Tribute to Dr. Fred Cordova

This is a belated post that I meant to publish in early 2014...

If there was any book that changed my life, this was it:

Sadly, the author, Fred Cordova passed away a few days before Christmas and after hearing the news, it really  hit me how much his book made an impact on me more than twenty years ago...

When my best friend N and I were in college, she borrowed  the book that you see above, from the USC library. We both pored over the pages upon pages of sepia and black and white photos of Filipinos dating from the early 1900's up to the 1960's. We were fascinated and amazed that Filipinos have been in the U.S. for quite awhile. One photo in particular showed the now torn down Manila Village in the bayous of Louisiana, where Filipinos settled in the late 1760's as a result of jumping ship from the Manila Galleons.

As young second generation Filipina Americans, N and I were not exposed to the contributions of Filipinos in American history.  Ethnic history was at best, marginalized and at worst, completely excised and not recognized as worthy of inclusion. Images of Filipino pensionados (government sponsored students) who sailed to America on steam ships, Post World War II Navy men like our fathers, the sakadas who picked pineapples in Hawaii, the farmworkers (aka "manongs") and  who toiled up and down the West coast  picking fruits and vegetables in the fields during the Great Depression and so on.

Unbeknownst to us, the book had accompanied a traveling exhibit with the photos during the late 80's and early 90's. We didn't know about it and if we had, would probably have gone to see it.

The numerous images of Filipinos in the book stayed with me. I kept thinking about how much I knew about American history as well as African American History (one of my minors in college) but very little about MY history. Even though I was a college student, then later, a grad student, I resolved to learn more about my heritage as  Filipina American based on the content of Fred Cordova's book. Already a burgeoning book collector, with my meager savings, I bought a few books here and there about Filipino American history. I even managed to buy a copy of Cordova's book and it is still one of my most treasured volumes in my personal library.

Fred Cordova wore many hats. Not only a historian, he was one of the co-founders of the Filipino American National Historical Society, National Chapter. I first joined the national chapter prior to San Diego's chapter (formed in 1995). Since the 1960's, he trained youth to perform cultural dances and drill team moves for the Filipino Youth Activities organization in Seattle. He was a deacon at his Catholic church. He was a devoted father and husband, a proud grandfather, a kindly uncle. He was an eloquent writer and fascinating teller of stories.  He was a passionate speaker at educational conferences.

Two decades ago in 1994. I was just a newly hired educator and attended the Filipino American Educators Assocation of California (FAEAC) conference which was in Stockton (Fred's birthplace) that year. It was my first conference and I was excited to see that a workshop featuring Cordova and the newly released documentary, "Filipino Americans - Discovering their past for the future". It was like meeting a rock star when I met Fred Cordova for the first time and had him sign my book (below):

It was such a pleasure meeting Fred (affectionately known as "Uncle" or "Manong" Fred) and his wife Dorothy during that conference. He made us young people feel like we knew him forever. He and I kept in touch over the years. When San Diego formalized their FANHS Chapter in September 1995, Uncle Fred was there. When FANHS, SD sponsored the Kapwa conference at Miramar College in 1997, he also came down for that event. In fact, several of us took him out to Rosarito Beach in Mexico to enjoy Baja style lobsters.

We had the pleasure of visiting Uncle Fred and Auntie Dorothy during our ten year wedding anniversary trip to Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria in 2005. The highlight of our trip was not only enjoying their hospitality, but also visiting the famed National Pinoy Archives where Uncle Fred has collected so much information about Filipino American history, no matter how trivial it might seem, to share with the everyman to serious scholars of history.

His profound influence on me carried on with my work with Pinoy and Pinay students, giving lectures and presentations on Filipino American history to the club I advised as well as to other schools (junior high to college level).  For many of the kids, it was their first exposure to  Filipino American history and learning about who and what came before them.

Some of my former students who are now college educated adults, carry on the mission of FANHS and the spirit of Uncle Fred's passion in their work as social activists for change in their respective communities.

When I notified a few of my former students of Fred's death, one wrote, "It's because of him that you inspired me to learn about who I am. His torch burns brightly in everyone he's touched..."

(books from my personal collection on Filipino American history & literature)

Another one wrote, "He is a legend and our hero. He inspired you, which allowed you to reach out to me and many others...to open our eyes. Thank you Uncle Fred".

Links for obituaries:
Seattle Times
Legacy.com

Uncle Fred Cordova's legacy will live on...