Sunday, December 25, 2016

Elmore Naranjo Jornada (October 22, 1935 - December 16, 2016)


B.S.E-English, 1960




Life Sketch
by Abner M. Jornada, Jr.
Born the last of 7 children, Elmore Naranjo Jornada, was fondly nicknamed “Agot” by family and close friends.  The word “agot” comes from the Ilonggo word “kinagut” which means “the last of the scrapings”.  
I am the son and namesake of Elmore’s oldest brother, Abner, and I called my uncle, Papa Elmore, as many of you also did.
Papa Elmore was born on October 22, 1935 in Banogon, Buenavista, on the island of Guimaras, in the province of Iloilo, Philippines.  His father was the prominent Seventh-day Adventist minister, Pastor Fausto Jornada, who pioneered the SDA work in the Visayas.  His mother, Beatriz Naranjo Jornada, was the cafeteria matron in West Visayan Academy for many, many years.
All of Papa Elmore’s siblings have passed away except for his sister, Linda Jornada Olarte who is here today.  
Most of his early childhood days were spent at the West Visayan Academy campus in Guimaras but when World War II began, the Jornada family fled to Sibalom, Antique, the hometown of his mother.  It was there that Papa Elmore started school.
In 1954 he finished high school at West Visayan Academy which by that time was located in Bongco, Pototan in Iloilo.  He then went to Philippine Union College and that was when I met him, my father’s baby brother.  My mom, sister and I lived in Leland Drive just outside the PUC campus.  I remember that on most Friday afternoons, Papa Elmore and four of his friends would come to our house to cook and eat non-vegetarian food because they needed a break from the vegetarian food served in the college cafeteria.  On those afternoons, he took the time to chat with me, and that meant a lot to me since I had lost my father a few years earlier.



It was at PUC that he met the love of his life, the former Eunice Malqued.  Since he had a good singing voice and she played the piano, it was a perfect match.  They say it was a perfect match made in the music building.  She was very much in demand as an accompanist and as a singer.  He was a member of the PUC Ambassadors under the directorship of Elton Wallace and sang Baritone in the elite Male Quartet.  The other members of that quartet were Artemio Elumir, Lorenzo Lacson and Arthur Kong.
P.U.C. Male Quartet, 1957 
L-R: Artemio Elumir, Elmore Jornada, Lorenzo Lacson, Arthur Kong 
Photo courtesy of Eunice M. Jornada

P.U.C. Male Quartet, 1957
L-R: Lorenzo Lacson, Artemio Elumir, Arthur Kong, and Elmore Jornada
Photo courtesy of Eunice M. Jornada 


