[ I was not able to attend the memorial for Al Robles, but my friend Alister was able to. This is a beautiful and touching story that Alister shared on his wordpress, that I now would like to share with all of you on BakitWhy.com ]

On May 02, 2009, community leader and poet Al Robles passed away. He had dedicated his life to working in benefit of the elderly, especially in the Filipino community. He was born and raised in the Fillmore District, but was a well-known and respected man all over San Francisco. His life had touched every generation and person who had been blessed to hear him speak. From his work with Manilatown and the I-Hotel to his “talk-stories” of oral history, he has inspired and educated many people. He will be missed.

Many people have been asking around to see how and why he had passed. From the press release outside of the I-Hotel Manilatown Center and from what people had said today, this is what I had gathered. About a month ago, Al Robles had come down with an illness called “Guillian-Barre Syndrome.” It is a rare disease that hits only about 1 in 100,000 and the exact cause is really unknown. Eating raw or under-cooked chicken is said to cause it. The illness affects the patient’s nervous system and can lead to the person becoming paralyzed. The symptoms become grow over the first two weeks and by the third week, the patient is at his weakest. It was believed that Al would fully recover from this, and over this weekend he was moved and allowed visitors. Shortly after he had been moved from the ICU to a Skilled Nursing Facility, word began to spread of his passing.

Yesterday, May 03, a memorial service was held at the I-Hotel Manilatown Center on Kearny and Jackson in San Francisco. Through the word of mouth, many people gathered at noon to pay respects. From close family and friends to those who had worked side by side with him to those who may not have known him as well, this memorial showed how Al Robles had touched many lives. There was an open mic session where those who wanted could share stories about him and just share how they felt. I was amazed to realized that Al Robles really did touch every generation; ranging from elders to the current generation’s youth, they shared their memories. Tears were shed but laughter was also abundant. It was a kind way to say goodbye.

“If you look behind the beard and all the craziness that was his life, you’ll see the soul of a human being.”

– Joaquin Sorro, son of Bill Sorro and close friend of Al Robles.

I never got to know Al Robles personally, but hearing stories about him throughout my college career, its almost like I had and I know many people feel the same. Even though I never got to really talk to him one on one, I am grateful for the legacy he had left us and the inspiration he had placed in people. I may not have learned from him directly, but I am lucky enough to say I have been educated by those who have known, been taught and inspired by his words, action and presence. He is an icon within the community. The first time I met him was last semester during my “Community Change and Development” class. I had walked and and was excited to see him. I’ll never forget this one moment when my classmate had asked him what a line in one of his poems meant. His response was something like, “Have you ever seen the leave change in autumn? This is what I want you to do. On a nice Spring day when the leave change color, walk under some trees and look up through the leaves to where the sun comes through the branches… and you’ll know.” We all laughed as a class but I was amazed by his answer for some reason. And I plan to know what he meant one day by doing so.

Rest in Power, Al Robles.

[All photos copywrite by Alister Alarva. For more on Alister Alarva, please visit his wordpress at http://alisteralarva.wordpress.com/]