Editorial
Hugh Cory is no longer with us. He passed away early November, 2008. In this article he is remembered by those who knew him. Also in this issue of HLT you can read his last article: Critical Thinking, Simon Says, for Burma.

Remembering Hugh Cory

joint article written by Hugh’s friends

***

When I first met Hugh, he gave me a Haiku wheel he had used in a lesson. I took it home and wrote my haiku. He was amazed that the haiku I had composed, while thinking of him, actually mirrored his own. He showed me a notebook in which his haiku was written as evidence of how incredible it was. That was the beginning of a relationship that I could never have envisaged ever ending - and, of many such mirroring coincidences over the next five years.

The haiku was:

Nuvole in viaggio,

sulla pagina bianca,

tracce d'inchiostro.

He thought it very apt for a writer.

So who was Hugh for me?

An inexplicable gift, an unexpected blessing, a mesmerising tree, an enchanted wood so extraordinarily deep, acutely observant, discreet, mischievous, exquisitely witty, playful, adorable, loving, perceptive, caring, fiercely independent, introspective, thoughtful, dependable, generous, kind, unique, a perfectionist, controlled, a volcano, tenacious, gentle, an idealist, a man of immense integrity, an island, a man so rare to meet. Cherished feelings never to be forgotten: an indelible loss so painfully deep.

These are some of things he was for me

Mary Flaherty

***

Hugh Cory had sunshine on his hands.

Hugh was a modest, gentle and happy man. He could also be a determined fighter for what he believed in. And I guess going the way he did, where he did, doing what he was doing, was somehow so Hugh, as to be perfect.

I met Hugh in the mid 1990’s when I worked for a large language school in Cambridge, UK. He had come to work under contract and stayed until he was ready to move on. He was always moving on.

My first memories of him were of us meeting in the corridor of the school, between the staff room and the classrooms. We introduced ourselves and that was that. However, it was his smile that lingered. And still does. It was a smile that was wrapped in modesty, humour and kindness. That smile, more than anything else, was Hugh and said a lot about him.

I got to know Hugh slowly. That was his way. No rush. Hugh wasn’t love needy. Maybe that’s why he was so loved. We enjoyed playing squash together and having a beer afterwards. There, he would bum my cigarettes. It was one of his disciplines. He would never buy cigarettes. He would smoke other peoples or go without. I don’t think any of us ever begrudged him. That was Hugh.

What I liked about him in those days, and to me, what was most refreshing about him, was that he was not competitive in a posturing way, nor did he judge people against his own high standards. He simply wanted to do everything he did to the best of his ability.

Hugh was not like other people. I don’t know what furnaces he had come through that cleansed him of the damaging aspects of selfhood, but through them he had surely come. He was somebody comfortable in his own skin. He was shorn of many of the inhibiting and more dangerous aspects of ego that inhibit and sidetrack so many of us. As a result, there was something easy and clean about his relations with other people. He could, and did, talk to anybody. And people talked to him. Women especially.

This might all sound like he was soft around the edges. He was not. He was too bright and committed for that. His work - teaching and sometimes writing for teaching – was extremely important to him. As were his guiding principles as a teacher/trainer: while he was in the classroom or preparing outside it, it was about the students. He would fight tooth and nail for his class or individual students if need be, even if it meant some inconvenience to the organization. I saw this soften enough. He was never aggressive or offensive in this, just very, very firm, and ultimately, convincing. And if he were on some point denied, he would accept and go on and do the best he could.

Hugh once gave me a small tree. A Horse Chestnut, which had seeded in his garden. He gently dug it up and put it into a pot for me. I took it home and found a larger pot for it. Today, it sits where it has sat for well over 10 years, in that pot, beside the back door, on the right, as you go into the garden. I have nurtured that tree and it is, in my mind, Hugh. It always was. It was, and more especially now, is his memory. I don’t know why, but it was always so. And it is a beautiful tree, one of the first plants to come out in early spring. It is, in its pot, a very splendid thing and talks to me of Hugh.

