https://wiith-archive.ucsc.edu/files/original/2cd470cd89b43ba7a0517be5020342fc.pdf 82253236394a9c19bf48d440beff1086 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mariano Family Collection Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Bobby Mariano Description An account of the resource Marcelino "Bob" Mariano was born in 1910 in the municipality of Camiling, in the province of Tarlac, in the Philippines. He was the oldest of three brothers and had a contentious relationship with his father. At fifteen, Marcelino left the Philippines to work on a sugarcane plantation on the island of Hawai‘i. Upon his arrival, he changed his last name to “Mariano,” which was his mother’s maiden name. Sometime in the 1930s, Marcelino moved to Los Angeles where he became a short-order cook at an unknown diner. He worked in Los Angeles until 1942 when he was drafted into the First Filipino Infantry Regiment. He was stationed in Fort Ord, California. During a Halloween party at Fort Ord, Marcelino met Hazel Maxine Bickel who he later married in Nogales, Arizona. Shortly after, Marcelino was deployed to New Guinea and later to the Philippines. During his time abroad, Hazel gave birth to their son, Bobby Mariano, in El Centro, California in 1944. When Marcelino returned to California his son was seventeen months old. Hazel was born on July 18, 1923, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Her father was originally from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Her family moved first to Stockton, California, and later resettled in Watsonville, California to escape the conditions of the Dust Bowl. She and her parents worked in agriculture primarily in the canning industry. Hazel’s parents purchased a property with two houses in Watsonville, California where the Mariano’s lived when Marcelino completed his service. Marcelino returned to working in the fields following the seasonal crop harvest. He initially worked in packing and loading and then eventually became a foreman. Hazel left the canneries and worked in healthcare at a senior nursing home. The Mariano Family Collection was contributed to Watsonville is in the Heart in 2022 by Marcelino and Hazel Mariano's son, Bobby Mariano. The collection contains three items, two photographs, and an oral history interview with Bobby. In the interview, Bobby his father's migrant labor, his parents' interracial marriage, and his perceptions of Watsonville as a multicultural community. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Dr. Steven McKay Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Bobby Mariano Location The location of the interview Zoom Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data .wav Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 1:29:40 Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview [2:51] Biographical information for Bobby and his parents Marcelino “Bob” Mariano and Hazel Maxine Bickle [4:12] Father’s background, estrangement from his family in the Philippines and immigration to Hawai’i to work in the sugar plantations [6:51] Father’s immigration to California in 1930s, work as a cook in Los Angeles, and his experience being drafted into the First Filipino Regiment in 1942 [8:56] Mother’s family’s immigration to Watsonville from Oklahoma [11:23] How parents’ met at a Halloween Party at Fort Ord [13:12] WWII and the First Filipino Regiment [15:37] Parents’ interracial marriage [20:36] Parents’ life in Watsonville and home on Lincoln Street [22:32] Fathers’ work as a migrant laborer and mother’s work in Watsonville Canneries [26:33] Discussion of migrant work and labor camps as well as a discussion of how Bob became a foreman of a Filipino crew [26:24] Bob eventually worked for Crosetti later in life until his retirement [26:30] Discussion of multiculturalism in Watsonville and Bobby’s belief that he and others did not experience racial oppression while growing up [33:41] Mixed-race families in Watsonville [36:29] Memories of cockfights [44:11] Community organizations Bob participated in including being president of the Filipino Community [44:36] Bobby’s understanding that his parents “shielded” him from hardships including racism and poverty [48:22] Childhood and going to private school [52:33] Experience as an only child [55:52] Bobby’s and his father’s cars [58:53] Divide between manong and their descendants and post-65 immigrant families at the Watsonville Filipino Community Hall [1:02:30] Parents’ buying their first home in Watsonville on Meredith Way [1:06:26] Memory of working in cantaloupe fields in El Centro with his dad as a child [1:08:26] Bobby’s experience enlisting in the Army in 1963 [1:09:48] Bobby’s career as a drummer and musician [1:19:42] Discussion of the working-class neighborhood he grew up in and his belief that he and other children were not aware of class divisions [1:21:13] Fishing [1:22:38] Bobby’s perception of Filipinos as a model minority URL <span style="font-weight: 400;">Link to audio recording on escholarship: </span><a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4x7791g5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bobby Mariano interviewed by Dr. Steven McKay</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Bobby Mariano interviewed by Dr. Steven McKay Description An account of the resource In this interview, originally recorded via Zoom, Bobby Mariano speaks with Dr. Steve McKay, a member of the Watsonville is in the Heart team. Bobby describes his father, Marcelino “Bob” Mariano’s immigration and labor histories including his migration from the Philippines to Hawai’i then from Hawai’i to California and his lifelong work in agriculture first as a migrant laborer and eventually as a foreman. He also discusses his mother, Hazel Maxine Bickle, whose family immigrated to Watsonville from Oklahoma during the 1920s. Bobby discusses his parents’ interracial marriage as well as the other mixed-race families in Watsonville that he knew growing up. He also describes his father’s military service during World War II and his own experience enlisting in the Army during the 1960s. Bobby shares memories of going to cockfights with his father and his experiences in school. Throughout the interview, Bobby expresses that his parents shielded him from experiences of racism and economic hardship as well as his childhood perception of Watsonville as a multicultural community without racial or class divides. Additionally, Bobby discusses his parents and other families in Watsonville who overcame experiences of racism and poverty. In doing so, he articulates beliefs about Filipinos in Watsonville that align with the model minority narrative. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bobby Mariano and Dr. Steven McKay Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource January 10, 2022 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Watsonville is in the Heart (WIITH) is a community-driven public history initiative to preserve and uplift stories of Filipino migration and labor in the city of Watsonville and greater Pajaro Valley. All oral history interviews are donated to WIITH by the narrators. Copyright is held by WIITH. Oral history interview recordings and transcripts are available for unrestricted use and reproduction by educators and researchers. Please note that the recordings on this website are provided via escholarship. For access to oral history audio files, please contact the project director at wiith@ucsc.edu. If you are an oral history narrator and would like to remove your interview from the archive website, please contact the project director. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Canneries Cars El Centro Filipino Infantry Regiment Fishing Fort Ord J.J. Crosetti Ranch Military Musicians Race Vietnam War Watsonville World War 2 World War II WW2