Upper, L-R:  Ben Siagian, Marciano Santiago, Jr., Nehemias Barnedo, Bert Moreno, Pangarisan (Paul) Sitompul, Epifanio (Nonoy) Alano, Alfonso Roda, Ricardo Salamante, Saw Eng Chuan, Arthur Kong, Gershon Brion;
Lower, L-R: Artemio Elumir, Daniel Alfanoso, Gerundio Ellacer, Nestor Zamora, Elmore Jornada, Elton H. Wallace, Edward Pan, Raymond Puen, Armando Espiritu, Juanito Villagomez, Domingo Villagomez
1957 P.U.C. Ambassadors Men's Chorus with Elton H. Wallace
Photo courtesy of Eunice M. Jornada
In 1960 Papa Elmore graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree with emphasis in English.  He was Vice-President of their graduating class.  In the following school year he was asked to teach English Literature and be Dean of Men at Mindanao Mission Academy.
At the end of that school year, on May 7, 1962 he and Mama Eunice were married at the chapel of the Philippine Publishing House.  They then went back to MMA where Papa Elmore resumed his duties and Mama Eunice taught music.  In 1963, they were called to be on the faculty of West Visayan Academy.  Once again, Mama Eunice taught music and he was Dean of Boys.  He also taught English Literature and History and was in charge of the Medical Cadet Corps.
In 1965, Papa Elmore became the Principal of WVA and served in that capacity until 1969 when he was called to PUC to be Assistant Director of Admissions.  He also taught Educational Psychology and Land Reform & Taxation.  In 1973 he became the Registrar and Director of Admissions.  That was also the year he was awarded a Master of Arts in School Administration.
Papa Elmore and his family immigrated to Canada in 1977 and lived for 10 years in Toronto.  He initially worked in the Registrar’s Office of Centennial College, but soon found a position at the offices of the Teachers’ Superannuation.
The Jornada family came to southern California in 1987 and he worked as Assistant Librarian at La Sierra University until he retired in 2007.
Papa Elmore and Mama Eunice have 4 children: Georgette (who is known as Apple-apple), Belinda, Elmore, Jr. (who is known as Boyette), and Elton.  Georgette and Elton reside in southern California, while Belinda and Boyette live in the state of Washington.
In November of this year, Papa Elmore and Mama Eunice traveled to Washington to spend Thanksgiving with Mama Linda, Boyette, and Belinda and her family.  They had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner but later, regretted that they did not take any family photos, as is the custom in most Filipino families.  Rather, they came away with lots of pictures of -- the food.   
The WVA Alumni Association had a meeting this past December 10 and Papa Elmore and Mama Eunice planned to attend.  However, on that Sabbath afternoon, Papa Elmore suffered a massive stroke caused by a blood clot in his brain.  He was in ICU at Loma Linda University Medical Center for almost a week and on December 16, 2016, Papa Elmore went to his rest.
He will be remembered as a competent and fair-minded administrator, a kind boss, a knowledgeable teacher, and a caring human being.  He had a continuing love affair with Mama Eunice and was a wise and gentle father to their children and grandchildren.  He was my father-figure, someone I could always go to for advice and encouragement.  He was my light in the darkest days of my life.
Because he was relatively healthy and was ill for just a very short time, I find it difficult to believe that he is not with us anymore.  I expect him to walk in the door, clap me on my shoulder and say, “Hey, Noy. How are you, Noy?”  
Papa Elmore will be missed terribly by each one of us, but one day soon I will meet him on a street of gold and he will clap me on my shoulder and say, “Hey Noy.  It is good to see you here, Noy.


Kimo Smith, organist
Elder Dan Matthews
The Lord Is My Shepherd by Malotte
Homer Mensoza, tenor


"Behold! I Show You a Myster" by Herbert
Brown Brothers - Orlando Palitang, directing

Elmore, Jr
Belinda

Elton
Fiel and Fe Poblete





Nobleza Pilar


Georgette
Elmore's parents:
Fausto Habana Jornada
Beatriz Naranjo

1918
1908





FAR EASTERN DIVISION OUTLOOK January, 1973
p 4

1917

1919
1926

1927


1928
1928




1930

1954
REVIEW AND HERALD, August 20, 1964   Vol 141, No 34
p 18



















Wednesday, November 2, 2016

George B. Moscoso (1905-1977): Founding Member of the First Filipino-American SDA Church in North America

First Filipino SDA Church in North America - Wilmington, CA -  Sept 21, 1957



by Dorothy Moscoso Victorino
Daughter


Born on May 15, 1905 in  Nueva Viscaya, Philippines, Guardiano [later changed his name to George] Moscoso  emigrated to Kauai, Hawaii at age 13 aboard a ship to work in a sugar plantation.  However, upon learning the youth's true age, his boss (a certain Mr Luna) put him to work in the office instead.   

