Fil-Am community of the Carolinas join ongoing ‘Journey Of Hope’ exhibit

 

By Susan Palmes-Dennis 

ROCKINGHAM,  North Carolina—The groundbreaking ‘Journey of Hope’  exhibit at the Charlotte Museum of History which showcased the works of outstanding Filipinos and Filipino-Americans along with other Asian and Pacific Islanders that immigrated to the Queen City was a huge success.

The Filipino-American community was one of 23 communities who were represented in the exhibit that opened last May 18.  

Aside from artifacts and photos briefly detailing notable Asian American figures and landmarks, the exhibit also features speakers who recount stories of survival, hope and perseverance of their respective communities that marked their journey to the adopted land.

The Philippine section included the works of artists Edelweiss De Guzman and Malou Tabada Cordery and the books of legal historian Leia Castañeda.  

Their works join precious items of historical value like the signed gloves of former senator and world class boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, pearls, barong Tagalog and a poster board that tells the stories of Filipino pioneers in the Carolinas.

Among those pioneers are: 

A FIL-AM ‘ANGEL’ CALLED ‘DR. LUCY.’ Known as the ‘Angel of Albemarle’,  Dr. Lucila Cabugwason or ‘Dr. Lucy’ was known for giving free medical treatment to Filipino-Americans that had no health insurance.

A native of Cebu City, Dr. Lucy immigrated to the US with her husband Engr. Frank Cabugwason and their then four-year-old daughter to the US back in 1971 at the onset of martial law in the Philippines. 

She acquired American citizenship in 1976 and her husband followed suit two years later, both in Chicago.  The Cabugwason family moved from Beckley West Virginia to Norwood, North Carolina where Dr. Lucy opened a clinic. 

In an April 30, 1991 article written about her on the Stanley News And Press Spectrum, it was mentioned that Dr. Lucy worked at her clinic five days a week but is available to her patients seven days a week. Her hobbies included tending to her roses and bowling of which she won several tournament trophies from West Virginia.

She and her husband are members of the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas Inc. (FACC) in Charlotte, North Carolina which sponsored an all-Filipino concert.  The concert’s proceeds were donated to hospitals in the Philippines.

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Del Fallar

BELOVED FIL-AMERICAN TEACHER. 

When Dell Fallar teaches, even the sick won’t hesitate to attend her classes.

That’s how Dell Fallar is beloved by both her students and their parents alike. Fallar arrived in North Carolina in 1971 and started her long professional journey in teaching Stateside after years of teaching in Tondo, is your name is is Manila. 

She may be officially retired, but Dell Fallar isn’t tired of teaching since it’s in her blood.

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Gloria Grifenhagen 

PIONEER FILIPINO-AMERICAN TEACHER IN CHARLOTTE.  Armed with a degree in Elementary Education at the Philippine Normal University and three years of teaching experience in some Manila schools, Gloria Grifenhagen is the epitome of the Filipino educator/teacher. 

Acquiring a MEd at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte,  Gloria Grifenhagen taught in North Carolina’s public schools for 28 years. 

After retirement, she launched the ‘Eskwelahang Munti (Little School) in North Carolina. 

She’s married to Bill Grifenhagen with whom she has three children and seven grandchildren.

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FIL-AM ‘WARRIOR BOY’ TURNED MARTIAL ARTS GRANDMASTER OF NC.

Born and raised in the rough and tumble streets of Cebu City, Philippines, Bobby Taboada underwent brutal training by his father Teofilo to become the foremost local practitioner and teacher of the ‘Balintawak Arnis Cuentada’, a Filipino martial art involving the use of sticks for fighting.

Bobby heavily promoted the ‘Balintawak Arnis Cuentada’—Balintawak Arnis named after the first such club in Cebu City and ‘Cuentada’ being a Spanish word for ‘counter’—and established a school called the Balintawak International School in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Aside from being a ‘great cook’ and ‘good singer’ by friends and acquaintances alike, Bobby taught at several Justice Academy of Law Enforcement Agencies with close friend and student, Mecklenburg Deputy Sheriff Irwin Carmichael.

For his efforts, Bobby Taboada was inducted into the International Hall of Fame of the worldwide Martial Arts Grandmasters Council.

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PIONEER FILIPINO-AMERICAN ENGINEERS IN NC

Carlos ‘Lito’ Balcita and his wife, Estrella Pascual Balcita, were already accomplished chemical engineers in the Philippines when they decided to stay in the US for good.

With adventure in their minds, the Balcita couple’s plans were disrupted when martial law was declared in the early 70s barely two months after they arrived in the US. 

They arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina in the late 70s and got jobs, securing their employment even during the recession of the 80s.  

They were the pioneer Filipino-American engineers in North Carolina and were later blessed with two sons and a daughter and seven grandchildren.

Lito is one of the founders of the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas Inc. (FACC) while the Balcita children also served in the FACC’s youth group during their time. 

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FILIPINO-AMERICAN FOUNDER OF FACC. 

For hosting potluck reunions with her husband Ben at their home’s backyard in the early 70s to 80s, Mila Oates quickly became a byword among the Filipino-American community in the Carolinas.

Her backyard potluck reunions with Filipino-American families living in Hickory, Winston-Salem, Salisbury, Charlotte and surrounding areas during summer helped in the evolution of what is now known as the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas Inc. (FACC). 

Mila became one of the founders representing Iredell county and was also instrumental in establishing the first annual FACC gala that was responsible in raising funds for FACC sponsored projects in the Carolinas area and back home in the Philippines. 

Aside from the FACC, Mila is an active member of the St. Therese Catholic Church in Mooresville helping in the church’s funeral services.  

Despite being unable to finish her secondary education, Mila helped create a Filipino-American organization that continues to endure to this day. 

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During the exhibit, Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas Inc. (FACC) Marissa Olarte sang the US ‘Star Spangled Banner’ anthem accompanied by Erce Cobile on guitar. 

Clad in a black, red and silver gown Marissa said the exhibit was jampacked.  The month of May is designated as Heritage Month of Asian and Pacific Islanders.

For purposes of government classification, the US census defines all people with origins in the Far East, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent and Pacific Islanders as Asian and Pacific Islanders with built coalitions with one another. 

The Asian and Pacific Islanders communities is a growing population banded together for a common cause. 

The first ever Asian American Pacific Islander exhibit, ‘The Journey of Hope’ was coordinated and organized by the Asian American Chamber through their leaders like Dr. John Chen and Dr. Nini Bautista among others.  It will run from May to July 29 of this year. (With photos supplied by Ro Lawsin, Marissa Olarte and Edelweiss de Guzman)