Hugh had an affinity with the world and saw himself as just one element in the oneness of it all. His understanding of that and more importantly, his living of this notion, was his essence. And if this was his essence, his talk and his way of living were the manifestation. Hugh ‘got it.’

I last saw him in restaurant in Cambridge over two years ago now. He bummed a cigarette and we talked about future projects and the things that were important to us, and we laughed. Hugh brought laughter into conversations. He was happy and it was catching. He was not the happy as sold on TV. He was genuinely happy because his spirit was not fighting anything or anyone. Not for him false pride, self-righteousness or dark, harbored resentments. His was a sublime indifference except with regards to the fitness of his spirit. He accepted life on its own terms and dealt with it. Life and its attendants could never let Hugh down. Life was for him, life. No more, no less and wonderful for that.

A few people who knew Hugh gathered a week ago and planted a tree to his memory in a small park just out of the centre of Cambridge. It is a plum tree, a Cambridge gage. And it will, in its own time, flower and produce plums and some might fall to ground and some be eaten, but they will all, in some way, nourish life, as Hugh did. He would have smiled at that.

Hugh stood in front of you as a human being; shorn of artifice. He gave all those who came into contact with him that gift. And a gift it was. He did not posture or shrink. He was not afraid or cocky. He was Hugh. He made a difference to me, and I suspect, many others. He was a very rare human being.

Tony Robinson

***

Hugh Cory was an exceptional man, and I feel honoured to have both been taught by him and to have been his friend.

I’ll never forget his training course, from the very first minute he made everyone feel welcome, united and at ease. H e always set an example which we could follow and utilise on our own lessons. He gave SO much of himself, so generously and you could always see in his face that he lived and breathed to teach and help those less fortunate.

At Nu Po I met more of his friends and the one thing that struck me was that no-one had anything but the utmost respect and revere for Hugh. It was the way he lived his life and EVERYONE recognised that.

I will always remember him singing so passionately, ‘Leaving on Jet Plane’. As for so many others, Hugh’s influence transformed my life. Hugh: thank-you from the bottom of my heart, for everything. God bless.

Steve Gomersall

***

Editorial
This article was firs published in the newspaper at ESC (in Nupo refugee camp). That's the school that Hugh and the author co-founded. John Glenn has the responsibility to continue Hugh’s work around Thai-Burma border.

The Meeting of Eastern and Western Education

On 6 November 2008 at about 10:30 a.m., as everything in Nupo temporary camp was still stable, it suddenly echoed in my head: “Mr. Hugh doesn’t reply!!” When I rushed into the ESC school building, a doctor came out of his room on the upper floor. At that moment, I heard a sound that made it sure that he had died. A sound that was so near or so far, and like nothing that I knew.

I was speechless or didn't appear to be making a sound even though I said 'no', 'no', … Mr. Hugh, who I always revere. We are both deeply devoted, to tell the young that education is most important, essential and precious, like plants are brought up by a gardener. These youth often lose their goals at illicit liquor shops. Now he had permanently left his universal love and spiritual truth on his established school. Despite our thoughts that it was not possible and not true, in my sense, we really said goodbye. What I believe is that he is in paradise now. That was cruel fortune! How can we comfort!? How can we console!?

A great number of foreigners visit Mae Sot, a city on the Thai-Burma border. Some of the observers are eager to teach Burmese political activities and some supported Burmese and their cause. There are nine refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border, and Nupo camp is a long way from Mae Sot, over two hundred kilometres and a very rough journey. By car, this trip takes a six hours drive. The rights of a refugee here is less than in other camps. 12,000 refugees stayed there by 2006. According to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee), in September 2006, 2086 refugees who had opposed the military regime in Burma, who had worked for their future, who had done pro-democracy activities or who would like to depart to a third country in Mae Sot were added up.

