells at $3/lb here).
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This year, Eusoff Hall is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Truly, it has lived up to its motto of being a hall of "excellence and harmony".

I am proud of my association with Eusoff Hall.

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The residents are passionate and excel in almost everything that they did and often with great sacrifice – sweat and blood literally. I have seen the ecstasy of winning. No obstacles were too great, no mountains (not even Mt Everest) too high for an Eusoffian to conquer. Above all the hall's achievements and successes in the sports and arts arena, the one aspect which I am most proud to be associated with Eusoff Hall is its spirit of giving and serving the community.

During my tenure as RF in-charge of Rag & Flag, I was happy guiding the students to channel their competitive spirit towards doing good works. I remember exhorting the Head of the Rag & Flag committee, 'if you want to beat the other halls, then let us outdo them in good deeds." Whilst staying competitive in the rag competition, Eusoff Hall strategically placed greater emphasis on the flag competition and managed to raise significant donations for the needy over the years. Although it was never under my portfolio, I was also very proud of Eusoff Voluntary Corps. Seldom on the spotlight of hall activities, I applauded the students' committment and faithfulness in visiting the hospital, orphanage and old folks' home weekly, even during the exam periods. Just before we left, I noted with approval the students' plan to extend their voluntary service and outreach to the poor communities in the region.

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I attribute my interest in the personal welfare and development of the students to the inspiration of Prof Ho Peng Kee (who was my RF when I was the student Block Head at Kent Ridge Hall, 1986-87), and to Prof Andrew Tay (Master of Eusoff Hall, 1988-2003). When Prof Andrew Tay stepped down as the Master of Eusoff Hall in 2003, I had the honour of saying a tribute on Prof Tay's contributions to the Hall. The speech is reproduced below. Prof Tay is still a professor in NUS at the School of Engineering.

A TRIBUTE TO PROFESSOR ANDREW TAY

This afternoon is an eventful day for Eusoff Hall. We are gathered here to pay tribute to a special man who has devoted and given so much of his life to the Hall. Professor Andrew Tay has been closely associated with many cohorts of hall residents, beginning as a Resident Fellow of Dunearn Road Hostel back in 1976. He was subsequently Resident Fellow of Kent Ridge Hall and Vice-Principal of Eusoff College before assuming the responsibility of Master of Eusoff Hall since the hall’s inception in 1988.

Over the years, many students and a number of resident fellows have come and gone through the corridors of this our great beloved hall. Yet, Professor Andrew Tay has been around and seen them all. From the Eusoff College days at the Bukit Timah campus, to its relocation to the Kent Ridge campus, and evolving to become the excellent Hall that it is today. Indeed, under the mastership of Professor Andrew Tay, Eusoff Hall has excelled in so many ways – be it in committee, voluntary & charity, sports, or cultural activities. The “can do” and entrepreneurial spirit is very much alive and synonymous with Eusoff Hall. No mountain and I dare say, even Mt. Everest, is too high for us to climb and conquer.

As a resident fellow, I am proud to be associated with Eusoff Hall. I am sure all of us in this room can say the same – we are proud to be Eusoffians. Eusoff Hall, as a community, is great not because we have of fantastic physical facilities. It is great because of its people, its residents. Over the years, I have seen waves of students coming into the hall as freshman and growing to embrace all that is symbolic of the Eusoff spirit. And we recognize their significant contributions each year at the Merit Award Board dinner. I can see quite a number of you, past winners, here with us today. Yet, I dare say that none of us can match the level and consistency of Professor Andrew Tay’s devotion and service to the Hall. Indeed, he literally embraced the Hall motto, “Excellence and Harmony” to the extent of naming his first son who was born in 1989, Jin-An, after the hall motto.

Working with him in the SCRC, I have known him to be a very detailed man - he seems to know every nook and corner of this hall. I have never failed to be amazed by his level of enthusiasm and support for the students. He has also shown tremendous patience and belief in the residents. In my five years of working with him, I have never seen him losing his temper or getting angry with the students. He always places the students’ interests first. I know this from first hand experience. In the past few years, I have been involved in several upgrading projects in the Hall – the common areas, the toilets and the coming massive upgrading of the students’ rooms. In all the discussions concerning the work plans, Professor Andrew Tay’s priority is very clear – the students! The resident fellows’ flat and the master flat will only be renovated only if there are surplus funds.

As a boss, I am sure staff members in the Hall office have a lot of good things to say of Professor Andrew Tay. One thing I have observed is that he is a caring and compassionate superior. He never imposed his authority on us. He looks after the interest, welfare and personal development of his staff. I remember when I first joined the university and the Hall, his advice to me then as a young academic was not to neglect my research. Indeed, as an academic, he has been a fantastic role model for me – the ability to devote so much of his time for the students and yet excel as a researcher and teacher.

He is also a good judge of character, a good leader, and a team builder. One thing that has not been obvious, according to an ex-Resident Fellow, but I believe is true is that Eusoff Hall has always been blessed with a committed and cohesive team of Resident Fellows – both now and in the past. Individuals and their family members who shared Professor Andrew Tay’s commitment with regards to the students’ welfare and passion for the Hall. In no small way, I attribute this to the meticulous and careful selection of the Resident Fellows by Professor Andrew Tay.

Even if you step down from the mastership of Eusoff Hall this coming May, we will always remember your passion and devotion to the Hall. Professor Andrew Tay, you will always have an honorable place in the memory and history of Eusoff Hall. And we are also confident of one thing – you will not forget us. As the saying goes, “Once an Eusoffian, always an Eusoffian!” As a contestant aptly puts it in the recent D&D pageant, “you can take an Eusoffian out of Eusoff Hall, but you can never take Eusoff Hall out of an Eusoffian”.

Professor Andrew Tay, words alone cannot represent and express our sincere gratitude to you. On behalf of the staff members of the hall, the SCRC members, current and past residents, we would like to say a big thank you for sharing your life. Your leadership has made a significant impact to the Eusoff Hall community and to us as individuals. Master, we salute you and wish you success in everything that you put your hands and mind to. Just as you have given your time and life so freely to the Hall, may your God in heaven, who sees all the good works and sacrifices that you have done both in public and in secret, richly bless you and your family in all ways.

March 29, 2003