CHICAGO is considered the heart of the American heartland. it is the capital of mid-America. The trucks and the cars and the airplanes come funneling through this major city each day.
The week-long spring break in all colleges and universities in the whole of US is the time to get away from it all. This is the time when students flock to warmer vacation destinations, such as the beaches of Daytona and Fort Lauderdale in Florida and South Padre Island in Texas. The weather is just beginning to warm up, and the water might not be warm for swimming, but college students spend the week partying, drinking, and just having fun.
I did not have any plans for spring break in 1986. I got an invitation from an old buddy way from high school to spend the week with his family at their Hanover Park home an hour drive from downtown Chicago. We were seeing each other for the first time in many years.
MANUEL C. MAMURI, High School Buddy
Manuel and I went to the same small community high school together where he graduated top of the class and I second. We enrolled in the school at the same time, our junior year. He moved from the high school department of St. Ferdinand College, a prestigious private Catholic school in the capital town of Ilagan in Isabela. He was a Mathematician of the Year in his freshman year there. I had come from Manuel A. Roxas High School in Manila, but returned to my hometown. I quit school for two years, waiting for the opportunity to go back and finish high school. Coming from college preparatory background, I was told that I would have to take "back subjects" if I were to enroll at the Angadanan Vocational High School. So we looked at other options. My mother and I went to visit the Our Lady of the Pillar Institution (OLPI) in Cauayan, Isabela. I was to live with a distant relative if I enrolled there. I finally decided not to go. Then Angadanan Community High School opened a third year class. This was what I was waiting for. I was older than my classmates; actually my sister's classmates in elementary school became my classmates at the community high school. That was how Manuel Mamuri and I met.
We started as rivals in everything - academic, leadership, popularity, extra-curricular activities. Being the son of a teacher and the principal in-charge of the high school, Manuel was popular, very confident, and outspoken. His friends were the sons of prominent people in town who have decided to put their children in this community high school. At the end of our junior year, he finished top of the class, and I trailed in second place. During the awards program, as my name was called, I could hear it from a distance. I was not there to receive my awards ribbon. In silent protest of the result, I decided to not show up. The people who knew me understood the reason why I was not there. Those who did not were left with speculations. I really did not care what others had to say.
During my senior year, Manuel and I were still the competitors that we were. People love the underdog: I was elected the leader of nearly all the school organizations, except the Math Club and Chesscrabble Club which he led. Remarkably, I won Student Body Government president and became the first editor-in-chief of our school paper. Manuel and his friends befriended me. They found out that I enjoyed singing, so we formed a singing group, The Trailblazers, aptly called since we would be the first graduates of our school, we were actually blazing the trail for those who would come after us. The love for singing bonded us together. We had our singing jams for hours on weekends. We projected a wholesome image of the youth by excelling academically and being actively involved in extra-curricular activities. He ran track and I was the catcher in the baseball team. Our singing group performed in school functions. Manuel and I became close friends. He would invite me for dinner at his home. Then the quest for academic honors was pushed in the background. I still did not back down from doing my best in class, but I really did not care any more if I would be valedictorian or salutatorian.
After high school graduation in 1971, Manuel Mamuri, Ramon Tagorda, and Marciano Abarca, Jr. left for the city to pursue college education. I stayed behind for my parents could not afford to send me on through college. I still had Ulysses Agpaoa around who was now in his senior year. He was the guitarist in our singing group. I made use of my ability to draw by accepting drawing and poster making jobs for teachers and students. The fees were minimal, but were enough to buy myself clothing. The job kept me busy the whole year. Uly and I still had the usual singing and drinking (Beer Grande) sprees while the others were gone.
Whenever my friends would come home for breaks from school, they would come to see me. I truly enjoyed their friendship. Although I was not in the same socio-economic status as theirs, they counted me as their friend. Their parents would entrust them to me, since I was the oldest among us. We were a group of men who just loved one another's company, spending countless hours singing together over a few bottles of San Miguel beer.
