FOR MORE than a decade, the Facebook page “The Nostalgic Thomasian” has brought old photographs, forgotten campus lore and memories of generations of Thomasians back to life. Behind it is UST Department of History instructor John “Rancho” Arcilla, who created the page as an 18-year-old student in 2013.
What began as a personal project on University history has since grown into a community-driven archive, with alumni sending Arcilla photographs and stories documenting Thomasian life across generations.
Arcilla was an Asian studies junior when he started “Nostalgic Thomasian,” at a time when personal blogging was popular.
Combining his interest in history with his skills in photo restoration, he initially filled the page with formal, academic posts about UST’s colonial history, including popes, Spanish kings and royal decrees, using materials available in University archives and libraries.
“Noong una, katuwaan lang talaga siya, pero I never realized that it would become so serious over time,” Arcilla told the Varsitarian.
(At first, it was really just for fun, but I never realized that it would become so serious over time.)
Over the next 13 years, alumni began sending Arcilla personal photographs and recollections, gradually transforming “Nostalgic Thomasian” from a historical blog into an archive of everyday Thomasian culture.
The submissions expanded the page beyond official University history to memories of student life, including the streets, establishments and experiences familiar to generations of Thomasians. It now has 62,000 followers.
Viral pieces include a photo of the old Art Deco-style gymnasium demolished in 2011 to give way to the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Alumni Center Building, a 1978 Education High School yearbook photo of actor Albert Martinez, and long-haired architecture and fine arts students from the 1970s originally posted by another page, “UST Valiant Legions.”
For Arcilla, who had worked as an archivist for the Intramuros Administration, documenting that history requires more than consulting archival sources. Familiarity with Thomasian student life also helps him assess the stories and material submitted to the page.
“Very important na you were actually there, tatambay ka sa Dapitan, na-experience mo ang Asturias [Street], na-experience mo ’yong P. Noval [Street] for you to have a proper appreciation of the content, and for you to be able to verify,” he said.
(It’s very important that you were actually there, hanging out at Dapitan, experiencing Asturias Street and P. Noval Street, for you to have a proper appreciation of the content and to be able to verify it.)
As the page evolved, so did Arcilla’s writing.
Even as he earned his master’s and began pursuing a doctorate in the University of the Philippines, he deliberately moved away from the academic tone of his early posts and adopted the humor and familiarity that he believed better reflected how Thomasians interacted with one another.
“Over time, ‘yong tone ng pagsulat ko [ay] naging very informal, parang nang-aasar na. Because that’s what we are. Thomasians in real life are not serious. Thomasians in real life have humor, we are very familiar with each other, we are friendly, and we’re outgoing,” Arcilla said.
(Over time, the tone of my writing became very informal, almost teasing.)
More than a decade after Arcilla started the page as a student project, “Nostalgic Thomasian” now draws much of its material from the community whose history it seeks to preserve.
For Arcilla, the photographs and recollections shared by alumni allow personal memories to become part of a larger record of Thomasian life.
“UST is really bigger than all of us, and it’s such an honor that I’m able to contribute, even if this is just a small contribution, towards the nourishment of a community dedicated to the sharing of memories,” he said.
“The memory will live on. It promotes the sharing of memories, the continuity of oral traditions, and the continuity of stories,” Arcilla added. Alejandro Mari E. Eusebio
