Peter Jamero – peter jamero

Bridge Generation News

BG Personality of the Month: Lois (Magaoay) Sahyoun, 79, Stockton CA:

Born on August 24, 1945 in Ketchikan AK– the daughter of a Filipino father, Lorenzo Magaoay from the Ilocos, and Norwegian mother, Ducea Frieda Swemming, of a multi-generational Ketchikan family — Lois spent her formative years in remote Ketchikan AK. Her parents met on nearby Annette Island when her father was a member of the U.S. Coast Guard. To its credit, Lois’ Norwegian family accepted her father immediately.

For years Ketchikan, was known as “the salmon cannery capital of the world” with thirteen canneries. (Today, it is down to one cannery.) Filipinos have always predominated in the cannery work force. Lois and her younger brother were often brought by their father to social events at the cannery. In addition to what she learned about her Filipino heritage from her father, Lois owes her formative cultural knowledge to these cannery workers. Of particular help was camp cook Claro Candelario, Stockton CA labor leader and restaurant owner, who took an interest in the outgoing Lois and her brother, introducing them to Filipino foods, customs, and history.

In 1962-63, Lois spent her junior and senior years at Edison High School in Stockton CA. Considering the contrast between tiny Ketchikan and urban Stockton, she made a positive adjustment to her new home and school; perhaps helped by an earlier 1959 visit to Stockton. Most significant in her positive adjustment, however, was her multi-cultural experiences in Ketchikan. She is part Tlingit, a recognized indigenous Alaskan tribe. As it turned out, her new classmates were as curious about her background as she was about the multi-ethnic students of South Stockton!

In 1966 Lois began work with the San Joaquin County Welfare Department in the stenographer pool. She was subsequently promoted to a clerical position in the Office of the Board of Supervisors in the early 1970s. In 1979 former County Supervisor and then U.S. Congressman Norman Shumway hired her to coordinate his congressional district which spread north to the Oregon border with offices in Stockton and Auburn. After Congressman Shumway left the House of Representatives, Lois returned to the Board of Supervisors as its administrative manager in 1991. In 1993 she was appointed Clerk, Board of Supervisors. She retired in January 2013 after working for San Joaquin County for 33 years.

In retirement, Lois did not immediately live a life of ease. Instead, she began volunteering at the county offices! Over her many years with the county, Lois had collected fragments of San Joaquin County history found packed away in various storerooms in county buildings. She took on the daunting task of categorizing and preserving the history. Her motivation for taking on the task? — her father and other Filipinos! She had noticed that the county’s history rarely included people of color. Her volunteer project will recognize Filipinos. Lois said, “My father and other Filipinos were part of San Joaquin County history too!”

Lois is a long time board member of the Associated Filipino Organizations, an umbrella organization of Filipino organizations, board member of the Central Valley Asian Chamber of Commerce, and Parks and Recreation member. In retirement, she is particularly pleased she can continue to enjoy her three children who live nearby. (Acknowledgments: Wikipedia/Google, FANHS Museum presentation on Alaskeros, Sept/Oct interviews.)

Passings:

Joe Talaugon, 94, died peacefully with his family surrounding him at his home in Guadalupe CA on September 1, 2024. Of Filipino and Chumash Indian descent, he was instrumental in the establishment of a marker commemorating the first landing of Filipinos on American soil at Morro Bay CA on October 18, 1587. He and his late wife, the former Margie Cabatuan, also established The Guadalupe Cultural Arts and Education Center. (See my July 2024 blog, peterjamero.net.)

Among the casualties of the deadly August 2023 Maui firestorm that destroyed 80% of the historic town of Lahaina HI was Fred Baltonado, 83, Lahaina native and husband of my cousin, the former Nancy Galanida. Making sure he first got his multi-generational family household out of the two story home he and Nancy built, Fred, wearing only undergarments, sustained severe burns which necessitated spending five months in a Honolulu Burn Center. In January 2024 he was transported by Air Ambulance to California to be closer to their second home in San Ramon. There, he spent the past seven months in hospitals, rehab center, and healthcare center before succumbing to his burns. Nancy was by his side everyday. Throughout his ordeal, Fred never complained and always had a positive attitude.

