The once teal green and gray typewriter was made in Canada, many, many decades ago. Time has robbed it of its brand name and its true colors, the shiny sheen of its metal type bars giving way to rust.
It should have been headed for oblivion, joining others of its kind, lost in the transition of technology from one generation to the next, when older hands gave way to younger hands that have grown adept at using the computer.
But this one typewriter is beloved and takes pride of place in a memorabilia exhibition at the Far Eastern University (FEU), founded in 1933 and considered as one of the oldest schools along the University Belt in Manila. Across the typewriter’s metal plate that holds its type bars is the name of a man so honored in this exhibit room: Nick Joaquin/Quijano de Manila.