PETER’S PINOY PATTER — MAY 2018
Bridge Generation News
Bridge Generation Personality of the Month: Jocelyn “Joling” (Mercado) Revilla, 86, San Bruno CA — Joling spent nearly half her life working as personal secretary to iconic San Francisco attorney Melvin Belli. So when I interviewed her on March 9, it was not surprising that much of our discussion centered around her many years of working for “The lawyer of famous people.” Soon after working for Belli in 1959 she remembered seeing movie star Errol Flynn sitting in the waiting room. The swashbuckling leading man of 1930-40s Hollywood films looked nothing like his movies. Instead, he sported a red, bulbous nose — presumably from his oft-reported predilection for liquor. Other movie stars gracing the Belli waiting room over the years were Mae West, Marie McDonald, Lana Turner, Elizabeth Taylor, Tony Curtis, Jayne Mansfield, and Sterling Hayden plus headliners like the Dalai Lama, Jonas Salk, Alex Haley, Carol Doda, and Wayne Newton — not to mention the infamous Zodiac Killer. While Belli was measured and articulate in courtroom defenses of his clients, he could be volatile and unpredictable in the office. Joling recalls being fired several times but always being immediately rehired! At the same time he was known for his generosity towards his staff (she was a frequent recipient). Born on September 7, 1931 in Stockton, Joling was the oldest girl of seven children of Cebu natives John and Patricia (Bayhon) Mercado. Like many Great Depression BG children, her growing up years were in campos where her contractor father was in charge of manong farm workers. Joling reminisced she “would like to live her life over again”. She admitted to being a tomboy since her only playmates were two older brothers with whom she often went swimming in nearby rivers. As a teenager she was a member of the Stockton Filipino Catholic Youth Society Padres. Outgoing and fun-loving, Joling never had a problem making friends — several were helpful to her subsequent education and career. One friend suggested she attend the University of Oregon. (To this day she still doesn’t understand how she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree since she often partied at UO.) Following graduation, she returned to Stockton but was faced with the daunting task of finding a job during times when employment for women was scarce — even for those with a college degree. Another friend came to her rescue, suggesting Joling attend Armstrong Business College where she learned shorthand. Armed with her new skill, she got a job at a prestigious Stockton law firm which eventually led to her work as legal secretary for Belli. In 1958 she married William “Bill” Revilla after a brief courtship. Two children, William Jr. and Patricia, resulted from their union. After their retirement she and Bill were regular attendees at BG Grand Reunions. What was Joling like at these old-timer events? She was still the same outgoing and fun-loving person I remembered from the old days…………….. Sad to report on the passing of several Bridge Generation Filipino Americans. Jean (Galanida) Cabrillas, 82, went to her maker on February 11 in Pahrump NV. The second child of James and Emma Galanida — from the Philippines and Canada respectively — Jean was born on December 26, 1935 in Calexico CA but lived most of her early years elsewhere in California. She met and married Joe Cabrillas in 1952 after graduating from Livingston High School. Conditioned to toiling in strawberry fields as a youth, Jean was hard-working as an adult. She worked for Pacific Gas and Electric in Sacramento for 25 years. She also attended cosmetology school and barber school, which enabled her to work alongside her barber husband. Jean was also known as an excellent homemaker. A skilled cook of Filipino and American dishes, she also upholstered furniture and sewed garments, curtains, and pillow covers. Following their retirement, Jean and Joe traveled America in their RV and spent several years on the Big Island of Hawaii. They finally settled in Pahrump NV in 2000 where they built their retirement home. Jean is survived by her husband Joe; three daughters Jo, Chris, and Carol; seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren…………. Widely credited as the founder of the largest Filipino community building complex in America,
