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- 2007 AWARDEES
Dr. Ananda Prasad
Mr. Bob Gill
Ms. Cora Reyes
Dr. Divya Bali
Dr. Gemorsita Tenazas
Ms. Hoang Taing
Ms. Marilyn Donato
Dr. Yvonne Lau
Ms Lorna Kivlehan
Mr. Robert Bacani
Ms. Susan S. Muranishi
2006 AWARDEES
Dr. S.K. Park
Dr. Christina R. Sevilla
Ms. Edith Ardiente
Atty. El Cid Butuyan
Dr. Sonny Lee
2005 AWARDEES
Mr. Antonio David
- Mr. Pablito Alarcon
Ms. Francesca Close
Dr. Josie Olympia
Dr. Ding Lee
2004 AWARDEES
Dr. Hector Sulit
Dr. Sook Wilkinson
Note; Some awardees are not able to join this ceremony. A complete list can be
found on our website at http://www.asianleaders.org/asian_hall_of_distinction.htm
Susan Shirasawa
Muranishi was born in San Francisco and raised
in Berkeley, California. Her parents, Takeo and Maye Shirasawa are
second-generation Japanese-Americans who were both interned with their families
during World War II in Arizona and Arkansas. Susan’s grandparents were born and
raised in Japan before coming to the United States.
Susan is clearly one of the most influential and effective leaders in the Bay
Area. As Administrator for the County of Alameda, she is responsible for a
government agency comparable to a Fortune 500 company – a $2.2 billion budget,
an estimated 8,700 employees, and serving about 1.5 million residents. Susan is
highly respected for her professionalism, strong work ethic and integrity. She
is an excellent role model and as a strong successful leader, she has
established business relationships that encourage teamwork, collaboration and
innovation.
Susan has been actively involved in the diverse communities of Alameda County
and especially, the Japanese American community in the Bay Area. She serves on
the Board of Directors of Safe Passages, Executive Council, Fremont Family
Resource Center, Founding Member, California Asian Public Administrators Network
and Caucus of Elected Asians (PANACEA), volunteer for a wide-range of community
and school programs, among others. Her access to a vast network and boundless
energy has served her community well.
- Dr. Yvonne Lau is a
nationally-known educator and leading activist in the Asian American
community in the Midwest. She served as the founding president of the Asian
American Institute in Chicago, a non-profit organization committed to
research and advocacy.
In 2003, Yvonne developed the first early college “bridge” program between
DePaul University and Chicago Public Schools (CPS). DePaul’s Asian and Asian
American Opportunities (DAAAO) Program invites academically talented high
school students to take courses in Asian languages and Asian & Asian
American Studies, earning dual college credits. Hailed as a model “pipeline”
program stimulating interest in the study of Asia and Asian languages, the
DAAAO Program has paved the way for other national initiatives, including
the federal STARTALK Programs
.
In 2004, she was appointed to the CPS Blue Ribbon Commission on Select and
Magnet School Admissions. Currently, she serves on the CPS Chicago
Multi-lingual Parents Council and the co-chair of the Asian American
Advisory Committee. Beyond curricular changes, she has led AACE to
investigate and lobby for the advancement and promotion of Asian American
teachers and administrators, and for the statewide reform of the school
codes and legislation to prioritize the certification of Asian language
teachers.
Dr. Lau She has made significant contributions to race-based policies in
K-16, Asian American communities, educa
Divya R
Bali, MD, MPA, FACP is the Medical Director of Geriatrics
Associates, PC in Albuquerque, NM. Dr. Bali was born in India. Her community
service began as a child when she volunteered (with her mother) to serve
meals to the Indian Army soldiers at the train stations. She organized
fundraisers and charity shows for the war victims.
Service has been the single most important aim in Dr. Bali’s life. In an era
when physicians are not easily accessible, Dr. Bali has made housecalls, on
her own time and without any extra charge. During the middle of night, she
has prescribed medicines to patients, given them medicines that she may have
with her. She has bought prescription drugs from a pharmacy to patients who
may have difficulty in purchasing them. As a physician, her only
satisfaction is to see the patient’s speedy recovery.
Serving patients does not complete Dr. Bali’s service to the community. She
has participated in teaching medical classes, mentoring future doctors. She
has gone to high schools in the city to talk to girls as well as boys
telling them, cajoling them to keep studying and never give up. She has
counseled them about careers, and given hopes of a bright future that awaits
them if they just work hard.