The situation in the refugee camp was more difficult than expected. Money and things that people had collected before was being eroded because of repairs on their houses and other living costs. Besides that, the refugees are not permitted to do any jobs which can made money. Therefore, some had to tackle problems by calling friends abroad. And some who had no friends faced huge trouble. Then, they started confronting the atmosphere of criticism and the reaction of the neighbors under human nature. Some started sharing their education and knowledge with each other, others did and said what they liked. As a result, English classes came up like mushrooms. Likewise, abuse, condemnation and offending came over from people who drank. The sum result of different actions, there were part time house-schools and some people who fought were put in jail.

Later some students and teachers discussed how to teach English better and better, how to search for a teaching method, how to make a proper education place. We started dealing with Mr. Hugh, born in England and settled in Italy, who had experience of education for 20 years, to guide and train other teachers. The people in the camp didn't have enough experience, so he began helping to create an excellent teaching agenda. Actually, he was the main key to start an English class. He asked what our curriculum was. What were our school's aims? And what was our agenda? We didn’t know. Without funds, books offered that were used 20-30 years ago in other countries might have been used. However, the school leaders faced the problem of not getting funds. Finally, when enough funds were not full at hand, the plan was being ceased and we were disheartened. But, Mr. Hugh, sympathetically contributed to all of the costs of the books by using his hard earned money.

When Hugh came to Nupo camp he had a lot of experience in teaching, mostly in poor countries with hardly any resources. He had become very good at creating his own methods and when he came to us, he could implement what he knew. He advised us from afar when he was away and helped us when he was around.
He bought the necessary books, trained the local teachers for the lower levels and helped finding foreign teachers for the higher levels.

His teaching methods are modern and he put the students at the centre of his lessons, not the teacher. That is why ESC is run by the youth, which is why the students have unionized themselves.

Hugh was a private person who didn’t talk a lot about himself. If he did talk it was about school, about education, about the academic life, about how animals behave, and children. His computer was full of images of laughing children, from all the places he lived and worked. Hugh disliked bright light and he prepared his lessons for the next day in the dark. He would assist us when we needed help. During the first year of ESC we depended on the POC/PAB high school for class rooms, but this year we have our own building. We also included General Equivalency Diploma or GED in our program. This is very useful for all of us who want to resettle to the US. Hugh worked in European countries and earned his money there; after he did that he would come to the Thai-Burma border and donated lots of it to several programs. He would teach in the refugee camps and even inside Karen State, inside Burma.

He trained the new teachers and when he saw the new building he said, and I’ll never forget,: "That's great!". "That's perfect!". He carefully looked at every room with a sweet smile.

Later he would tell about the children and food in Karen State, and even if the conditions for him over there were not good, he still had a happy look in his eyes. He hated the unnecessary closing of schools and would return to Poland for more teaching. Only to return to Karen State once again.

As my resettlement drew closer, it became apparent the, we wouldn’t see each other very often in the future. He went to England where his mother was sick and he wrote to tell me he wanted to see me before my departure. He would also like to see the progress at school. After his mother died he went back to Karen State.

Hugh visited Nupo a few times on our request. In November 2008 he came to train Karen teachers from the interior and would work with ESC in his spare time. After he arrived we met at Memento Café next to our school, one of the projects that started around our school. I explained about those projects; our new computer course, the ESC Students’ Union, the Newspaper called the Burma Student’s Post that is published every month, the crochet course, artist course and other plans.

We talked about the Curriculum and he suggested making changes. He would donate the original books which we could photo copy later on. He stayed for dinner. He would teach on the other side of the camp; however he preferred to sleep at the school, nearby his students.

The next day it was his birthday, and he didn’t tell us until dinner that evening. He produced a bottle of wine to celebrate and he shared it liberally. He then talked a little about his mother who passed away the month before and mentioned his sisters and brother still in England. It was the first time he mentioned his relatives to us.

We kept talking about the school and changes we needed to make, especially with my departure getting near. He proposed to buy two computers, one for the school, one for me and he gave money for that to our teacher who went to Mae Sot the next day. During the week that teacher was gone, Hugh took over his class.