Jose Agaton Bernardo, 89, died on February 28 in Stockton. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy at 17 and saw service in World War II and the Korean War. After earning a degree in engineering, Jose owned and operated JB Construction and Engineering Company for 30 years. In 1972, Jose founded the Filipino Center Building and Plaza — among the tallest buildings in downtown Stockton. He remained active in the management of the eight story, 128 unit, affordable low-income building and plaza until his death. Dedicated to community service, Jose served on numerous boards and commissions including the California State Contractors Licensing Board, California Human Development Corporation, Governing Board of the Stockton Unified School District, San Joaquin Civil Service Commission, and Associated Filipino Organizations of San Joaquin County. In recognition of his long community service he was awarded a Doctor of Human Letters by California State University Stanislaus in 2010…………… Manuel Gallardo Revillar Jr., 87, affectionately known as “Meatball” by his friends, passed away on March 7. Born on January 24, 1931, the third in a family of thirteen children, he spent virtually all his life as a resident of Stockton. He was a member of the Stockton Filipino Youth Club Padres as a teenager and worked for 32 years with the California Department of Transportation until his retirement. Manuel and Donna, his wife of 64 years, served on several old-timer Grand Reunion committees beginning in 1989. In addition to Donna, he is survived by three children, eight grandchildren, sixteen great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild……………….. David Magdael of Los Angeles, son of the late Bridge Generation Filipina American Angelina Magdael, has attended every Oscar ceremony for decades. As President and CEO of his own full service entertainment/public relations company, the Oscars have been a great opportunity to meet with other filmmakers, to develop business contacts, and hobnob with Hollywood celebrities…………….. Happy May Birthdays to: Wilma (Bucariza) Aguinid, Bernie Cantil, Jeannette (Castillano) Tiffany, Jose Fidel, Plorenze “Jack” Hipolito, Irene (Plaza) Edralin, Esther (Navarro) Romero, Walter Yuponco.
Pinakbet — News Across America
Brooklyn born Robert Lopez and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez won another Oscar on March 4 for Best Original Song “Remember Me” from the animated motion picture Coco. Before the win he was one of 13 individuals (including Mel Brooks, Rita Moreno, Whoopie Goldberg) who won at least one EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) Award. Now Robert is the only person with a double EGOT. Only 43 of age, he is young enough to win even more awards. That may come about before long. The Lopez’s were recently commissioned to compose several songs for a Broadway version of the 2013 movie hit Frozen………….. Anthony Francisco, costume designer for Marvel Studios, drew on his Filipino background in designing the costumes for the Dora Milaji women warrior bodyguards for the King of the mythical African country of Wakanda in the megahit movie “Black Panther”. Another pinoy, Rodney Fuentebella, served as concept illustrator for the Kilmonger and T’Chaka characters in the movie…………… Kudos to Nestor Enriquez of Jersey City, New Jersey for his groundbreaking research on Filipino participation during the Civil War. His latest work is on Felix Cornelius Baldberry who fought for the Union Army from 1863 to 1866………………. Steve R. McQueen of television’s The Vampire Diaries is the grandson of Philippine born Neile Adams and legendary 1960s movie star Steve McQueen……………. FA History Trivia: During the 1930-40s, farm worker manongs routinely filled the Stockton Civic Auditorium and other West Coast wrestling venues to watch Filipino “rassler” Pantaleon Manlapig pummel his hapless opponents…………….. Answer to last month’s FA Trivia Question: Ceferino Garcia (Who won the world middleweight boxing championship in 1939?). Congratulations to author/professor Peter Bacho for the first person to correctly answer the question.
Musings
Countdown: Minus 1 month — For FANHS Board of Trustees, who have program and fiduciary responsibilities, to provide critically needed financing to assure keeping open its FANHS National Museum in Stockton — the historic center of Filipino immigration……………… Yay for California cities: After last year’s mass removal of statues of Confederate heroes in the Deep South, the Northern California city of Arcata took down the statue of former U.S. President William McKinley in the town square. Readers may recall McKinley presided over the widespread annexation of Native American lands in the U.S. then globally in Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines in 1898. He presided over the bloody three-year Philippine American War that soon followed which killed 20,000 Filipino combatants and 4,200 American soldiers with another 200,000 Filipino civilian deaths. And in a similar move, San Francisco removed the statue of Spanish conquerors standing over a fallen, emaciated Native American that stood for decades in its Civic Center. It takes courage for politicians to act. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu exemplified that courage when he spoke last May at the culmination of Take ‘Em Down NOLA’s successful campaign to dismantle the remaining Confederate monuments in his historic city.
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