Fred was born on January 21, 1941 in Lahaina, to Elias and Gertrudes Baltonado, the youngest of an eleven member blended family — two brothers and eight sisters. He grew up and lived on a sugarcane plantation. After graduating from Lahainaluna High School in 1959 he enlisted in the Army and spent most of his enlistment in Germany. He returned to Maui where he worked in the pineapple cannery before realizing that Maui was too confining. He moved to the bay area, learned body and fender repair work in Hayward CA, which became his career for the next forty years.

Working in Hayward was fortuitous. In the early 1960s Fred met Nancy through mutual friends. A 1966 wedding that subsequently produced two boys — Andrew and Kevin — began a happy marriage of 58 years. They both liked to travel. After Fred’s retirement in 2007 they traveled to Mexico, Costa Rica, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Italy, Canada and cruised to the Eastern Caribbean, Mexico and Alaska. After Nancy retired, they regularly spent six months on Maui. Rotating every three months, they wanted to spend the holidays with their grandchildren: Cheyenne, Sage, Kaya and Kingston and great grandson; Finn.

Happy November Birthdays:

Connie (Adlao) Suan, Gregg Bambo, Carol (Labuga) Holcomb.

Pinakbet — News From Across America

F/A Historical Tidbits:

During the 1940s dalagas from the greater Los Angeles area were often used by the movies as extras in filming movies set in the South Seas or in World War II movies set in the Philippines.

Did You Know:

The late Paul Paular of Torrence CA, manager of the structural analysis engineering team at Northrop Grumman in developing the B2 “Stealth” bomber, could not speak about it to anyone because of the bomber’s top secret classification.

Meet Pamela Bulahan, 61, Isleton CA:

Named Mayor of Isleton CA in January 10, 2023, Pam became the first Filipina American to accede to the top position in the tiny California Delta historical city (pop. 800). It was a twelve year journey up the political ladder. In 1997 she was appointed as City Treasurer and remained in the position until 20111 when she filled a vacancy for city council.

Pam was born in Lodi on September 12, 1962, the only daughter of Visayan parents from Siquijor, Philippines. A graduate of Rio Vista High School, Delta College, and Sacramento State University, she went on to work at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento. Since then, she has managed the Turtle Island Art Treasures shop in Isleton.

She served as President of the Isleton Filipino Community from 1987 to 1999 and currently is a member of the Isleton Historical Society. (Acknowledgments: July 2024 interview; Google.)

Passings

Francisco “Frankie” Irigon, 77, activist and Seattle Chinatown/International District (C/ID) community leader, died September 12 from heart disease. Frankie got his start as a student activist in the anti-war and Asian American movements in the 1970s against the proposed Kingdome, which activists warned would devastate the C/ID — the historic home of Seattle’s Asian Pacific community. In the ensuing years, there was not a C/ID protest in which Frankie was not involved in. Until the last years of his life, he continued advocating for the C/ID.

Musings

“Kamala Harris is the only choice.” The New York Times Sept 30’s endorsement cites Harris’ plans for the economy, health care, foreign policy and immigration as reasons for selecting her over Trump……….Moreover, his operational incompetence, mercurial temperament, plans, and outright recklessness often led to bad outcomes.”

“It doesn’t matter if you lose, it doesn’t matter if you win, you’ve got to fight like hell.” Trump’s January 6, 2020 orders to his MAGA followers that led to to the assault on the nation’s capitol is alive and well. Today, Trump’s objective is to become “dictator on day one.” He doesn’t really care about policy, democracy, or reproductive rights. He only wants the power the presidency will give him. He plans to create chaos in 2024, should he not win, and has instructed his MAGA followers accordingly. The seven battleground states critical to winning the Electoral College will be bombarded by allegations of voter fraud, delays in certifying state votes will occur, violence will ensue, chaos will be rampant.

As this column goes to press, Harris and Trump are in a virtual tie in the seven battleground states. I would have thought Harris would be way ahead. Is it because of White majority fears of “The Browning of America” and the continuing loss of White influence? (See my August column.)

Federal, state, and local governments are prepared for the MAGA forces. The best defense, however, is to hand Trump such a resounding defeat at the polls on November 5, he will have no choice but to accept defeat.

VOTE FOR KAMALA HARRIS AND SAVE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

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