On the occasion of the 199th anniversary of Bolivian independence, Aurora on Tuesday honored a longtime member of its Bolivian community.
Domingo Parada, who passed away last month, was an educator at East Aurora High School and an important influence on generations of students, including two of the school’s well-known graduates – Mayor Richard Irvin, and Clayton Muhammad, a senior advisor to the mayor.
Muhammad said growing up, Parada was “a mentor.”
“He would reach out, just to ask me how I’m doing,” said Irvin. “All the kids who came through, he was proud of all of them, every one.”
The honor came during Tuesday’s raising of the Bolivian flag in One Aurora Plaza, a ceremony that has become familiar to the city’s varying and diverse communities.
Muhammad reaffirmed the reason for the events – to show that all communities belong in the city. Next week, the city will do two separate flag-raising events, one for India and one for Pakistan.
“I know Aurora is a very welcoming city,” said a member of Renacer Bolivian Dance Troupe, based in Chicago with members from Aurora, who performed and were honored Tuesday. “It opens the arms to everyone.”
This is the second year the city has raised the Bolivian flag on its Independence Day in recognition of the growing community in Aurora. City officials point with pride to Alice’s Corner, a downtown restaurant that is the only full-service Bolivian restaurant in Illinois. The restaurant served free empanadas after the flag-raising ceremony.
While Aurora praised longtime Bolivians, it also honored two youths of Bolivian descent, Valerie Figueroa and Isabella McManus.
Figueroa is an East Aurora High School senior who is an intern in the Northwestern University Pulmonary and Critical Care Summer Research Program, the only Aurora student in the program.
She regaled the audience with some her experiences from the summer, which she said would help prepare her for a career in the medical field.
“I’m honored and proud to represent my Bolivian roots and East Aurora High School in this experience,” she said.
McManus is a senior at Aurora University who has been interning with the city of Aurora’s Information Technology Department. Her grandfather was an American missionary to Bolivia where he met and married her grandmother, moving back to America.
She talked of the work her grandmother did to become an American citizen.
In honoring Parada, officials noted that in addition to being a bilingual science teacher, and a mentor to many students, he was an accomplished artist. When he retired in 2011, he continued to build on his reputation in the art world.
Considered an important pioneer in Bolivan contemporary art, he was recognized in America, Europe and Asia.
His widow, Karen Parada, also a recognized East Aurora educator, smiled at the recognition for both her and her husband.
“He would be so happy to be here today, because he really loves attention,” she said.
slord@tribpub.com
