Thank You, BFF’s from Arizona

By: Veronica Leighton

 

What an exciting November month to be meeting new and old friends when we travelled to Scottsdale, Arizona last November 10 to 12, 2017, which turned out to be a work and pleasure trip. Regarding old friends, I can aptly say the following quote by Henry David Thoreau, “Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.” Love it!

How about making new friends? There’s no rule that I know in stopping anyone to make new friends. Distance or no distance, the happiest business in all the world is that of making friends, and that’s what we did and accomplished at the FPACC conference. Doing our media business and making and meeting new friends. Thanks to our new friend, Marie Cunning, FPACC President, for inviting us in the conference and believing in what we do. Please enjoy the exciting FPACC pictorial page in this issue.

As we hurriedly planned for a five-day trip to attend the 21st conference of the Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce (through the invitation of its current president, Marie Cunning, and Ms. Cindy Flores of Chicago’s Philippine Chamber of Commerce, right after the 23rd gala event last Oct. 14th of our pet project, the Chicago Filipino Asian American Hall of Fame, I thought of longtime friends who have been Arizona residents for years now. The names of Grace and Bill Hutton and Lily Arkoncel Sevilla, longtime friends and former Chicago residents, popped up in my mind.

Immediate calls were made to my Arizona bff’s who were as excited as I in knowing that we were definitely seeing each other in this trip. See, Grace was a classmate during our UP days (finishing our degree in Foreign Service), we were together in same house during our early Chicago days, we worked together in same company, we did community work together for a while before their move to Arizona; while Lily was a former officemate during our Ace Compton Advertising days, we were roommates during our early Chicago days, we shared the same babysitter in the early years of being Moms, before her family’s move to Arizona. Please enjoy the short but sweet memories of our meet-up with longtime friends, Grace and Bill Hutton and Lily Arkoncel Sevilla.

In this trip to the Southwest part of the country, particularly Sedona, AZ., and, of course, Scottsdale and Phoenix, we tremendously enjoyed seeing the tall cactus trees and the Red Rocks. Sedona, a Red Rock Canyon Country is a beautiful showcase of amazing red rock formations, centerpieces, diverse landscape and rich wildlife that you cannot find in any part of the country, but here. What an experience seeing this colorful prehistoric nature’s creation! We promised next time we come back, we will be learning more and transcending the miraculous power of the “vortex” energy from the Sedona’s deep color Red Rock, and enjoy sunrise and sunset in its magnificent view and glory.

To Grace, Bill and Lily, thank you so much for the most wonderful treats of a lifetime, for taking us to the most wonderful restaurants with western and Mexican themes and seafood Crab Shack resto, to your ever-gracious hospitality, and most of all, the greatest company, heartfelt laughter and just plain reminiscences of our fun past lives together. Till then, my dear friends!

Here, on our home front and back to the grindstone, two exciting community events are taking our headliners, as you can see in some pictorial pages in this issue… the launching of the Sentro Rizal at the new FACC, currently under the dynamic leadership of Elaine Lehman, Alex Gonzales, and Dr. Rufino Crisostomo, and the formal inauguration of Dr. Gabriel Esteban as the 12th president of DePaul University, the first Filipino and layperson to head the largest Catholic university in the nation. See more in our pictorial pages in this issue. As we are saying Happy Thanksgiving to all, we are proud to announce the first-time participation of the Filipino American community in the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade of Chicago, through the efforts of the new FACC officers under the leadership of Elaine Lehman, FACC Executive Director, Alex Gonzales, Board President and Dr. Rufino Crisostomo, immediate past Board President. Will be featuring this parade in our next issue. Congratulations, FACC!

A. Gabriel Esteban, Ph.D., DePaul’s new president, with VT/ CPRTV’s Joe Mauricio and Veronica Leighton at the inaugural reception held at the Lakeview Room of the Navy Pier.

Elaine Lehman, FACC’s Executive Director, speaking before the guests at the historic launching of Sentro Rizal at the FACC’s Rizal Center, followed by Filipino luncheon expertly prepared by volunteer Cely Obien. Please see more about Sentro Rizal story and pictorial on page 22.

BFF’s Grace Hutton & Veronica enjoying the Sedona’s Red Rock formations and history

Welcome dinner in Phoenix, AZ., at Macayo Depot Cantina, hosted by Grace & Bill Hutton for friends Veronica & Joe Mauricio

At Cowboy Club, Western in Uptown Sedona, a famous tourist destination that serves exotic desert appetizers like rattlesnake, cactus fries, and wild meat burgers. Photo shows cowboys Joe and Bill with cowboy waiter with a toy gun.

Lily Arkoncel Sevilla, Joe Mauricio and Veronica outside the Talking Stick Casino Resort, where the FPACC Conference was held. BFF friend Lily was V’s former office mate in Ace Compton Advertising, Ayala, Makati, former Miss Mindanao Universe 1965, and former Bayanihan dancer, now founder/choreographer of a Philippine dance troupe in Phoenix, AZ.