Shades of L.A. is an archive of photographs representing the contemporary and historic diversity of families in Los Angeles. Images were chosen from family albums and include daily life, social organizations, work, personal and holiday celebrations, and migration and immigration activities. Made possible and accessible through the generous support of the Security Pacific National Bank, Sunlaw Cogeneration Partners, Photo Friends, California Council for the Humanities, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation.
Images available for reproduction and educational use. Please see the Ordering & Use page at http://tessa.lapl.org/orderinguse.html for additional information. The contents of this collection are restricted to personal, research, and non-commercial use. The Library cannot share the personal and/or contact information of the donors, their descendants, or associates who contributed photographs and oral histories to the collection.
Description
Sam Balucas was born August 18, 1932 in Stockton to Eugenio and Margarita Balucas. His father left the Phillipines and immigrated to Hawaii where he worked on the sugar cane plantations. He moved to San Francisco in 1922. His mother also immigrated to Hawaii from the Phillipines in the 1920's. She married Sam's father in Stockton in 1931, what would be her fourth marriage. She would ultimately have 14 children (8 of whom survived). Her full name was Margarita Pilar Bilar Ventura Cordova Balucas. Sam grew up in Reedley, CA, where he attended Reedley HS and was MVP of his varsity football team. He moved to the San Fernando Valley in 1961 and met his wife Gloria Ilejay. They married in Burbank in 1963. He worked in the aerospace industry as an accounting manager for Hughes Aircraft Company until he retired in 1989. He heard of Shades of L.A. through the Fillipino American National Historical Society. Portrait of Carmen Arce Pilar. Photo taken in Dolores, Abra, Philippines in 1928. She had 4 children, including Juan and Margarita who both immigrated to Hawaii. Margarita then moved to Stockton, California. Juan moved to San Fernando Valley. Photo taken: 1933.
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