In memory of Salve Peña Neelankavil (GS 61| HS 65)
A dear wife to James, mother of Angel, Prince, and Erica, and grandmother of Ivan and Elsa.
Taken from us four years ago on January 5, 2019.
When deciding to have Salve’s name memorialized, it was an easy decision for us to offer to set up a memorial fund to sponsor the high school education of young girls at St. Scholastica’s College, Manila (SSC). She entered SSC as a kindergartener and spent the next eleven years there. Salve always talked fondly of her time at the school, praising the quality of the education she received, the friends she made at the school (a few of them became her BFFs and lifelong friends), the wonderful teachers that she met there (including some nuns that she kept in touch with all her life), the various extracurricular activities that she participated in, and the fun time she had during her school days.
After finishing high school at SSC, Salve enrolled at St. Theresa’s College to pursue a business degree. After earning her BBA, she went to the US to pursue an MBA at the University of Santa Clara, a Jesuit school in California. She married in 1973, after which she accompanied her husband James to the US. In the US, her first job was with UNICEF. Salve’s first assignment was in the department of accounting.
Within a few years, she was promoted to the position of Deputy Treasurer in the treasury department. Her last ten years were spent in the finance department as Finance Officer in the contribution department. Salve liked working for UNICEF because she felt that her work there helped the children of the world, especially in developing countries. She retired from UNICEF after working there for thirty-five years.
We know that Salve would have wanted to continue helping young children in the Philippines. Melding her happy memories as a loyal Scholastican with her faith in the benefits of educating young girls during their formative years in high school, it is the privilege of the Neelankavil family: Dr. James PaulNeelankavil, his children, AngelP. Neelankavil, spouses Prince P. Neelankavil and Erica Rivinoja Neelankavil, and grandchildren, Ivan, and Elsa, to establish the Daughters Blue & True Scholarship in memory of Salve Peña Neelankavil, under the stewardship of St. Scholastica Alumnae Foundation, Inc. (SSAFI). We are grateful to St. Scholastica’s College, Manila, and to SSAFI for allowing us this honor.
The DBT HS scholarship under Salve’s name will initially provide four (4) scholars a full 4-year HS education in St. Scholastica’s Manila. Photos are from Mike Palileo, Salve’s bosom friend.
Celebrating Mother’s Day 2018 with the family – Salve & James in the center.
Throwback Thursday. Happy seniors in high school on Marylike Day, St. Scho, 1965, which explains the long sleeves. My group, the “Bon Vivants”: L to R: Mike Palileo, Didit Araneta, Dinty Barredo, Nita Claravall, and Salve Peña.
