Dr. Kayode J Fakinlede (1962 – 1966; SJC 258) CEO – ALA LABORATORIES, AKURE

It was a nice thrill. All we had to do was climb the ladder to the first floor of the yet-to-be-completed Novitiate building and jump down to the ground. There were about seven or eight of us. We really did not have to land on the ground. There was a mound of soil on which we landed and rolled to the ground.
I did it once but was too scared to do it again. John, having done this more than once and thoroughly enjoying it, encouraged me to try again but I would not bulge.
Afar off, close to the lavatory, and coming in our direction, was Brother Thomas. I guess he must have looked around in the assembly and noticed quite a few of us missing. By the time we saw the white gown from the first floor of the building, it was too late for us to come down the ladder. The ladder was facing the direction from where Brother Thomas was coming. About four or five of us, courageous enough to jump down from the opposite side, did so and hightailed it to the bush. I, and about three chicken-livered students, were stuck. We could not come down. We, therefore, pinned ourselves to the floor of the deck, praying that he would not climb the ladder.
For some reason, Brother Thomas did not climb the ladder. Rather, he kept on calling on us to come down and threatening that he would climb the ladder if we did not. We did not. And he did not climb the ladder! I guess he thought that if he did, we might be forced to jump and injure ourselves.
After a few minutes, he decided to leave us alone. We were watching him till he got to the lavatory again, hanging the sweater of one of us he had picked up, on a tree. We quickly came down the ladder and headed to the assembly.
I said to myself. What if he had decided to climb the ladder? I probably would have ended up with a broken arm.
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 90th BIRTHDAY!

The Caged Python
Dr. Kayode J Fakinlede (1962 – 1966; SJC 258) CEO – ALA LABORATORIES, AKURE
I did not have an outstanding talent of any sort. I just happened to be the first second-year student Brother Thomas and the Biology Lab keeper came across while looking for someone to help in cleaning the biology laboratory. And so it was that for the next two years plus, I was in charge of taking care of the lab.
Our biology lab was an interesting place. We had animals of all kinds including snakes, captured on our school ground and even elsewhere. We even had a tank with a small alligator in it. Another one had a small python, captured by Mr. Beatty and Brother Thomas while they were on their way to the Eastern part of our country.
For quite some time, the python would not eat. We even had a chicken placed in its cage, hoping that it would strangle and eat it. But nothing.
We also used the biology lab as an entrance examination center for incoming students.
On this day, while the place was packed with prospective students. Brother Thomas was the supervisor, and I was in there to just wait around for the exam to end so I could start cleaning later. Brother Thomas opened the python’s cage and began to caress its uplifted head. Nothing happened.
This gave me the impetus to stick my own hand into the python’s cage, a thing I would not ordinarily do. And for whatever reason, the snake seemed to differentiate my hand from that of Brother Thomas – and struck.
I screamed. Some of the students taking the exam looked back to see what the commotion was.
Brother Thomas laughed!! I thought he was crazy. He asked to see the finger where the snake was supposed to have bitten me. I showed him a red mark which, at first glance, I had thought were made by the fangs of the snake. It turned out that it was really a mark made previously by a red ballpoint pen
Brother Thomas then told me that that snake did not actually bite me but only struck. Its fangs, he explained to me were curved inwards and were incapable of biting its prey but were used only to hold its prey as it was being swallowed. A lesson I will never forget.