Obituary

PICTURES COMING SOON!

In Loving Memory of

Lucia Parcarey Gendrano

March 4, 1930- August 14, 2003

               

                Lucia Parcarey Gendrano, 73, passed away Monday in Torrance, near her hometown of Carson. Known to most as “Lucy”, she died peacefully with her family by her side at Torrance Memorial Hospital on August 14, 2003.

                Born on March 4, 1930 in the small town of Pitogon, in the Quezon province of the Philippines, Lucy attended a high school in a neighboring city named Los Banos. This is where she would meet her high school sweetheart and future husband, Victor Gendrano. Unbeknown to Victor, Lucy left town after her second year to work for her home town University in order to have her future college tuition paid for. Employed by and schooling at Santa Isabelle College, Lucy went on to graduate in 1955, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. She also had teaching credentials as a bi-lingual teacher in English and Tagalog.

                Later in the summer, by a chance encounter, Lucy happened to be at the same bus stop as Victor who was visiting Pitogon and had not seen Lucy in years. From that moment on, they never lost connection, as Victor had vowed to never let her go again.  In fact, Victor had not let Lucy go back home without him and stayed overnight. The couple went on to get married in 1958 in Lucy’s home city.

                After the wedding Victor convinced Lucy to move back Los Banos with him, and pushed her to use her passion for teaching and apply for a teaching job at the local elementary school. Lucy agreed and eventually landed a job at the school, while Victor was the town’s local librarian. After having six children, the couple decided that in order to give them the best opportunity to succeed they needed to immigrate to the United States. The family of eight officially moved to Los Angeles, California in 1972.

                Both Victor and Lucy both immediately found jobs in the same positions they occupied in the Philippines, a librarian and elementary school teacher respectively. Lucy taught at Vernon elementary school in the Los Angeles Unified school district while her husband was the county’s librarian. Lucy was rarely seen without her husband, and the two enjoyed many hobbies together. One of Lucy’s favorites was flower-arranging and gardening. The two also maintained long standing memberships at St. Philomena Catholic church in Carson and were fixtures there.

                Lucy loved two things the most: her family and teaching. In fact she had taught at Vernon for 30 years before retiring. During her retirement, she often took weekend trips with her husband to Laughlin and Las Vegas, Nevada. The two enjoyed to gamble together. When she wasn’t on the road, she loved keeping track of what was going on in her home country. She would often watch a channel with Filipino programming which also had the local news broadcasts of her home city.

                Lucy is survived by her husband Victor, her children: Victor Jr., Lorna, Manny, Marissa, Romeo and Juliet. As well as her grandchildren: Jasmine, Liezl, Cherise, Vincent, Kira, Camille and Christopher.

                Her funeral is scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m. at All Souls Mortuary, 4400 Cherry Ave., Long Beach, CA.

Juan Cole visits CSULB

Humorous Historian makes appearance at CSULB

               To the average college student, the very mention of the term “historian” could be enough to trigger a yawn or possibly even coax one into a deep slumber. Thursday afternoon on NOV 10 in the Beach Auditorium, American scholar and historian Juan Cole disproved this theory-- combining his impeccable insight on Middle East affairs with a dry sense of humor that ensured very few dull moments during his guest lecture at CSULB.

                Cole, 59, who has been a guest on several television programs on ABC, PBS and CNN made a guest appearance in the Student Union at noon to discuss neoliberalism, insider trading and the Arab Spring. There weren’t too many open seats as students packed the auditorium to listen to Cole’s calculated but engaging opinions on the uprisings in Libya, Yemen, Syria and other Arab nations. Even if students weren’t up to speed on the history and current state of these nations, Cole used clear and concise power point slides for them to follow along with his lecture.

                Hailing from the University of Michigan, professor Cole outlined neoliberalism, which began in the 90’s, and credited it with the birth of insider trading. He explained that there was a global emphasis on deregulation and the privatization of previously public-owned enterprises.

                “If you know which companies will privatize or know which businesses will go under, you get insider trading” Cole said.

                Sandwiched between his critique on economic and social policy, Cole was not shy at poking fun at political figures, often prompting approving laughter from the student body crowd. Notably Ahmed Ezz, an Egyptian business man who is now in prison accused of corruption on many levels. Cole took special care in shrewdly skewering Ezz, whom is believed to have monopolized the steel industry in Egypt, holding more than 60 percent of the market.

                Cole vividly referenced the Mohamed Bouazizi incident, which served as a transition his views on the Arab Spring. He explained the grim realities of being a Tunisian citizen prior to the Tunisian Revolution. Bouazizi, according to Cole, was a street vendor who set himself on fire in protest to unfair treatment by government officials. Cole explained that Bouazizi had experienced a number of humiliating acts at the hands of several officials, even being slapped by a woman at the municipal office.

                Fed up with the daily corruption he faced, such as getting fined for selling goods and not having a license to drive or getting his selling cart confiscated, Bouazizi made one last ditch effort to the governor’s office. He demanded that he received justice but to no avail, as officials refused to see him. In what is seen as a catalyst to the Arab Spring, Bouazizi doused himself in gasoline and lit himself on fire.

                Cole credited social media as a major force in the multiple uprisings in the Arab Spring against corruption, high unemployment and political freedom. The youth movement he said were becoming a force and holding important roles in political positions.

