PETER’S PINOY PATTER — May 2022
Bridge Generation News
BG Personality of the Month, Richard (Dick) Supat, 92:
Dick’s life story could only happen in America. The eldest of nine children, he was born at home near the tiny town of Livingston CA on July 22, 1929 just before the October Wall Street crash that jump-started the Great Depression. His father, Simeon Supat, from the small Philippine island of Siquijor, had settled in Livingston via the sugar plantations of Hawaii, the asparagus fields of Stockton, and the sawmills of Sonora CA. His mother, Frances Sanchez, was born in Dos Cabezos in what then was the Territory of New Mexico but today is located in Arizona. Their divergent paths crossed in Livingston where they met, married in 1926, and raised their family.
Playing in country fields, swimming, hunting, fishing, and helping on the family truck farm constituted Dick’s formative years. Later, like many young pinoys during the Great Depression, he dropped out of high school to work on the family’s truck farm. Not yet physically mature as a teenager, he later labored alongside much older, more experienced, and skilled manongs in the grueling work of cutting asparagus. Inspired by the manongs, Dick would adopt the manongs’ strong work ethic and reputation for excellence to guide him. Moreover, years later as department supervisor, he regularly hired Filipinos away from menial work into less strenuous, higher paying jobs — knowing they would perform effectively and efficiently.
In 1950, curious about the world and convinced he had the potential for other work, Dick, along with fellow Bridge Generation “homie” Libby Bacaylan, enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was sent to Signal School in Japan to learn to be a radioman while Libby was assigned to the infantry. Little did they know they soon would be caught up in the Korean War that began on June 25 when the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) invaded South Korea by a mass crossing of the 38th parallel. Six days later on July 1, Dick’s unit was among the first to see combat during the United Nations successful defense of the Pusan Perimeter. Once, he and another soldier were separated from their unit — caught in the crossfire between the UN/US and the NKPA. Luckily, they escaped when an American tank came to their rescue. Upon reuniting with their unit, however, they learned half of their unit were killed in action. Dick also escaped from what he first believed would be the end of his life. As he was riding on the passenger side, a fully armed NKPA soldier suddenly jumped onto the running board. The enemy soldier only wanted to surrender!
Dick was assigned to an artillery battalion that saw heavy action through the toughest chapters of the Korean War. Not only did they battle the NKPA in Pusan, they later fought the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) after US and UN troops crossed the 38th parallel that divided North and South Korea. The fighting was so fierce that the battalion were forced to crisscross the 38th parallel four times, as they alternately advanced and retreated. Dick recalled, “There were times of total fear for my life but I was not alone. If I failed to do my job, that meant that somewhere down the line many of our troops were going to get hurt or worse.”
At the same time, Libby’s infantry unit found themselves trapped by CCF troops in freezing weather during the disastrous Battle of Chosin Reservoir. Libby was captured and died of starvation in a Chinese prison camp. Today, his death is commemorated on a Merced County Park plaque honoring those county residents who gave their lives for their country. Dick went through the Korean War unscathed. For his service in Korea, Sergeant Supat received two Bronze Stars for meritorious service for maintaining communications under battle conditions.
Upon his return home Dick participated in the testing of the atomic bomb in Nevada. He remembers the bomb’s awesome destructiveness, as it left huge craters and mushroom clouds that could be seen hundreds of miles away.
Dick took full advantage of educational benefits available with the Army. He earned a high school degree and took other subjects of personal interest. Following his honorable discharge in May 1952, he took classes in business law, electronics, economics, political science, and psychology. His accumulated education enabled him to land an entry level position with the California Department of Food and Agriculture. He was quickly promoted to a number of jobs, finally rising to department manager.
