Open Letter to Master Julio Camacho

The letter remembers Master Julio Camacho as a teacher who stayed present through illness, setbacks, and criticism. It presents him as someone who invested in people, saw what places and students could become, and kept his commitment even when others did not.

It also recalls the writer’s own family hardship, the lessons learned from his father, and the way those memories shaped his gratitude toward Camacho. The letter ends by thanking him for changing lives and for teaching by example.

Reading notes

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• The writer addresses Camacho as Si Fu and frames the text as a public thank-you.
• He recalls living with his parents, grandparents, and sister after losing housing in 1994.
• He links that memory to his father’s saying that people are easy to find when they are doing well, but not when they are struggling.
• He says Camacho’s recent years were difficult and that it was hard for him to see him sick, tired, or worried.
• He says Camacho inspired people and stayed available to those who called him Si Hing or Si Fu.
• He describes Camacho as someone who could see what things and people could become.
• He says Camacho cared about each student’s home and family, even when their problems seemed minor.
• He recalls Camacho as a person whose dream became shared by everyone around him.
• He says Camacho never turned his back on him in 15 years.
• He credits Camacho with teaching him how to dress, what to value, and how to think about authenticity.
• He notes that Camacho invited him to travel, and that he later realized he had not taken up those chances.
• He says many people judged Camacho unfairly, but others defended him and valued his effort.
• He recalls a talk where only two people showed up, and a student urged Camacho to focus on who was there.
• He says he kept disagreeing with Camacho on some things while still admiring him.
• He connects the letter to a reflection on Ip Man’s life and on hardship within a family during invasion.
• He ends by saying the worst period is passing and that he and others are still with Camacho.