PETER’S PATTER — AUGUST 2015
Bridge Generation News
July 17th was the 40th anniversary of the annual “Pig Roast” (lechon) at the Danny Woo Community Garden in Seattle. The garden has been a godsend for the many elderly retired Asian Americans residing in the Chinatown/International District, giving them an opportunity to garden in a crowded urban environment. But until the addition of the “Pig Roast”, there wasn’t a special day to celebrate the garden, located only blocks from downtown. Enter the unofficial mayor of the C/ID, Bob Santos, who in 1975 came up with the idea for the annual lechon. To make sure the “Pig Roast” got off to a good start, Bob recruited this transplanted California country-boy to serve as special adviser during the celebration’s first few years. After looking at the accompanying picture of the delicious, ready to eat baboy, I’m sure you’ll agree it’s obvious my help is no longer needed…………… A beaming Eleanor (Oducayen) Nisperos of Oakland was recently honored by the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California. She was its first President when it was created in 1981. Since then she has been a role model for countless aspiring attorneys. Eleanor is married to Mike Nisperos, also a noted lawyer in his own right……….. Not to be outdone by NorCal, the SoCal community had its own judicial celebration with Governor Jerry Brown’s July 16th appointment of Julian Recana to Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge. This was not the first Recana to be appointed a judge by the Governor. During his first gubernatorial term in 1971, he appointed Recana’s father, Mel Recana, to LA County Superior Court Judge — the first Filipino American ever to serve in that capacity in the U.S………. Gloria (Balanon) Gates of Niles CA remembered attending an English-as-a-Second-Language workshop when the program was launched during the early 70s –- one of only two Filipina Americans at the statewide meeting. Ever since, she wondered if this meant they were the first Filipino American ESL teachers in California. Does anyone out there know the answer?…………. It seems like the Bridge Generation is also getting into the Filipino foodie craze: Walter Yuponco reported three Filipino restaurants recently opened in Orange County; Al Acena of San Mateo wrote that the owners of the well-known Los Angeles Republique Restaurant plan to establish upscale American food with a Filipino touch in the Philippines; and the appetites of a number of BG Filipino Americans were satisfied at the June pop-up event at the kamayan (hands optional) Pampalasa Restaurant in San Francisco……… More Filipino food news — When Pampalasa hosted the aforementioned pop-up event in conjunction with Philippine Independence Day, it quickly sold out. “Sold Out” pop-up events has also been the story at the Elysian Restaurant in Los Angeles’ Atwater Village. Finally, according to a CNN-TV poll which asked, “Which destination has the world’s best food?”, Filipino food ranked No. 2 — Taiwan was No. 1. After the Philippines came Italy, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Hong King, India, Greece, and Vietnam………. Echo Park Library in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown is the only public library in SoCal to provide a dedicated Filipino heritage collection. It consists of several hundred items on all aspects of Filipino life and culture………….. My, how the U.S. Navy has changed! Rear Admiral Victorino Mercado, born and raised in Oxnard CA, was recently named as Vice Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy for the U.S. Central Command. I spent four years in the Navy during 1948-52. Not once did I meet a Filipino naval officer, not even a lowest rank ensign; the only Filipinos I saw were white-hat sailors, mostly steward mates and cooks from the Philippines……….. San Francisco’s Victoria Manalo Draves Park, named in honor of the 1948 Olympics diver, will soon have a bronze plaque of the late champion at the front entrance to the park……….. This month’s peripatetic traveler is Seattle’s Larry Flores. During a ten day period in June he traveled to Stockton on June 5th, to Pista sa Nayon in Vallejo on June 6, back to Seattle and Pagdiriwang on June 7, to a mini-vacation in Maui the following day, and ending with a June 12 weekend wedding in Phoenix. Whew!………. Speaking of travel, if you ever visit Washington, D.C. I suggest you check out the Juanita Tamayo Lott Collection in the Library of Congress and the Rita M. Cacas Foundation. Juanita and Rita are also the co-authors of Filipinos in Washington, D.C………. Happy August Birthdays to: Richard Gacer, Beverley (Cabalar) DeToro, Herb Jamero, Nemisio Paredes, Mike Castillano, Terry (Cataag) Bautista, Tony Ogilvie, Roni (Roslinda) Calibjo, and Connie (Dacuyan) Gin-Alcordo.
