Original Manongs and Manangs
From left to right : Joe Calugas, Goody Calugas, Elena Cosio, Pio de Cano, Jesse Mocorro, Sharon Mocorro, Zenaida Crisostomo-Slemp, Irene Manalili and behind her Edgar Pacquing (Also a Founding member who was taking the photo was Roland Santos, now deceased.)
The original title of the newest chapter of FANHS is the “Captain Jose Calugas Sr., Medal of Honor Awardee, WW I I – Pacific Chapter.” As evidenced by the title, the chapter has deep roots in the military contributions, accomplishments, and experiences of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in the services of both the Philippines and the United States. Indeed, the origin of the newest FANHS chapter is in Tacoma’s Jose Calugas Chapter of the national organization, “Philippine Scouts Historical (correction Heritage) Society” PSHS.
While the primary focus of chapter activities has been and will be on military history, the historical contributions of Filipino-American small farmers during the early decades of the 20th century through the ’70s in the Kent, Auburn, Sumner, Algona-Pacific and adjacent locales will be explored as well.
The name of the chapter at that time was “Captain Jose Calugas Sr., Medal of Honor Awardee, WWII - Pacific Chapter.” The chapter members at that time were comprised of active members of the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society, Calugas Chapter. Many members of the PSHS Calugas Chapter were also members of the Bataan Corregidor Survivors Association and the Filipino Community Alliance. Therefore, many of our projects were joint events.
As the year progressed, we felt that it was important for us to include the historical contributions of Filipino-American small farmers during the early decades of the 20th century through the ’70s in the Kent, Auburn, Sumner, Algona-Pacific and adjacent locales in the area and widen our scope to include not just Pierce County but the Counties of Thurston, and Kitsap. And to change the name of the chapter to The Greater South Puget Sound FANHS Chapter.
During the years that followed, many of the projects and events of The Greater South Puget Chapter were all in partnership with other organizations because all of the active chapter members were also members of other Filipino American Organizations. So the partnership seemed more feasible. And during the years 2015-2019, as the founding administrator, Zenaida Crisostomo Slemp was very involved with the Filipino Veterans Education and Recognition Project. So partnering with the Filipino American Organizations on the 1 Mission project of identifying the soldiers that fought in WWII during July 1941-December 1946 was a major undertaking during those years.
At the end of the year 2019, the founding administrator, Zenaida Crisostomo Slemp, passed the baton to Jan Parker. Unfortunately, the Covid Pandemic hit.
Currently, FANHS lives on under the title FANHS Greater Puget Sound Chapter. Members continue to meet virtually to curate meaningful history of Filipino Americans in the greater puget sound.
The Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) was founded in Seattle, Washington, by Dorothy Laigo Cordova in 1982. It was incorporated in the State of Washington as a non-profit organization in 1985. Dorothy’s late husband, Fred Cordova, served as FANHS Founding President and Archivist.
Since then, FANHS has continued to grow as a volunteer-run organization, governed by 27-members of the FANHS Board of Trustees, with the FANHS National Office and National Pinoy Archives in Seattle, Washington; a FANHS National Museum in Stockton, California; and 40+ Chapters throughout the United States of America.
The Filipino American National Historical Society began commemorating October as Filipino American History Month nationwide in 1992, and is recognized as the primary informational resource on Filipino Americans for:
community organizations
primary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities
local and national museums and historical associations
independent authors, playwrights, and filmmakers
teachers, students, scholars, and anyone interested
Since 1987, FANHS has sponsored national conferences (later ratified as a biennial event) where community folks of all ages and from all walks of life gather to share and present research, network with other Filipino Americans, and honor those who have produced ground-breaking innovative work in the field of historical research and analysis.
Past projects include the award-winning video Filipino Americans Discovering Their Past for the Future; the renowned pictorial essay Filipinos: Forgotten Asian Americans; and various regional publications and photo exhibits.
