We certainly appreciate the efforts of the Rev Dr Frank Somera Jr (HS '55, MDiv '66) and Nelly Somera,(AB'61, LLB '65) both of Copperas Cove, Texas for laying the foundation and spearheading the organization of newest Silliman University alumni chapter in North America. It was their ACTS of love and their show of that Silliman spirit that will forever be engraved in the chapter's acronym - A C T S - or the Association of Central Texas Sillimanians. It took more than 3 years of head counting, phone calling, traveling, surveying, emailing, advertising, and fellowshipping, to finally lay the groundwork. So finally, on September 3, 2007, a Monday and Labor Day, a group of Central Texas Sillimanians, together with their associates, converged in the city of Kerrville, Texas to formally organize into an alumni chapter. Is it appropriate to call it the EconoLodge Accord?
The following Sillimanians and associates constitute the Founding Members of ACTS, and include:
Rev Dr Frank Somera Jr(HS '55, MDiv '66), Copperas Cove, Texas
Nelly Somera (AB'61, LLB '65), Copperas Cove, Texas
Samuel Tomale (BS Acctg, '73), (spouse: Pearl), Kerrville, Texas
Celan Alo (HS '69, BSGS '74), (spouse: Noemi), Austin, Texas
Bayani Pioquinto (BBA '76), San Antonio, Texas
Haydee Pioquinto (BSN '76), San Antonio, Texas
Adelaida Escalante (Home Economics, '67),(spouse: Dr Dante Escalante), San Antonio, Texas Hazel Taglucop-Quisumbing (Elem and HS '57), San Antonio, Texas
Chona Rodriguez-Romero (BSSW,'87) (spouse:Felix) Belton, Texas
A formal meeting ensued (minutes noted elsewhere in this blog) and officers elected. Sam was elected President, Celan as the Vice President, Nelly as the Secretary, Adelaida as the Treasurer, Haydee as the Auditor, Bayani as the PRO, and Rev Dr Frank Somera Jr, Dr Dante Escalante and Hazel Taglucop-Quisumbing as members of the Board of Directors.
Several historical photos of the group were taken and photoblogged.
Of course a lot of thanks to Sam and Pearl for being generous hosts!
Blog Notes: Remember Pigafetta? Without Pigafetta, Yoyoy (of the March 16,1521 fame) would be unheard of. Antonio Pigafetta (c. 1491 – c. 1534), was an Italian navigator born in Vicenza. He paid a large sum of money to accompany and assist the Portuguese captain Ferdinand Magellan and his Spanish crew on their trip around the world. During the voyage, he kept an accurate journal which later assisted him in translating one of the Philippine languages, Cebuano. It is the first recorded document concerning this language. Out of approximately 270 men who set out with Magellan in 1519, Pigafetta was one of only 17 who returned to Spain in 1522, having completed the circumnavigation under the captainship of Juan Sebastián Elcano after Magellan's death. His journal is the source for most of what we know about Elcano's voyage. During the trip, Pigafetta collected extensive data about the geography, climate, flora, fauna and the inhabitants of the places that the expedition visited. His meticulous notes were invaluable to future explorers and cartographers, mainly due to his inclusion of nautical and linguistic data.
With the birth of the ACTS, each one of us should be the Pigafetta (of Magellan fame) of this historic journey. I encourage everyone to participate in making this an opportunity to record our unique experiences.
