TKU’s Kendo Club held its annual alumni meeting at the Student Activity Center on March 26. On this day, club members, new and old, bade farewell to Wu Chin-pu, the club’s coach for 34 years, who would formally retire after this day. Nearly 100 members showed up for this touching occasion to show respect to their teacher and reminiscent on good times.

The Kendo Club is the oldest of this nature in Taiwan, which was set up in 1961 at Tamkang by Tong Kuao-chiang of the Chemistry Department, who was also present at the farewell party. He points out that this meeting was the biggest of all time, which simply demonstrated how important a teacher was in their tradition. He is proud that most members throughout the years have shown steady support to the university and the club.

The meeting was first opened by a two and half hours Kendo practice attended by alumni and current students alike. Alumni who had not practiced together for a long time enjoyed this occasion particularly. Coach Wu Chin-pu, who did not join the practice for the first time in his career, watched them carefully. As everyone knew that this would be the last time Coach Wu would be giving them any guidance, all members put on their best performance so as not to disappoint him. The atmosphere was calm and somber.

Coach Wu last words to them were not to forget the essence of Kendo, which was to always play offensively, in other words, it is about “play to win and win to play.” He was very pleased to see so many former students returning for his retirement party.

To show his pleasure, he sang two songs, his favorites—“London Bridge” and “Besame Mu-cho” to finish off the great evening. The final farewell was spoken as the students lined up in two lines to see him off into his car. Coach Wu, who has been known for his iron-man coaching style, waved to them with tears swayed to his eyes. ( ~Ying-hsueh Hu )