My Memoirs - Citizen of the World

million dollars to build the museum and to purchase 100 acres of
land, calling it Dighton Rock Park. The Commonwealth also
continues to pay for the maintenance of the park. I was elected
Treasurer of the Dighton Rock Museum and I still hold that
position today.
Dr. da Silva started a program on Channel 36 (the official TV
station of the State of Rhode Island) called, Os Portugueses, (The
Portuguese). It ran every week for four years, and I was a
permanent member on the panel. He also started the program, The
Portuguese Around Us on Channel 6, in which I participated, that
was broadcast for thirty-one years. It was very rewarding for me
because the program provided valuable information to non-
Portuguese citizens living in Southeastern Massachusetts and
Rhode Island about the rich Portuguese history.
I also became involved with the Knights of Corte Reais, which was
a Portuguese-American non-profit organization named after the
great navigator Miguel Corte Real. The purpose of the
organization was to promote the Portuguese culture and to sponsor
conferences regarding Portuguese history, folklore, music and
heritage; to raise funds for certain activities in the area such as the
Bristol Portuguese School for children of immigrants and other
children interested in learning the language. Scholarships were
also given to sons and daughters of Portuguese ancestry. I was
president from 1974-1975.
During the seventies, eighties and nineties, I was invited by
separate several organizations to be the Master of Ceremonies Ceremonies and main
speaker for many of their events and functions in Bristol County.
When the famous Portuguese Tall Ships, "Sagres," visited New
England, I was asked to be the organizer and Master of
Ceremonies for the reception given for its Captain and crew at
Linden Place, which is a famous mansion and landmark in
downtown Bristol. It was a beautiful spectacle to see the
Portuguese Navy marching in our town.
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