32 Years

It's been over three decades since he passed, but I was curious to see if the latest AI solutions knew who my father was. Here were the results:

"Duarte B. Santos (1942-1994) was a Portuguese-born artist, photographer, and educator who lived and worked in the United States. He earned a Master's Degree in Technology Education from San Jose State University in 1985, graduating with high honors. Santos taught 4th and 5th grade at Anne Darling Elementary School in San Jose, California, where he was remembered as an inspirational teacher and a beloved figure among students and colleagues. A memorial library at the school, located at 333 N 33rd St, San Jose, CA, bears his name in honor of his contributions. He passed away on January 3, 1994, and his legacy is preserved through an online memorial blog maintained by family, which includes annual remembrances, family stories, and poetic reflections tied to his life." 

Not too shabby of a summary. On our visit today my daughter had a great time running around the chapel and asking about "Grandpa Duarte."

31 Years

 

Translation from Portuguese:

Like the sun that shines on a rainy morning,
a hope emerges from tears that flow.
- Duarte Santos

Happy Father's Day

 

30 Years

I cannot believe that today marks three decades since my father passed away. His memory and legacy continue to live on. My wife told me that we will always keep his spirit alive by telling Ava what an amazing person he was, and I plan to do just that.

Today we all went to go visit him in the cemetery. It was a cloudy gray day, but while we were there a ray of sunshine lit up his tombstone.

I will always miss my father and appreciate all of the memories I still have of him.

Happy (Grand)Father's Day!

 

29 Years

It's been a crazy 2022! We ended last year on a high note with a public announcement that we're having a baby. The "babymoon" photo on the right has special significance since Waikiki was where Kalina and I went on our first trip together. It's also where my parents went on their Honeymoon and it's the only place outside the continent (besides Portugal) that I remember taking family trips to as a child.

Today was a bit sad realizing that my father will never get to meet his granddaughter in person, but I know he will always be watching over her!

28 Years

This year I'd like to share a photo of my father as a teacher at Anne Darling Elementary in San Jose. He mostly taught 4th and 5th grade and was well-liked by his students. He'll always be missed!

Happy Birthday Dad!

I love you and miss you. I'm sure you would have loved this Red Velvet cake Kalina got to celebrate your 79th Birthday!

27 Years

2020 was another challenging year, but the silver lining is that 2021 is likely to be far better.

My parents were married at Five Wounds in San Jose (where I was baptized on the same day, a story for another time). In honor of my father's passing, I watched the Five Wounds mass today celebrated by Fr. António Silveira. I was very happy to hear my father's name a couple of times during the service--which you can watch over here.

Dad, I miss you and thank you for watching over mom and I during 2020.

26 Years

2020, the future. While we might not be driving flying cars or vacationing on the moon, we live in a world that is vastly different than just a few decades ago. We store all of the world's information in our pockets, can stream any show ever made in real time on our TVs, and some of the lucky ones have cars that can drive themselves on the freeway. 

My father always loved technology and I can't help but imagine what he would think about the world today or how he would use technology to help others. When he was living in São Miguel, he was actually the first person to televise mass in the Azores to reach as many people as possible. Decades before PowerPoint, he created multimedia slide presentations with transitions and synced music. Long before digital cameras and scanners, he would take photographs and convert them into digital images by drawing them pixel by pixel.

I'm where I am today because he taught me how to use a computer when I was six years old and always encouraged me to use technology to it's fullest. I can't ever fully express how thankful I am for the lessons he taught me in life. 

You will always be missed dad.

25 Years

Even though it has been a quarter century since my father passed away, I still remember him clearly and feel the impact that he had on the world. He always had tremendous love and empathy in his heart and brought out the best in people.

Today I thought it would be nice to share a few photos of his final resting place, which is right above a statue of Mary inside the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery Chapel. It is a beautiful building with a lot of character that is comfortable to visit year-round. Mass is also celebrated weekly in honor of the deceased. I don't think my mom could have chosen a better place for him.

Thank you dad for being such a great role model. I love you and miss you.

Domingos Rebelo Documentary

As a Father's Day tribute, I uploaded one of my father's video productions to YouTube. This is a short documentary on one of the most famous artists to come from the Azores, Domingos Rebelo. The first half hour is in Portuguese while the English version begins around the 36 minute mark. Huge thank you to Filomena Goulart for providing the video!

Happy Father's Day dad!

24 Years

Today it has been 24 years since I lost my father to cancer in 1994. I miss him so much and wish he was still here with my me and all those that loved him dearly. Last year was the most difficult year of my adult life, and while I feel he is always with me I wish I could hear his voice and ask for his guidance. 

I love you dad and deeply appreciate everything that you taught me.

22 Years

Today marks the 22nd anniversary of my father's passing. I went with my mother to the cemetery this morning to visit his grave. Afterwards, we went to a new Portuguese restaurant called Adega, which has replaced Sousa's in San Jose. Despite being a brand new restaurant, it is filled with character. There is a traditional mosaic on the back wall, real tools for making wine are hanging on the walls (Adega means wine cellar), and much of the furniture was hand-built by the owners. The food was absolutely incredible. My father would have loved this place.