As a member of the Health Promotion and Disease Management Committee, she
has contributed significantly to improving the health status of various age
groups by developing and implementing prevention and screening guidelines
such as cancer screening, immunizations and others.
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When not seeing her patients, Dr. Bali devotes time for the Asian community.
She has taken upon herself the task of educating the community about
preventive health care, with special emphasis on improving women’s health,
discussing and meeting their ongoing needs. Dr. Bali is the founder of Hari
Om Mandir, a non-profit organization for religious, cultural and social
activities for the Asian-Indian community.
Dr. Bali’s community is very large, indeed. Whenever she goes to India, she
devotes significant time in various clinics seeing poor patients at no
charge. She has donated many state-of-the-art medical equipments, books,
computers to those health care institutions.
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- Bob Gill is a 30-plus
year resident of San Jose , California. He was born in a tiny village in the
Punjab region of India. He immigrated to the United States in his mid-20's.
Bob's entrepreneurial activities started as early as 1976 when he managed a
gas station and at the same time, successfully obtained his high school
diploma from Independence High School and finished a self-study course in
Basic Electronics.
For Bob Gill, reaching out to the growing Indo-American population in
Silicon Valley began in 1983. Informal gatherings at various public places
and eating establishments spawned into the formation of a more organized
group. Two years later, Bob organized a temple-sponsored festival in San
Jose, known as "Vaisakhi Mela" world-wide, which originated from the Sikh
community in Punjab, India. The event was so successful that it became an
annual gathering.
- In 2003, Bob transformed the temple-sponsored festival
into "a cultural activity with social significance." The "mela" benefited
its growing senior community, represented by the Indo-American Senior Center
of San Jose, which sought to celebrate its cultural roots in the United
States. Attendance currently averages 10,000, and supported by live radio
broadcasts that reached out to over 40,000 Punjabi-speaking American
residents.
The branding of the "San Jose Punjabi Mela" in 2006 is noteworthy for its
mission in showcasing the diverse talents and resources of the Punjab region
without reference to race, gender, or spiritual beliefs. In 1992, Bob
started the plans for a temple (gurdwara) for the Sikh community in San
Jose. Bob bought a trailer on White Road, which served as a makeshift
temple. Then, his group bought 2-1/2 acres of land on Quimby Road --- and
then again, bought adjoining property of 2-1/2 acres. After his group sold
the property for $11 million, they bought 42 acres of the current Murillo
Street property that currently houses the San Jose Gurdwara. The first phase
of the temple was completed in 2003. Bob Gill had served as general manager
for the temple's construction project.
- Currently, Bob is the Executive Director of the San Jose
Gurdwara. He also oversees the management of the food and beverage
activities of the temple, which serves free daily meals to its members and
guests. Every week, Bob exposes his community members and their guests to
different speakers, from social service providers to political leaders, from
the wider communities. The Indo-American seniors continue to socialize in
the temple's grounds. Bob Gill continues his role of "building bridges of
friendship and goodwill" in Silicon Valley for the Indo-American community.
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- Ananda S. Prasad, MD, PhD
- Dr. Ananda Prasad’s pioneering studies from the Middle East in the early
sixties established for the first time the essentiality of zinc for human
nutrition and showed that its deficiency occured in humans. The impact of
this discovery include establishment of RDA for zinc in 1974, its mandatory
inclusion in TPN fluids in 1978 resulting in saving of many lives, its use
in children with acute diarrhea decreasing the mortality and its use in the
elderly with age related macular degeneration for prevention of blindness.
Meta analysis shows that growth retardation in the developing world is due
to zinc deficiency, which may affect nearly 2 billion subjects.
Dr. Prasad’s observations that zinc decreases copper burden in vivo has led
to a successful treatment of Wilson’s disease with zinc. Other pioneering
contributions of Dr. Prasad include the demonstration of decreased thymulin
activity and a shift from Th1 to Th2 functions in zinc deficient humans
accounting for decreased cell mediated immunity and the role of zinc in gene
expression of IL-2 via NF-kB activation.
Dr. Prasad’s several papers have been cited as citation classics. He has
received many awards, which include Goldberger award (AMA), Mastership of
the American College of Physicians, Robert H. Herman award (ASCN), Medal of
Honor from the Mayor of Lyon, Honorary doctorate from Claude Bernard
University, Lyon, France, election as corresponding member of The European
Academy of Sciences, Arts and Humanities, and American College of Physicians
(ACP) award for outstanding work in science as related to Medicine.
