TERESITA “Tess” Meer, a retired faculty member who also served as president of the UST Graduate School Alumni Association, died on Sept. 1 due to colon cancer. She was 76.
Meer went through several rounds of chemotherapy and immunotherapy after she was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in August 2023, her granddaughter Jheraldine told the Varsitarian.
“She lived and fought for another year, still filled with optimism and unwavering faith,” she said. “Her last days against cancer were tough, but I like to remember her warmth and her smiling face.”
Meer graduated from the College of Education in 1969 with a degree in mathematics teaching. She finished her master’s in development education in 1995 and doctorate in development studies in 2003.
She became a faculty member, teaching math at the defunct Grade School from 1975 to 1995 before transferring to the Faculty of Pharmacy, wherein she shifted to Filipino and the social sciences.
In 2008, Meer was named a silver awardee in UST’s Research Recognition Awards. She was also recognized with the Outstanding Graduate School Alumni Award in 2018.
Meer retired from UST in 2013 after 38 years of teaching.
She thereafter held various positions in UST’s alumni associations: chair of the Graduate School Alumni Association (2023), president of the Graduate School Alumni and Grants Association (2015 – 2018), and treasurer and resource chair of the UST Alumni Association (2013).
“I like to remember her as someone who valued her passion and work, that even in retirement, she found ways to serve the Thomasian community through the alumni association,” Jheraldine, her granddaughter, said.
“Even when she was already sick, undergoing chemotherapy and immunocompromised, she still wanted to attend meetings. That’s how dedicated she was.”
Meer’s wake was held until Sept. 5 at St. Peter’s Chapel in Caloocan.