Over lunch I asked my mom to tell me something about my father that I did not already know. She said that each year he would get very excited about my birthday. I knew he enjoyed throwing big parties for friends, but what I did not know is that he would spend hours each year coming up with a creative new birthday invitation card. Each year's card was unique, and as an artist he would always do something special. I am going to have to go through storage and find these cards, since I had no idea he did this.

LaSalette Restaurant

Early this year, we went to what is often regarded as the best Portuguese Restaurant in the Bay Area in honor of my father. The meal at LaSalette in Sonoma was amazing. The only thing that would have made it better is if he was eating it with us.

Two Giant Mural-Sized Works of Art

Here are two giant works of art that one of my father's good friends--Maria Isabel van Sunder--has been storing for years in her garage. Both of these are massive, 20 feet wide I believe. The top one is of a famous Portuguese explorer (sorry, I don't recall the name right now) and the bottom one is a street in Graciosa.

Speech for my Mom's Retirement

My mother is retiring after an amazing 46 years of teaching, 38 of which were at Anne Darling where my father also taught. Below is the speech that I delivered last week at her retirement party. My father I'm sure is very proud of what she has accomplished.

~~~

A huge thank you to Nova Alianca for accommodating us on such short notice, the staff and amazing chef deserve a big round of applause.

I would also like to extend a warm thank you to everyone for coming, especially on a Monday night! Thank you all for being an important part of my mom’s life, and helping her make it to where she is today.

Now, a fun fact about my mom. She actually came to the US as a Franciscan nun knowing almost no English. How many of you knew she was a nun at one point? Show of hands? So this is news to a lot of you.

She has devoted almost her entire life to teaching. First, she taught at Five Wounds right across the street for 6 years. Then she taught at St. Mary’s for 2 years. After that, she found her home at Anne Darling, where she has taught for the past 38 years. That’s a very long time. Folks, that is a grand total of 46 years of teaching.

To put this in perspective, when she started teaching there were no computers smaller than a truck, you couldn’t Google anything because there was no internet, color TVs were just starting to become popular, and the president of the United States was Lyndon B. Johnson. That’s how long she’s been teaching.

In order to do anything for that long you have to love what you do. In fact, one teaching job was not enough for her. She has also contributed to the Portuguese community by teaching after-school Portuguese classes for 15 years at a variety of locations, all while still teaching at Anne Darling.

She also has an incredible work ethic, often going into class on Saturdays and Sundays to prepare for the coming week. Even a full hip replacement surgery did not keep her from going back to work this year.

She could have retired a decade ago, but kept on going because she loved her job and she is great at it. I’m sure she’s lost count of how many former students came up to her as adults, requesting that she be the teacher for their children (and in some rare cases grandchildren).

My mom’s love for kids also extended outside of the classroom. I remember when I was a teenager and she decided to become a foster mother.  Keep in mind that at this point my father had passed away, and she was a single mom working full-time. In total, she has devoted 17 years of her life to foster care, housing as many as 6 foster children at one time.  Over those years she has taken care of almost 100 different kids, and many have said it was the best home they ever stayed in and still keep in touch.

In a nutshell, my mom has devoted her entire life to serving others and making the world a better place… first as a nun and then as a teacher.

Now what is she going to do with all of this extra free time after retirement?  I know that my mom likes to stay busy, so I’m don’t think she will just kick back and relax.  I’ll throw this out there.  Mom, you can feel free to volunteer as a babysitter for my future kids anytime.  We wouldn’t want you to get bored or anything.  And just a quick note that these are hypothetical kids, there are no other major announcements taking place tonight.

I know you guys are looking forward to dessert, so I’ll wrap things up and say this...  I could not have asked for a better mom and am so incredibly proud to see her achieve this milestone. I’m also sure that all of those that could not be here today like my father, her parents, and many others are smiling down, and agreeing with me when I say it is a very well deserved retirement. Congratulations and I Love You.

20 Years

It has now been 20 years since my father passed away. The world would be a much better place if he were still here. He was a kind, patient, and caring person that I will always look up to and draw inspiration from. I'm sure he is still watching over those that he loved, and I especially hope he'll pull some strings up there to make sure my mom's hip replacement surgery goes smoothly next week.

On many occasions I can't help but to think about how much he would have enjoyed being alive today. Like myself, he really enjoyed technology and I am reminded of him every time a new gadget, a faster computer, or a better camera is released. I think he would be blown away by smartphones, the Internet, HDTVs, modern cars, and all of the other things that exist today and we take for granted.

Dad, we miss you and wish you were here.

Happy Father's Day 2013

The Portuguese Tribune (Tribuna Portuguesa) recently published a beautifully written article about my father. He was once an artistic contributor to the Tribune and even designed their logo, which was on the cover of the publication for many, many years. It is a huge honor that they continue to remember him almost 20 years after his passing. I couldn't think of a better Father's Day gift.

To read the article, just click the image below.

19 Year Anniversary of Duarte's Passing

I realized that I don't have any photos of my father's "headstone" which is actually inside of a small chapel. The lighting was not good, but I did get a photo with my phone. I will add better photos in the future.

Over the past 20 hours or so, my wife and I had food poisoning and have been so sick we can barely move. It was like torture. I can't even image how hard the cancer must have been on my father or how he was able to cheer everyone up and have a positive outlook even in the most painful months of his life.

Dad, I'm proud of everything you have done and you are definitely missed by everyone that knew you.