As Founder President of the India League of America, Michigan and member of
the, Michigan Governor’s Advisory Council for Asian and Pacific Affairs, he
has rendered countless hours of dedicated community service that led to his
recognition by the Consul-General of India in Chicago for “Outstanding and
Inspiring Leadership”.
- Cora Reyes was born
in the Philippines, immigrated to America in 1967 and married Dr. Francisco
Reyes. She worked as a Foreign Exchange Nurse at Texas Medical Branch
Hospitals in Galveston for 2 years, ICU/CCU Nurse at St. Elizabeth of St.
Clare's Hospital in New York for 11 years, has been working at JPMorgan
Chase Health Services as corporate nurse for 25 years. She is currently a
Unit Manager and Human Resources Officer.
Cora shines in her stellar role as leader of humanitarian projects. She
leads yearly medical/surgical/dental missions to the Philippines and
performs numerous charitable and humanitarian activities. She has been
serving the Philippine-American communities for over 27 years in various
capacities. Currently, she is President of the Bulacan Medical Missions,
Secretary - Friends Indeed, USA, Board of Governor- Auxiliary to the
Association of Philippine Physicians in America. A leader, nurse, mother,
philanthropist, educator, Cora Reyes has distinguisehd herself as a
humanitarian leader for the past 27 years.
- Dr. Gemorsita Macavinta-Tenazas
is a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice and Fellow of the
American Academy of Family Physicians. She was selected as one of Americas
Top Family Doctors in 2007 Edition by the Consumers Research Council of
America. She has been employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs at the
Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Center (LAACC)) for almost 32 years. She is the
primary care provider of nearly eight hundred veterans who are eighty
percent geriatric.
She came to the United States forty years ago, as an immigrant with her
husband and three small boys, the eldest was 3 years and the youngest was
six months. A year later she had another son. She worked as a technician to
help augment her husband’s income but they were so hard up that she had to
apply for food stamps to make ends meet. Seeking a better life for her
family, she left her four boys with her husband in California and went
into residency training in Family Practice at Texas Tech University. She
weathered the hardships of family separation, training and discrimination.
Her sacrifices paid off. She succeeded and all her boys are now successful
professionals.
She is very active in the community. She is one of the Founders, Past
President and current Board Member of the Aklanons of America. This
organization provides scholarships to deserving students in Aklan, sends
used medical equipments, blankets/sheets, medicines and cash monies to Aklan.
In the US, the organization teaches the youth the values, customs and the
traditions of the Philippines and Aklan through workshops and seminars. It
also lends a helping hand to new arrivals and guide them to assimilate in
the American society. She is a member of the Board of Governors of the
Philippine-American Association of Family Physicians. Giving back, she
participates in medical missions to the Philippines doing free clinics in
medical and surgical work.
HOANG TAING has been a vivid embodiment
of the American dream and an inspiration to countless Americans and people
everywhere around the world. Over a decade ago, she walked out of the
“Killing Fields” in Cambodia after the brutal murders of her loved ones by
the Khmer Rouge. Since arriving in America, she has succeeded in overcoming
a series of obstacles to achieve an honored place in American society and
civic life.
Ms. Taing’s life in America has been a brilliant success. College graduate,
honor student, White House intern, White House Fellowship Regional Finalist,
Fulbright Fellow, Washington, D.C. Teaching Fellow, Delta Kappa Gamma
Scholar, George Washington Medal of Honor recipient, Commissioner on the
Status of Women in Arlington, Virginia, and now “2007 Asian Academy Hall of
Fame & Distinction” award winner. All of these things are a part of the
life she has made for herself here in the USA.
Hoang has traveled to all 50 States throughout the U.S., and has been to
over 25 countries in all seven continents, counseling, motivating, and
educating people from all walks of life about the importance of education,
self-esteem, and resiliency.
Ms. Taing co-founded “X & O” Film and Media Company, with Christian Oh, to
help young people with life skills. She has appeared in many major
television and radio programs and has been featured in numerous newspaper
and magazine articles. She has shared panel discussions with many prominent
figures including Senator John McCain, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell,
author Jack Canfield, astronaut Alan Bean and others.
Hoang is a great leader and a caring mentor. She believes in Chinese
Confucius teaching and family values. Ms. Taing appreciates the
opportunities that America has given her and is taking the responsibility to
give back to the community by promoting community and volunteer service
throughout the world. Ms. Taing is the beacon of hope for people of all
ages.
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