For several times, Manuel took me to Manila to enable me to spend time with friends, including Ulysses Agpaoa who was now enrolled in pre-med courses at the University of Sto. Tomas. We had the usual drinking sprees, and we always enjoyed singing the same old songs we sang way back in high school. At times we would go to the movies, or hop into the folk houses to listen to live folk singers over a few bottles of cold San Miguel beer. There was never a dull moment. Ulysses plucking the guitar, Ramon and his humorous antics, Manuel singing harmony with Marciano and me.
Manuel got married and started a family of his own before he was able to complete his degree in business administration with major in accounting. He did not run away from responsibility. He combined marriage with his studies. His plunging into marriage was viewed by many as premature, but it was the real thing for him. There were problems at the start, but he thought it was the most sensible thing to do. Now, after what he and his wife had been through, he could look back and safely say that it was really meant to be. It has been said that behind a man's success is a woman. The woman in Manuel's life is the former Antonia Turingan, a native of Echague, Isabela. She had become his partner in bringing about the kind of good life they now enjoy. They really complement each other. They lay out plans together, sometimes argue, but they always end up agreeing with each other after carefully weighing their points.
On the night of my arrival in Hanover Park, Aurora and Corazon Mamuri, Manuel's younger sisters drove from Chicago to come and meet me. They were so excited that they could not wait for the next morning. We had lengthy exchange of stories; I, providing news about our hometown.
The next morning, we visited their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Cenon Mamuri, Sr., who lived on North Troy in Chicago. They were very pleased to see me. They were amused to see two old high school buddies reunited after long years. They were happy for me for having given the opportunity to pursue graduate studies in the U.S. at the Philippine government's expense. They thought about the possibilities of staying permanently in the country. They came out with a few suggestions, such as getting into an arranged marriage-for-convenience with a U.S. citizen. None of those did not merit any consideration.
HOLY HILL
Far from the busy city in the heart of Wisconsin's countryside, Holy Hill rises heavenward. Its lofty spires seem to pierce the sky as you suddenly come upon one of the most beloved and familiar landmarks in all America.
Holy Hill received its name when the early settlers erected the first cross on its summit and built a log cabin chapel there more than one hundred years ago. They cross may still be seen in a glass case in the vestibule of the lower church. From those humble beginnings came the gradual, laborious, yet blessed development to the present magnificent House of God, dedicated to "Mary, Help of Christians."
Francois Soubrio, a native of France, was known as the hermit of Holy Hill. A local farmer discovered his presence sometime between 1862 and 1864.' After a time of mutual suspicion between Soubrio and the area farmers, a friendship developed as the result of growing openness between them. The farmers then began to assist Soubrio by giving him food and other necessities. Eventually they banded together to build a small cabin for him.
There are two accounts about Soubrio's mysterious presence at Holy Hill. In the older account (1889), a narrative written about Holy Hill by W. A. Armstrong, the hermit is said to have come in penance for the murder of someone he loved. o" Armstrong's narrative also says that the hermit was miraculously healed of a partial paralysis after spending the night in prayer on the hill's summit. In J. M. LeCount's history of Holy Hill he is described as a religious eccentric. Although the accounts differ in their opinion of Soubrio's personality, both accounts agree that he was a man of great inner pain who sought comfort in God.
Before coming to Holy Hill, Soubrio traveled extensively. His travels eventually brought him to Quebec, Canada, where he worked as an assistant to a retired professor. While working in the professor's library, Soubrio found an old French diary and a parchment map (dated 1676). The map showed the Wisconsin - Lake Michigan area and the route used to reach a very high cone-shaped hill in southeastern Wisconsin. Soubrio's attention was drawn to the entry in which the author described his journey to the hill's summit where he erected a stone altar, raised a cross (margin notes on the map indicated a cross) and dedicated the place in the name of Mary as holy ground forever. Studying these documents created a deep longing within Soubrio to come to the holy site. Many assumed the documents belonged to Fr. Jacques Marquette.
