JUANITA PASCUAL ORAL HISTORY PRESENTATION
(Presented during the FANHS Rio Grande Quarterly Meeting @ Cesar Chavez Community Center)
Nov. 13, 2004

Josephine Martinez introduced our speaker, Juanita Pascual, of Santa Fe by reading from a framed resolution presented to Juanita Pascual by the Honorable Quentin L. Kopp of the 8th Senatorial District of California. It sited her many accomplishments in education and community service.

Juanita "Nita" Pascual told us she has been married to Jose for 44 years and has reared two children Leonard and Lita. Leonard and Jessica's children are Leland and Lorenzo. Lita and David Mead's children are Matthew and Gabriella Pascual-Mead. Santa Fe attracted them away from California because of the culture, golf and the opportunity for their children to follow if they so chose. Their household seldom falls below 8 members and has had many more at various times as they opt to provide opportunity for employment and education to family and non-family members. Presently, nephew Israel Paguio and Teresita Vallejera and Leonard's family share their home. Leonard is president of A Sound Look, which they are expanding.

Nita related how in her 69 years of life she has lived through a lot of history including Alien laws, Depression Era, 1960's Drug Culture and Flower Children, Affirmative Action, Bussing Children etc. Each of these has had an effect on her life and impacted the balance between her professional and her family life. She has dedicated 37 years to work in education from Junior High School to City College of San Francisco

Nita is a second generation Filipino. Her mother, Felomina Felismenia of Bicol married Cayetano Ugboc of Bohol and immigrated to California where Nita was born. There was a half-sister 8 years older than her who died in Salinas, CA because of the poor medical facilities available to immigrants. A half-brother has had problems completing his education. The family had no permanent address due to working crop-to-crop following the picking seasons of carrots, asparagus etc. Her mother cooked 3 meals a day over a wood fire to feed the family and the other farm workers. She drove without a license because she wasn't able to pass the English driving test. She brought food to the workers in the fields and drove Nita to school.

World War II brought changes as the US rounded up Japanese Americans and moved them into internment camps. Her family was able to rent and move into a vacated home and use the furniture that was left behind. Her father became a welder and her mother took up artificial flower making which Nita also learned. She also became a top salesperson of government war bonds in elementary school.

School was one great love of her life and she excelled even though she was the only Filipino in her junior high school. She took music lessons and was elected homeroom president and student body president. While at Mission High School, she participated in the 4-school/ 4-work program and spent 4 hours at school and 4 hours at work in a bank.

Juanita graduated with Highest Honors from City College of San Francisco in 1955 with an Associate in Arts degree. She also graduated from San Francisco State College in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree with the honors of Magna Cum Laude and the UBEA-Smead award for Business Education. Even so she could not get a teaching job in the suburbs of San Francisco. San Francisco School district hired her when she passed a teachers test with flying colors. She began her teaching career at Portola Junior High School. Later she transferred to Polytechnic High School. From 1969 to 1972 she was an instructor in the Business Department of City College of San Francisco.

She worked her way through positions of increasing responsibility, including Assistant Dean of Financial Aid, Assistant Dean of Instruction, Interim Dean of Administrative Affairs and then she hit the "glass ceiling" ! City College was male dominated and women found it difficult to progress above a certain level. With the help of a group of women who questioned this situation she was appointed Vice President of Administrative Services. She continued her climb to the top as Interim President/Provost of the Campuses. In 1991 she assumed the responsibilities of Vice Chancellor, Administration in which capacity her responsibilities included coordination of Business, Administrative and Personnel Services, Employee Relations, and Buildings and Grounds. She was the first Filipino to reach such high levels in community college education administration in the California.

Tragedy struck on July 25, 1959 as her parents and several others were involved in a head-on collision. Her mother and a 12-year-old boy were killed and 4 people, including her father, barely survived. Juanita took the 4 survivors into her home, renting hospital beds etc to manage their care. She took care of them all summer. When it was time to return to her teaching duties, her father managed to continue the care during the day. She believes this difficult time in her life prepared her for the many years she has spent caring for others in various capacities.

Trouble visited the family again when Leonard was attacked in the public school he and Lisa were attending. When an agreeable solution could not be found to prevent future attacks, Leonard and Lisa were sent to the Philippines to live with Jose's parents for one school year. This gave the children a chance to see how Filipinos live and to a chance to get to know their relatives better. When they returned they enrolled in a Catholic school in San Francisco.

She enjoys her life in Santa Fe where she is active in many areas including serving on the Council for Educational Improvement for Santa Fe Schools. She credits Jose for providing vital support to herself and the community. They sponsored a Filipino basketball team, provided employment for H-1 and H-3 individuals, provided a home and/or a place to recuperate for family members and others.

RG-FANHS members thanked Nita for a wonderful presentation. Evelio encouraged others to write their stories. Pat Teston said that because of a chance meeting at the St. Louis FANHS convention, her twin sister is now encouraged to write her story including the time spent in the salmon canning industry in Alaska.

Meeting adjourned at 2:30

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