He was invited to dine with a student who will leave for Australia soon and went to the teacher training the next day. He came back early, not feeling well. He didn’t want to go to the hospital and went to bed early, complaining about problems with digestion and breathing. He took some medicine and joked with committee members and went to bed at about 9:30 p.m. He didn’t say goodbye and left our world that night.

We discussed education and the difference between Eastern and Western education, and we decided that there wasn’t any, that we only needed to work on a system where children and other people are educated in a free and democratic atmosphere. In education, children studying the wrong curriculum by which they are being manipulated should be stopped. Do you wish to place these duties to carry out by us? In the honor of his warm friendship and relationship, whoever is his friend, students should work together for his beautiful longed world. That is what I believe. While unfinished businesses are being served, let's show our spiritual power and development. We have to work really hard to achieve his goal and to prove that his confidence in us is well deserved.

John Glenn

***

Mango, Apple, Coconut and Banana were among the first students that Hugh taught at ESC school. This lesson took place in the big class room of the PAB High School. A classroom without chairs and tables, it was his favorite classroom. I had the idea it was his favorite lesson as well. Take a group of new students and turn them into a fruit salad. Weeks later we would still refer to each other with our new fruit - nicknames. Hugh has been an inspirational teacher for me as his methods were always different from what all my previous teachers used. And often I liked his methods better. He did away with convention, with how things are supposed to be. Therefore he liked that room without chairs, without tables, without pre-set rules.

Actually, I believe Hugh wasn’t a teacher at all, he wasn’t a trainer, he wasn’t an instructor. Hugh was more like a box-opener, a excavator, an eye-opener. He knew what was inside each of his students, he recognized the talent, the potential, the quality and he just guided his students to discover it themselves.
Usually after a brief introduction, Hugh would step out of his lesson and just observe, just sat back and enjoyed the process he just started. A little comment here, a word of approval there, some encouragement, advise and mostly that smile of content. After a lesson by Hugh, students would walk away chatting about what was just learned or discussed. Or better put, what was discovered. Hugh excavating and the student the richer for the found treasure.

On mornings you could find Hugh at the market, or in a teashop, using the same technique for finding treasures. Now it was not English that he was after but a smile on the face of a young child, the beetle-nut stained teeth of an old women, the laughter in a group of teenage girls, the bravura of some 18 years old boys. And again the treasure stayed with the people, Hugh just took the image, the idea, the moment, the memory.

Hugh was well-known in Nupo and on the Thai-Burma border.
He taught in Mae Sariang, in Mae Sot, in Mae Ra Mu Luang, in Mae La Oo, in Mae La, in Umpiam Mai, in Nupo and in many other places. He taught Burmese students, and Karen, and Shan, and Kachin, and Karenni and so on. Hugh worked with organisations who would pay him some money. And then Hugh would work for CBO’s, Community Based Organizations, who would not pay him. Hugh like both, as it was always about education, yet he preferred to work for nothing, he preferred just to give what he had, his knowledge, his time, his energy, books, material and ideas. Hugh also worked in other countries, like a true excavator, he went to far away places.

He was born in England, had two sisters and one brother, and became a teacher trainer, working for CELTA, a Cambridge University foreign language training method. Hugh went all over the world to train future teachers for this program. He had an accreditation for this program and therefore he was even wanted in Australia and Hong Kong, places where English is widely spoken. He taught in Europe, in countries like Poland and Italy. Hugh liked Spain and fell in love with Italy, where in Genua he found a house that he would call his home. Here he met Karolina, who became his best friend and who now feels like she lost a brother. His two sisters and brother were obviously shocked when they heard the news. They, Karolina and other friends felt strengthened when they heard what was being done here in Nupo, they also feel warmth thinking about all the friends he made here.

