T he Media Breakfast Club just learned that Ben Alcantara died on Christmas Day. His remains lie in state at the Glendale Forest Lawn Mortuary, Glendale Boulevard, Glendale, CA. The wake begins today, Jan. 1, 2010, up to 8:00 p.m. Interment will be tomorrow, Jan. 2, 2010, after a funeral mass at the nearby St. Dominic Church at 10:00 a.m. Then the interment will be held at the Glendale Forest Lawn cemetery immediately after the church service.

For your convenience, here are the links to the mortuary, church and their addresses:

Forest Lawn – (323) 254-3131 – 1712 S Glendale Ave, Glendale, CA

St Dominic's Catholic Church – (323) 254-2519 – 2002 Merton Ave, Los Angeles, CA.

Mr. Alcantara retired as a columnist of the California Examiner. He was also the Public-Relations manager of the Manila Railroad Company (later re-named the Philippine National Railways) before he came to the United States. He wrote not only articles but also several books.

On Nov. 30, 2001, Mr. Alcantara was one of 11 Filipino-American journalists and writers who were the recipients of the First Media Breakfast Club (MBC)-Dean Jose S. Reyes Award for Journalistic Excellence and Literary Distinction. Mr. Alcantara, however, was already sickly at that time and he sent instead a representative, Jun Sillona, to receive the award in his behalf.

Mr. Alcantara attended quite a few meetings of the Media Breakfast Club. In his retirement days, Mr. Alcantara started a reforestation project in his home province of La Union, Philippines.

More details about the life and literary career of Mr. Alcantara will be published in the Obituary-Memorial Park Section of this website. # # #