Through his Fine Arts class, Mr. Ngoka taught his Saint Augustine’s Grammar School students deep appreciation for shape, dimension, proportion, and complexity as common characteristics of both natural objects and those that owe their existence to human design. Above all, our esteemed instructor worked tirelessly to instill in us the twin habit of self-discipline and mental concentration both necessary to achieve accurate representation of objects through painting and drawing.

To the best of my recollection, Ivan Nworie was among the best, if not the very best of our 1970-74 cohort, in terms of his ability to meet Mr. Ngoka’s rigorous standards. You could see the budding artist in him — soft-spoken, very clean, quiet without being a push-over, and doggedly focused. It was almost impossible to distract Ivan when he was painting or drawing. The final products of his drawings were exceptionally tidy and almost picture-perfect. He was so good at what we called “shading” in Fine Arts class to the extent that he literally used pencil to make the objects of his drawings to come alive. Notably, Ivan was a well-rounded student as evidenced by his excellent performance in other subjects.

As an active member if the Scriptural Union (SU), Ivan further distinguished himself as both a role model and a leader in the context of SAGS student Christian groups. Along with Charles Agbasimelo, Ben Nwaneri and others, Ivan helped to organize evening prayers at the school Chapel. Thanks to his active involvement in the religious aspect of SAGS student life, he had a critical impact on the social climate that shaped our development as young people in those memorable post-civil war years at Saint Augustine.

Despite the fact that we never ran into each other after our graduation in 1974, l retain vivid memory of lvan as a consummate SAGS student - tidy from head to toe, self-confident, smart, disciplined, and forward-looking. May his gentle spirit rest in peace. Amen.