ELEONOR MENDOZA-GONZALES, M.D. Human Spirit Award

Eleonor Mendoza was born in southern Mindanao, Philippines. She earned her degrees of: B.S. Pre Med. majoring in Psychology and Doctor of Medicine from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines. She came to the U.S.A. in 1974 for Residency Training in Pediatrics at Elmhurst City Hospital, N.Y. She then proceeded to Pediatric Cardiac Fellowship at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. She now lives in Iowa with her husband and two sons. Although she keeps a medical license, she is not in active practice. (Her activities include: Managing Director of the Sick Benefit Foundation of UST Medicine Intern Class 72; Board member of the Assumption Foundation Board; Executive Board Member of the Fil-Am. Assn. of IA-Il., Q.C.; Coordinator of the Q.C. Area Fil-Am Singers.) She reads a lot of history and was inspired by a news article about the Philippine Government asking for the return of the Bells of Balangiga. These were church bells taken by the U.S. soldiers as war booty in 1901. The controversy has still not been resolved after all these years, and she used this as backdrop for the historical fiction novel. This is her first novel.