Two hour observation at 10:00 AM

     Seagull sounds in the student union

     Fortunately for CSULB students, its campus does not have a problem that other Long Beach high schools face during the lunch hour: seagulls. Wandering the student union Thursday however, the distinct mating call of the dreaded scavengers instantly resonated the days of dodging their droppings from high in the sky during lunch time as a teen. The booming calls weren’t coming from above however.

     Claudia Rodriguez, a creative writing major, sitting at lunch with her two friends, calmly converses with them one moment, and tranquilly bellows out bird sounds the next. Not something you hear or see every day around campus. Her friends seem unfazed, they appear to be undaunted by the several surrounding students now blankly staring in their direction—and carry on with their spirited conversation.

     “I love Claudia, I wish she was weirder,” English major Yumise Ross explains. Before she can finish her sentence, Rodriguez is on all fours, approaching Ross as a dog would greet its owner. Ross stops Rodriguez just short of being licked on the nose.

      This is just another typical lunch break in the student union for Rodriguez, Ross and business major Beverly Netherly. The trio gossip about boys, taking public transportation, eateries around campus and other things not fit for print.

       In between the back and forth, Rodriguez continues to do her best seagull imitation which again draws numerous eyes and ears in her direction. One male student is thoroughly impressed and approaches her saying “that’s amazing”. Her mating call has seemed to be effective.

Q and A Pt. II with Rosa Del Toro

After setting a school record in the 5K in her previous race, senior Cross Country athlete Rosa Del Toro capped off her historic season by becoming the first CSULB female to win an individual Cross Country conference championship. She did so in record-setting fashion as she once again set another school record, this time in the 6K with a time of 20:27.0.

Del Toro led her team to its highest finish ever in the conference championship, second place. For her efforts, she was also named Big West Conference Athlete of the Year. All in all it was a memorable season for Del Toro and the 49ers. Here's part two of a Q and A with the Cross Country star.

Q: On the day of the race, can you describe what emotions you were feeling and also explain the mood of the team during that morning.

A: Before the race I was mostly excited to just be there and excited to be able to race and do what I love to do. I was a bit nervous right before the race started but not as nervous as I have been for other races.  I was also trying to stay focused and keep myself pumped up for the race as well.  The team was focused and at the same time we were all trying to keep each other from being too nervous. The team atmosphere was definitely positive which helped keep all of us ready to just race. 

Q: Once the championship was finally underway, can you describe the intensity of it all, was there a definite boost not only from yourself but from the other runners?

A: Championship races are always extremely intense, which is something I love. Once the race started my focus was on the front runners and how they were going to start off the race whether it was going to be a fast first mile or a slow first mile. The first mile was where all of the front runners were all very close together in a pack which made the intensity much higher for a lot of people but for me it helped me think through what I had to do later on in the race and see how tired some of the front runners were.  

Q: What was the turning point in the race, when did you make your decisive move and was it the most difficult race in general that you've been in?

A: There were two different shifts that I had to make during the race. After the second mile I tried to push the pace in the front pack which is when it was just one other runner and I but the biggest shift and turning point of the race was definitely right after the three mile marker.  Right before the three mile marker I was neck and neck with another runner and at that point what went through my mind was I want this more than anyone and I am willing to work as hard as I have to, to get it.  So, as soon as we hit the three mile marker I pushed the pace and ran hard all the way to the finish line. This wasn't exactly a physically difficult race but more of a difficult mental race. I had to keep myself positive mentally because I knew that physically I am in shape to run well but, the mental aspect of the race was definitely the toughest part. 

Q: Describe your initial feelings when you were the first to cross the finish line, and just knowing that your training had paid off again this time on such a big stage.

A: I was excited and happy and at the same time in disbelief.  I just couldn't believe it! The first thing that I did was cry, happy tears of course. I definitely was happy that all the hard work and mileage that I had put in all summer and season had paid off. 

Q: Being the first to win an individual conference championship, as well as being named women's conference athlete of the year, where do these accomplishments rank in terms of life accomplishments? And can you explain exactly what they mean to you?

A: These accomplishments mean a lot to me. Running is a big part of my life and being able to do the things I've done with running like winning conference and being conference athlete of the year makes me want to keep working hard. But at the same time I don't run to be recognized for what I do but just because I love the sport and being recognized is just a plus. These two accomplishments are important to me mostly because I get to represent Long Beach State.

Q: Sum up the season and your experience with your teammates.

A: This season has been the most amazing season I have ever had.  I have worked so hard and had great outcomes because of my hard work.  Also in all honesty this team has been the best team I have ever been on, my teammates are always positive and supportive, which makes it even harder to think that this is my last year here on the team. As far as my coaches go I never been happier to have such great coaches that believe in me and push me to do better every time. Overall so far this year has been the best experience I have ever had. 

Q: Now that conference play has concluded, what have you shifted your attention to and what are your new goals?

A: The second that conference was over I shifted my attention to Regionals.  That's been the race I have been working so hard for. I have had my focus on making it to nationals. I know it's not going to be easy but that’s what makes it that much better, the fact that I have to keep working hard to reach that goal. And I definitely want to run a faster time in the 6k. I can honestly say always want to keep improving and run faster.