Dick’s meteoric rise through department ranks was largely due to a series of special assignments he was entrusted to undertake by his superiors. Of most significance was his work with the wine industry. It began in 1971 when his audit of tomato trucks owned by a U.S. Congressman revealed that the tomatoes were never inspected as required by law. He then led the investigation into the questionable practices of a winery that resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of its owners. After Dick’s auditing successes, the department looked to him in resolving issues within the wine industry. He became involved in department policy making and worked closely with wine industry leaders and university researchers. With a firm handshake and wearing cowboy boots, he also won the trust of Central Valley wine industry farmers who were partial to western wear.
His rise within the department was not without its problems. Early on he was told he could only rise so far — the department preferred White men to fill senior positions. Confident in his capabilities, Dick did not heed the advice, choosing to let his performance speak for itself. When his excellent audit was called to the attention of headquarters, promotions came quickly. He enjoyed his job, but did not like the politics that often accompanied it. So when Dick was urged to compete for Bureau Chief, he declined because of the position’s politics. After forty years with the department, Dick received a “Golden Handshake” early retirement in 1996.
His June 1953 marriage to Dolores Rosales of Stockton CA produced four boys and a daughter. For ten years Dick and Dolores, a nuclear medicine technologist, sponsored a softball team established by their boys — “The South Sacramento Brothers.” (The boys’ athleticism was undoubtedly inherited from Dick — the former hard-hitting left fielder of the Livingston Youth Club “Dragons.”) The team won four successive championships at the annual Livingston Slow Pitch Tournament, much to Dick’s pleasure.
Today, content in retirement, Dick and Dolores continue to live quietly in the same Sacramento home they have resided in for years. A life well lived!
Passages:
Patricio “Pat” Surigao Gemoya Sr, 90, passed away on Saturday, February 19, 2022, with his wife Dolores and family by his side at his Fremont CA home. A beloved husband, he was the father of six children, grandfather to 13, and great grandfather to 18………… On March 10, 2022, Virginia (Robles) Yngojo, 93, passed away in North Plainfield, NJ. Virginia was born on September 30, 1928, in San Francisco — the eldest of ten children.
Happy May Birthdays To: Bernie Cantil, Jeannette (Castillano) Tiffany, Jose Fidel, Irene (Plaza) Edralin, Walter Yuponco
Pinakbet — News Across America
Filipino American Historical Tidbits:
On November 10, 2020, the City of Watsonville CA officially apologized to the Filipino community for the 1930 anti-Filipino riots that resulted in the murder in farmworker Fermin Tobera.
Did You Know:
College and pro basketball star, Raymond Townsend is well-known to most Filipino Americans. But to basketball insiders, his brother, Kurtis Townsend, the longtime assistant coach of NCAA champion University of Kansas, is equally well known…………… On March 8, openly gay high school teacher Ty Penserga was elected Mayor of Boynton Beach FL — the first LGBTQ and first Filipino/Asian American to accede to mayor of this city of 80,000………… In December New York City Mayor Eric Adams appointed Maria Torres-Springer Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development.
Musings
White Supremacy in America, (to) It Has Always Been About People of Color, (to) Equitable Justice for People of Color, (to) Multi-ethnic Democracy Weakened, Part XX:
Does American indifference regarding threats to democracy mean the U.S. is destined to become an autocracy? Maybe: With the February 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine, a larger, more serious threat to democracy has emerged — not only to American democracy but to global democracy. The official U.S. response to Russia’s invasion has been swift, providing arms, munitions, materials, and money — not unlike federal action immediately following the onset of World War II. Sadly, most Americans have not followed suit. We appear to be more concerned about the pandemic, the price of gasoline, and the economy — not about the greater threat to world democracy, especially our own.
Will People of Color continue to be devalued? Yes: There is nothing to suggest remedial actions will be taken to provide increased equitability and protections for POC. Congress has refused to take action on freedom to vote legislation. It now is up to civil rights organizations to deal with the proliferation of anti-voting legislation by Republican-controlled state legislatures. Congress also has not acted on restoring civil rights provisions greatly weakened by the Trump Administration, nor has it acted on immigration reform, gun control, and climate change — all issues that disproportionately impact People of Color.
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