[Left photo shows WILSON delivering a speech during one of those significant activities at the UE Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Inc., a prestigious medical and educational institution in the Philippines, where he is currently the Vice-Chairman. Right photo shows WILSON at extreme right, taken during the wedding of his eldest son, Woody to Pam Unite, in January 2016. Photo also shows WILSON’s gracious better half, LEN YOUNG. At middle of the right photo are the newly weds (L-R): Pam and Woody.]
On October 18, 1956, a new addition to our family arrived. The FOURTH (4th) son of Daddy Max and Mommy Norma was born. He was later christened and named WILSON, and whom we have endearingly referred to as SON.
About our first names — I distinctly remember Mommy Norma telling me that my first name WALTER was lifted from the first name of a popular Hollywood actor during the 1940s into the 1950s, whose name is WALTER PIDGEON. I googled in the INTERNET and found out that in 1949 (the year I was born) Walter Pidgeon was the leading man who took the role of a certain Colonel Michael S. ‘Hooky’ Nicobar, and who in the movie was given the difficult task of repatriating Russians in post-World War II Vienna in such a drama film entitled The Red Danube.
Keen at according us names starting with the letter “W”, for the child after me, WILLIAM; he was named after William Mckinley, the 25th President of the United States of America, and unto whom the present Fort Bonifacio was named, then known as Fort Mckinley, the very place where William was born. Actually, when Daddy Max was still assigned in Fort Mckinley, where we lived from 1950-1955, we stayed at the CEMBO, acronym of CENTRAL ENLISTED MEN’S BARRIO. Pres. McKinley too, is known for having authored and promulgated the famous Benevolent Assimilation, a momentous declaration which led to the transitory annexation of the Philippines as a US colony.
About the 3rd child of Daddy Max and Mommy Norma, WINSTON; he was named after WINSTON CHURCHILL, the intrepid and feisty leader of Great Britain who led the Land of the Rose to victory with his electrifying speeches delivered in Parliament while the Battle of Britain was raging.
Wilson on the other hand was named after US President WOODROW WILSON. Woodrow Wilson was inaugurated as the 28th president of the United States of America and he is well-remembered as having granted women their right to suffrage. Also, it was Woodrow Wilson who laid the foundation for the League of Nations, the precursor of the United Nations.
[On his 60th birthday celebration, SON tendered two (2) dinner parties: FIRST, at Chef Jessie’s Grill at the GROVE in Pasig City on October 18, which was attended by the Young clan and SON’s close friends (some photos of which are shown at the bottom part of this BLOG); SECOND, at the Badminton Hall along 20th Avenue in Cubao, Quezon City; which was attended by SON’s elementary and high school classmates, their teachers, childhood friends, badminton playmates, etc. on October 22, 2016.]
Going back to SON…SON grew to be a fat and corpulent toddler. I remember that one of our boarders, a teacher in Gardening and Industrial Education at the then Murphy Elementary School (now, Aguinaldo Elementary School), Mr. Alex Libunao, coined out a sobriquet for SON.
Mr. Libunao kept on referring to SON as LONGHEAD, for he perceived that SON would go places and reach greater heights in life in the future. Mr. Libunao even gave out a seeming prophetic analysis that with SON’s inordinate circumferential length of his head, such would only mean, according to Mr. Libunao, that SON has more gray matter inside his head. And that Mr. Libunao said would be SON’s virtual passport to success.
Indeed, when SON matriculated in college at the University of the East for an accountancy course, he graduated CUM LAUDE.
Among all of our siblings too, SON showed his penchant to be well-organized. Though, we would be sharing in keeping our shirts and short pants and briefs in one cabinet inside our room where double-deck beds are stacked, and which cabinet would always be helter-skelter, SON would keep his inside an aluminum travelling case which Daddy Max gave him.
And SON would always meticulously arrange his things inside the aluminum case with care. While we would be content to retire in bed sporting just a shirt and briefs, or a “salawal” (i.e. a crudely sewn shorts), SON would sleep wearing a full set of pajamas.
Indeed, SON has shed pounds of baby fat during those days when he appeared to be chubby and seemingly obese toddler but his heart until today has remained big and stout.
With his various business and professional affiliations today, SON has given jobs and livelihood to a lot of our kith and kin especially sons and daughters of our good old neighbors and relatives in Murphy, Quezon City.
SON has been the Managing Director and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Tanduay Holdings Inc., since May 5, 2010 until his retirement in 2015. In a concurrent capacity, SON also served as Chief Operating Officer at Tanduay Distillers Inc., Asian Alcohol Corporation, Total Bulk Corporation, Absolut Chemicals Inc., and Flor de Cana Shipping Inc. until his aforesaid retirement in 2015.
Presently, SON is the Chairman of Victorias Milling Corporation and continues to hold on to his post as Vice-Chairman of the U E Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Inc.
Happy 60th birthday SON!WELCOME TO THE SENIOR CITIZENS’ CLUB!