Pinakbet – News Across the Country
Save the Dates — June 22-25, 2016: Members of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) are looking forward to its biennial national conference scheduled for the Big Apple — New York City. The host NYC chapter produced a professional promotional video that has generated great interest across the country. Under the leadership of chapter president Dr. Kevin Nadal, the nationally known psychologist, the conference will be held at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. You may remember Dr. Nadal as the person who initiated a national petition several years ago against ABC-TV because of disparaging comments its show Desperate Housewives made about Philippine medical schools. Theme for the conference is A Pinoy State of Mind: Building with Our Roots. More conference information to come in future columns…………… Marissa Castro-Salvati, Public Affairs Region Manager for Southern California Edison for the past 18 years, was featured on the cover of Business Life magazine — one of its 25th Annual Women Achievers. She’s come a long way from when I first met her in the ’70s as a young Los Angeles activist. Marissa went on to serve on the staff of former California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown before beginning her career with the utility industry…………. In Florida Anna Lopez Brosche was sworn in as a member of the Jacksonville City Council — the first Filipina American to hold the office. Duvall County, where Jacksonville is located, has the largest Filipino population of all counties in Florida………. Another East Coast city council member — Rolando Lavarro, Jersey City Council President……… Most golfing fans remember Jordan Spieth and his dramatic finish in the U.S. Open on June 21 at Chambers Bay WA. But Filipino golf enthusiasts remember Jason Day who was in contention for the lead before blowing up in the last round. The Filipino Australian collapsed with vertigo but was able to rally and finish 9th in the tournament with winnings of $235,000…………. Once an activist, always an activist — Rodel and Edna Rodis celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary on July 24 in front of St. Mary’s Cathedral and then walked a few blocks to the China Consulate to protest that country’s taking over several Philippine-owned islands in the West Philippine Sea. Currently a prominent San Francisco attorney, Rodel was a young long-haired firebrand and a leading anti-Marcos protester during the 1970s………… Netflix is bringing back the popular modern TV western “Longmire” co-starring Lou Diamond Phillips as the wise Cheyenne bartender. This reminds me of when I was privileged to attend a private party of Filipino Americans from the entertainment industry. At first I felt dwarfed by 6’2” Phillips, statuesque beauty Tia Carrere, and tall actor/director Dean Devlin. However, when I met the Senior Vice President of Sony Pictures, Fritz Friedman, I felt better. He and I saw eye-to-eye, if you get my drift…………. After being named principal dancer by the prestigious American Ballet Theatre on July 1, Stella Abrera became the first Filipina American to rise to the highest position for a ballet dancer. Her ascent follows the previous day’s naming of Misty Copeland as the first African American principal dancer with ABT. Congratulations to both of these classical artists……….. Cheryl Burke, a regular on TV’s “Dancing With The Stars”, decided she won’t be participating in the upcoming Miss USA Pageant. She is protesting pageant sponsor Donald Trump‘s racist rant against Mexicans. Good for you, Cheryl!……….. The recent victory of the U.S. women’s soccer team in the 2015 World Cup reminds me of Filipina American Tiffany Roberts, the great midfielder on the 1999 Championship team. The native Californian was a three-time Parade Magazine High School All-American and later became a founding player of the Women’s United Soccer Association — the first women’s pro soccer league in America……… Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City continues to add Filipino Americans to his administration. The latest — Maria Torres-Springer who was named to head the Small Business Services agency………. Californians, get ready to celebrate Larry D. Itliong Day on October 25. Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 7, sponsored by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, into law on June 30………. Darren Criss of TV’s “Glee” received a nomination for an Emmy TV award — not for his acting but for his original song in the show’s finale, “This Time”……….. Nayah Damasen, 10, of San Jose has to be the good luck charm for the National Basketball Association champion Golden State Warriors. Ten times she was chosen to sing the “Star Spangled Banner” during the 2015 season — nine times the Warriors won, including twice in the playoffs.
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