Karl Malone and Hiroshi Magofuku | Kenji Kumasaka (Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies)
2004.07.01
On June 16, the NBA Finals came to a conclusion. The Detroit Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers by a wide margin of 100–87, becoming champions with a 4–1 series victory. Looking back, with their solid defense, I think it was a well-deserved result. Phil Jackson looked so uncool, you almost wanted to say, "How could they lose with that team?" They went all out for the win, bringing in not only Shaq and Kobe but also Gary Payton and, incredibly, even Karl Malone. But the misfortune, as it turned out, was Malone's. He left his eternal Utah Jazz and his partner Stockton, honestly yearning for a championship ring and joining the Lakers, only for it all to end with him unable to even play in the final game due to injury. I can't help but think that Malone would have been better off retiring with the Jazz, still part of that exquisite duo with Stockton. But the reason he betrayed that "eternity" was because he was just too great.
On June 17, Mr. Magofuku died.
I can't use a polished word like "passed away." His was a heroic death, and it must have been filled with regret. He called the ambulance himself, yet by the time he reached the hospital, it was already too late. He must have had the will to live and fulfill his duties to the very end. If he had still been at SFC, this surely wouldn't have happened. However, he was implored by the mayor of Yokohama to lead the reform of Yokohama City University, where he served as a reform leader, acclaimed as the most suitable person for the job. Moreover, he was passionate about reform, modeling it after SFC. I, too, went to help him, supporting Mr. Magofuku by touting the cutting-edge nature of SFC's curriculum at a reform meeting at the university. Yes, that certainly did happen. It was so recent, yet it feels like the distant past.
SFC was, after all, the right place for Mr. Magofuku. The dashing coolness with which he managed all of SFC as its Administrative Director at its opening in 1990 symbolized the smartness of Keio's administration, and his final appearance as an SFC professor, speaking on university administration, was overflowing with a passion for practical scholarship. So I won't say childish nonsense like he should have stayed at SFC. His end came at Yokohama City University, and that's fine. That was Mr. Magofuku. Because he was great, the next challenge was waiting for him.
(Date Published: 2004/07/01)