George worked diligently and learned fast.   Impressed with the lad's potential, his superiors let him finish high school and urged him to go  to college.  They also encouraged and helped him to open up his own business.  First, a photo studio which was one of its kind in Hawaii at that time.  Then a jewelry shop and a laundry mat.  Last but not least, the first movie theater on the island.  He began to save most of his earnings so he could go to college in America,  





In 1929, twenty-four year-old George met a young and stunningly beautiful Sofia de Antepuesto who had earlier migrated with her entire family - father, mother and seven siblings - from Iloilo, Philippines to Hawaii.  She had entered a Miss Hawaii pageant which she won.  Providentially, George happened to have been assigned as the official photographer for the event. They fell in love and married shortly.   


Guardiano, Jr. and Dorothy



By 1931, Mr and Mrs Guardiano Moscoso became Mom and Dad to a healthy newborn son named Guardiano, Jr.  Four years later, in 1935, a beautiful baby girl, Dorothy, joined the happy.  Life for the young Moscoso family was good and peaceful on the island.  But it was not all bliss.  One day, in 1936, tragedy struck. During one of those tropical storms that frequently visited the islands and the destruction that often resulted, a broken chicken wire fence and a damaged electric wire took the life of young Junior Moscoso.  Grief. Inexpressible sadness was overwhelming.  



Incidentally, around this time, in 1936, George and Sofia began receiving Bible studies from Elder Delafield. a Seventh-day Adventist pastor.  First was Sofia whose curiosity was aroused by a tent that was put up a short distance from their house.  She imagined a circus or some form of public entertainment.  She soon found it was an evangelistic tent effort, as they used to call it, by a Christian sect that worshiped on Saturday as the Bible Sabbath instead of Sunday that other Christian churches observed.  As her interest grew in what she was learning about the Bible truths being taught by the evangelist, it didn't take long for George to join her. Their faith in the soon coming Savior and hope in the resurrection deepened partly as a result of their son's death.  They wanted to see their son alive again.  As far as they were concerned, the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ alone by faith was real.  They accepted baptism by immersion, Elder Delafield officiating, and were received into the fellowship of the Seventh-day Adventist church in Kauai.   

Nov 4, 1942

Asian students at Pacific Union College, Angwin, CA



After enemy bombs fell on Pearl Harbor, George decided it was time for his young family, now counting three daughters minus a son who died age five, to leave the islands.  More than ever he was determined to pursue his longtime dream of higher education at Pacific Union College situated in Angwin, California.   He would study to become a minister and build as many churches for his beloved Filipino communities in America.   
Pacific Union College, Angwin, CA. - 1949

1949

After graduating from PUC in 1949, he moved his family to Los Angeles and began colporteuring for the local conference, selling books.  It was then that he met Benjamin Jordan, Sr. who bought all the books he sold.  They became very close friends.   Together with other like-minded friends such as Catalino Basconcillo, among others, Benjamin and George prayed and labored to put things in order to pave the way for the founding of a Filipino SDA congregation in North America.  With little cash in his pocket and some money saved in the bank, he began an earnest search for a place near the Filipino communities.  His efforts, as well as those who shared his dream, was rewarded with the founding of the first Filipino-American Seventh-day Adventist Church was built in Willmington, CA.   Pastor A. A. Alcaraz became pastor there.

FAR EASTERN DIVISION OUTLOOK, VOLUME FORTY-SIX OCTOBER, 1960 NUMBER TEN
pp 3, 4.




The Adventist Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 137, No. 48 December 1, 1960,  p 21

George wasn't satisfied at things as he waited so  long to preach in a church.. He prayed fervently for the Lord to help guide him in the right direction. That's when he met a kind old gentlemen in Real Estate.  Who guided him to  purchase raw land in Florida,.  Which he purchased nearly  75 acres raw land.  couple months later, Walt Disney wrote to my dad a letter saying he wanted to buy all the swamp land to build Disneyland as of today.  My father knelt down and prayed to thank the Lord. and he promised to give 1/10th of all monies to the Lord .  He was blessed in return ten fold.
1971
L: Miss Hawaii, 1929:  Sofia de Altopuesto
R:  Mr and Mrs Guardiano (George) Moscoso