In memoriam: Pioneer member Servillano “Servil” Tan

We celebrate the fruitful life he lived, cherish the memories of his friendship, and thank him for his contributions to Zone V as one of our pioneering members. Servil succumbed to covid after 19 days of hospitalization, last New Year’s day, in California. According to Romy Morales, it was his first trip to the US, to join his daughter, who had petitioned him. Servil was a renowned and admired professional photographer in his prime years. His lasting impact is best gleaned from the words of his contemporaries in ZVCC.

“Servil was the epitome of the classic salon photographer and he was truly gifted with glib, that he used to succeed in his craft. Outside of portraiture, he was a deep photojournalist akin to the ways of the street. An icon, ZVCC’s pride.”

– Oscar Soriano

“Servil was a consummate photographer and brilliant conversationalist. He had photographed almost all kinds of people – from people on the streets to the most influential persons in (high) society… I will remember his laughter and the friendship we shared, when we were always clicking our cameras and the bottles of beer we downed while he talked and I listened most of the time.”

– Romy Morales

May you rest in peace Servil.