Roy "God-Ros" L. Fernandez
Email: roytessfer@comcast.net
Address: Portland, Oregon
Home Phone: Home: (503) 252-6833
Date of Birth: March 24
Roy "God-Ros" L. Fernandez
Email: roytessfer@comcast.net
Address: Portland, Oregon
Home Phone: Home: (503) 252-6833
Date of Birth: March 24
I was born on March 24, l946 in Del Carmen, Florida Blanca next to Basa Air Base in Pampanga. My father, Godofredo Ocampo Fernandez owned a tailoring shop catering to military personnel and their dependents at Basa Air Base. Because of the nature of this business, he became friends with military people, to mention a few, Col Carvajal, Col Ramos, Gen Santos, Gen Fajardo, Gen Lizardo and others.
In 1949, the Philippine Army personnel from Basa Air Base were relocating. My father's military friends offered him to set up a tailoring shop concession at the newly opened Philippine Army base named Ft. McKinley. He accepted the offer and we moved to Fort McKinley in 1949 and set up a business named God-Ros Tailoring and Merchandising. God-Ros was derived from my father's and mother's names Godofredo and Rosario.
My first three years of elementary education was at the Post Elementary, and one of my classmates is an active McBrat Claudette Queza. I went to eight different schools and eventually finished high school at University of Manila High School. This is a record that I have not seen broken. One day it will be in the Guinness Book of World Records. After high school, I took courses in Criminology and Penology. In 1966, I was married to Rebecca Calvento. We had two sons, Brent and Scott. The following year my father-in-law ran for city mayor of Makati and lost due to cheatings and fraud. Out of frustrations from the election results, I decided to move to the U.S.A. in November 1967.
I lived in San Francisco, District of Columbia, and settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with my sister, Merlie, who was doing her medical residency. I started working doing odd jobs like orderly, busboy, dish washer, cook, making $1.76 per hour. Since the pay was very low, I decided to go to school to get ahead. I obtained an Associate degree in Radiologic Technology in 1971. There was a job offer, and the pay was good, so I moved to Chicago and worked as a Radiologic Technologist. The company also offered educational benefits and I took advantage of it.
In the meantime I was going to school. I was married the second time to Jean Farne, M.D. in 1971. The marriage lasted four months. In 1973 I married again for the third time to Florita Ancheta. I got my bachelors degree in Radiologic Technology in 1974 at Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois. My marriage to Florita ended in 1981.
In 1981 I decided to take off from hard work and went back to the Philippines. I taught Radiologic Technology at Emilio Aguinaldo College in Manila. I also taught Anatomy/Physiology to freshmen nursing students at Pines Educational Center in Baguio City and was subsequently promoted to Registrar in the school of nursing. Lucky me, during my tenure as Registrar, I won the second prize of the Philippine Charity Sweepstake in the amount of P260,000. I lived like a king, had a personal chauffer, a secretary and an errand boy. It was also during this time that Deverie Crystal Fernandez was born. Deverie won the Miss Manila Oregon/SW Washington in May 2007 with the help of my fellow McBrats.
In 1987 I decided to go back to the good old USA, destination Sunny California. I started my own job placement agency for Radiology Specialists in Southern California. It was a success in the first few years of operation until I was deceived. I closed the agency and moved to Seattle in 1991. In Seattle I worked again as a Radiologic Technologist, and got married for the fourth time. The following year we got divorced and I relocated to Portland.
In 1996 I got married to Tess Munar. I may have been married quite a few times, but I have always been a good provider to them and my children. Although I am not a military brat, I consider myself as one for the simple reason that we lived in a military camp for over a dozen years and the friends I grew up with were mostly military brats. Some of them were the Rigors: Snaffu, Sluggo, and Spanky, the Pajarillos: Henry and Par, the Berenguers: Manolo, Sonia and Memie, the Imperials: Gloria and Vicky, the de Guzmans: Jong and Claro, Cleto Bandril, Tony Pelayo, Bar Bulfa, Art Mendoza, Ruben Ayson, Ricky Sotelo, Junior Friedlander, Manny Sievert, Boy Lucero, Mario Azurin, Nel Hemedes, Jun Guttierez, Tito de Veyra, Claudette Queza, Pangging Lino, and Tessie Lucero.
The memories of the old Fort and the friends I grew up with will always be near and dear to me. I Thank the good Lord that I still have the opportunity to see them in our McBrats reunions. May God bless us all with healthy and longer lives so we can all enjoy each other whether near or far .
Roy ’God-Ros’ Fernandez