Having been to the highest located church in the state of Wisconsin and the most popular place for pilgrimage in the United States (at least, during that time) was a very exhilirating experience for me.
CHICAGO EXPERIENCE
Manuel took a day off and drove his daughter and me to the Loop. First, we went to the Sears Tower, the world's tallest building at the time. At 1,454 feet and 110 stories, it is more than a hundred feet higher than New York's twin-towered World Trade Center and more than 200 feet higher than the once predominant Empire State Building. Antonia, Manuel's wife, who was then working in an insurance firm in one of the uppermost floors, took us to where she worked and then accompanied us to the lobby. At the lobby was the mural "Universe" created by Alexander Calder (1898-1976), considered America's greatest sculptor.
At the Visitors Center was a photo gallery of Chicago attractions that have made the windy city famous. An entertaining fast-paced multi-image show would take a visitor on a fascinating excursion of Chicago. There were also architectural exhibits and a 9-foot "working" model of the Sears Tower that told about the world's tallest building.
Then a nonstop ride to the Skydeck Observatory would take visitors to 1,353 feet above street level which was higher than any rooftop in the world. There I saw the panoramic view of Chicago, its famous skyline of skyscrapers, the magnificent shoreline of Lake Michigan, and a horizon that takes in four states.Northeast of the Sears Tower soars the white marble Standard Oil Building, called "Big Stan". It is 1, 136 feet high. Looming above the near northside's Magnificent Mile shopping mecca is the huge black pylon of the 100-story 1,127 feet high John Hancock Center, or "Big John".
Nestled at the foot of these megabuildings, and looking hardly bigger than a child's toy castle, is the famed Old Water Tower, survivor to the great 1871 Chicago fire.
The Great Chicago Fire
The summer of 1871 was very dry, leaving the ground parched and the wooden city vulnerable. On Sunday evening, October 8, 1871, just after nine o'clock, a fire broke out in the barn behind the home of Patrick and Catherine O'Leary at 13 DeKoven Street. How the fire started is still unknown today, but an O'Leary cow often gets the credit.
The firefighters, exhausted from fighting a large fire the day before, were first sent to the wrong neighborhood. When they finally arrived at the O'Leary's, they found the fire raging out of control. The blaze quickly spread east and north. Wooden houses, commercial and industrial buildings, and private mansions were all consumed in the blaze.
After two days, rain began to fall. On the morning of October 10, 1871, the fire died out, leaving complete devastation in the heart of the city. At least 300 people were dead, 100,000 people were homeless, and $200 million worth of property was destroyed. The entire central business district of Chicago was leveled. The fire was one of the most spectacular events of the nineteenth century, and it is recognized as a major milestone in the city's history.
We went to the glamorous congestion of the Loop, Chicago's super-bustling downtown, darkly roofed by the L, the elevated railway - longtime city symbol defined by its tracks. Tremendous buildings and plazas graced by monumental sculptures gave an almost dizzying sense of size and shape. Exclusive boutiques and high-end department stores such as SAKS Fifth Avenue flank Michigan Avenue's "Magnificent Mile".
Chicago faces Lake Michigan with arms stretched wide, reserving most of its magnificent 29-mile lakefront fro gracious parks and great museums and stately buildings. We stopped by the lake, watched people fishing, and fed the birds on the lakeshore.
Going back to the Loop, we drove past Marina City. Marina City's lower 20 floors housed parking spaces, restaurants, a supermarket, and a basement marina on the Chicago River. Above these, pie-slice apartments soar another 40 stories.
I came to know the other members of the Mamuri family better, most of whom did not really know me or did not know much about me before. They were all glad for the rare opportunity to be sent to the United States for free. They played host to me one time or another. I spent a few nights in the North Albay home of Jessie and Evelyn Mamuri-Balauag. They gave me a colorful sheet set and canned goods to take back to Iowa.