Home was not just one place for Hugh. Home was England where his family lives, and where he was in September and October to be with his dying mother. Home was Genua where he had his house, close friends and a nice life style. Home was the class room where ever he was, preferably without tables, without rules. Home was the Thai-Burma Border with all his students from Burma and Karen State. Home was definitely ESC school in Nupo, a school he helped set up and where he liked to be when in Nupo. For his memory we all should honor that school, we should water the seeds he planted here and in us, we should share his passion for education. And we should always look for class rooms without tables, without chairs, without rules.

Ton Baars, a volunteer teacher at ESC

***

Hugh Cory certainly brought some panache to teaching and training, and was never averse to a touch or more of creative controversy. Hugh liked to challenge and was fond of spinning vivid images of the medieval world of the Spanish inquisition in which scarlet-robed priests of the communicative approach sentenced heretics who questioned the new orthodoxy to long and painful torments of unimaginable kinds for such sins as overt grammar teaching. Above all though, Hugh was committed to high standards. He was often impatient of bureaucracy and of compromises that he felt sacrificed the interests of learners to those of teachers and administrators, and he never resorted to diplomatic silence. Working with Hugh was often inspiring, sometimes infuriating, and definitely never dull. It’s somehow very hard to imagine his silence…

John Eldridge, office mate and co-tutor with Hugh on DOTE at Eastern Mediterranean University

***

Hugh Cory was a teacher and teacher trainer of the utmost integrity. He would never have been a ‘company man’ because in all his educational endeavours it was the learner (be they students or teachers) who was at the centre of any decision-making. In most walks of life now we are haunted by the spectre of ‘financial viability’ or profitability. This was total anathema to Hugh.
Hugh’s general approach to education was always creative and often unexpected. He helped learners to approach learning challenges in ways they had not considered – thus urging them out of ‘deadlock’ situations. He was also very aware of the commitment necessary in order to become effective learners. The well-know Mediterranean aversion to deadlines occasionally brought forth, from Hugh, a muttered “Excuses are the base coin of the inept!”
The world of English language teaching and education have lost a strong spirit, but the memory of Hugh’s many talents and skills and his overriding sense of fun, will remain with us. Everyone who worked with Hugh at EMU will remember him with warmth, affection and respect.

Ed Casassa, fellow trainer at Eastern Mediterranean University

***

The Perished Rose
When the voices of globalization rise in a crescendo,
like a toll from a distant bell,
the world has become a village

Historic milestones and heroes emerge slowly
from the days of battles
between white and black,
the Occident and the Orient,
the poor and the rich.
Oppression and Freedom.

On a day in November
at the White House,
a black man called Barack Obama
overcame a history of
segregation and inequality.

While listening to Obama's victory that day,
the Occidental Hugh,
until the end of his last breath,
in a school that he, himself,
established

In a village of the rejected Orient Burmese,
proved something -

Until his last breath,
his benevolence towards the troubled, refugee people
unlocked their lips to call for Freedom,
unsealed their eyes
so that they might see truth,
and unblocked their ears to hear the triumph.

From heaven
he will know that the
wild roses he sowed
are deeply rooted throughout the earth
and their sweet fragrances fill the sky.

In New York, Oslo, Sydney, London,
and through many lands,
it is sure,
to the ends of this world,
that their delectate scents
will permeate in the air

Throughout the entire world,
there are many types of roses
Among them, a rose without thorns,
pink in color, simple
without prestige
and always ready to
forgive its enemy.

People call it
The First Love

It is very sure that this rose
Hugh kindheartedly nurtured
is peaceful
and without thorns.

Zay Latt, from Nupo Temporary Refugee Camp

***

Just to let you know that there is a plum tree called Hugh at Milton Country park (on the edge of Cambridge). The ranger who helped us has a plan if you ever want to find it - he looks as if he would drink in the Cat and Fiddle rather than the Bull if he lived in Ambridge but was very nice and informative. The tree is a rare local Cambridge Gage plum. It's semi-wild (ours had one thorn). It's almost a damson but not quite. (The ranger told us.)

Paul Davis