Myrna Mamuri and husband Rey Gadia hosted a dinner at their home in Skokie. The food was ordered from "Ing's" which catered to Filipinos who loved Chinese cuisine. On another instance, Mila Mamuri treated us to a steak dinner at Ponderosa Steak House. In the company were Cenon Mamuri, Jr., his wife and their two kids, the Balauags with their two daughters, Heidi Mamuri, and I.
One day Jessielyn, fondly called Tweet-Tweet, Evelyn's daughter who was a University of Illinois student, drove her mother and me to downtown Chicago. Her mother had to see her ear doctor. At lunchtime, we went to the CNA building where Manuel, Myrna, and Heidi worked. We had lunch at "Pago-Pago", a Chinese restaurant.
When Garling and Zenaida Andaya-Fontillas learned that I was in town, they took me mout mto dinner at The Pinnacle, Chicago's only revolving rooftop restaurant at the Holiday Inn along Lake Shore Drive. The Pinnacle provided an elegant dining atmosphere complete with candlelights, a piano player, and a breathtaking view of Chicago at night.
ZENAIDA ANDAYA-FONTILLAS. Zeny was a classmate of mine in grade school. We used to be dancing partners in annual folk/foreign dance competitions among elementary schools during the town fiesta. In most cases, the Central School would emerged the winner. We both finished 6th grade in 1964, with both of us in the honor roll. Although we were not really close, at one time,when she was a college student, we formed an amateur singing group, the Tonemates, which performed at community socials, the most memorable of which was a welcome party for the incoming GSIS branch manager in Cauayan. It was held at the F.L. Dy Memorial Coliseum. We represented our town of Angadanan.
She worked as a nurse in Manila, then migrated to the United States and worked in Chicago. We didn't hear from each other for a long time until she came home for her wedding. She and Garling wanted me to sing on their wedding ceremony. How could I say No to an old friend? Together with Estrella Quilling, Ulysses Agpaoa on his guita, and Mrs. Joy Pajarillo on the organ, I provided the vocals of the wedding ceremony music.
Besides the dinners, I was also taken to the shopping malls. Antonia bought two pairs of jogging suits and a pair of Nike tennis shoes at Marshalls. Aurora (Puring) bought a pair of shoes at Florsheim and a pair of Levis at Gap in Woodfield Mall, the largest in the Chicago area. Corazon got me a shirt and a set of bed linen.
On Good Friday, Manuel, Rey , and I went to a goat farm Kenosha, Wisconsin. The farm had a slaughter house. A buyer could pick a live goat, then it would slaughtered right there. Manuel and Rey chose one worth $40.00. The lifeless goat was hung, then its hair burned with a blowtorch. There were other buyers, mostly Greeks or Mexicans. Since they discarded the internal organs, Rey cleaned the parts needed for "pinapaitan" while I held the water hose. We almost took all the internal organs which were meant to be thrown away, anyway. But not for us! On our way home we stopped by the University of Wisconsin Parkside. Although the Catholic Church forbids consuming meat on Good Friday, we had goat meat that night. Manuel and I sang the same old songs we used to sing 16 years ago. We were still good at it.
My spring getaway was completed with disco-hopping from Marriott's GAMBITS at O'Hare to NAVARONE, and then finally to SALLY'S STAGE where we drank and danced until closing time. I was in the company of Manuel and his wife, Puring and Jun Buban, Corazon and her friend Oscar, and Ramon Panganiban, the brother of Filipino singer Adrian Panganiban. Sally's Stage was frequented by many Filipino disco lovers in the Chicago area.
I had a truly enjoyable week. I took the trip back to Iowa City with a lot of stuff. Mila sent mea four-inch black and white TV with AM-FM radio. Mrs. Mamuri, Manuel's mom, gave me a towel and toiletries, and food items from Antonia. Mila prepared pork adobo for me, too.
I was invited back to spend my next break in Chicago. I would go back several times later.
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