Father Figure

They were caught between two worlds. Not completely Asian but not quite American, the children of U.S. servicemen and Asian women sometimes were treated like outcasts in their native countries.

In Korea, their mixed-race background engendered contempt and prejudice, said the Rev. Alfred Carroll, a Jesuit priest at Gonzaga University. At the same time, the kids had no connection to their American fathers, who abandoned them when they returned to the United States.

Touched by the plight of Amerasian youth, Carroll made it his mission to bring some of these teenagers to Spokane for a chance at a better life. With Carroll’s help, more than 200 Amerasians were given the opportunity to learn English, go to college and discover their American heritage.

Today, many will return to Spokane for the first reunion of Gonzaga’s Amerasian Heritage Program, and to express their gratitude to the priest who changed their lives.

“We want to honor Father Carroll and to thank him for taking a chance on us,” said Verchel Wunpheng, who came to Gonzaga from the Philippines in 1993. “It takes a very special person to do what he did.”

Carroll’s work with Amerasian youth began in 1980, when a professor at Gonzaga asked if he would provide a one-semester scholarship to a student from Korea whose father was an American serviceman.

“What’s an Amerasian?” the priest responded at the time.

But as soon as he agreed to assist the young man, he was asked if he would be willing to help more students. Carroll was hesitant at first but changed his mind after getting a round-trip ticket to Korea from the Rev. Alfred Keane, a Maryknoll missionary who worked with Amerasians.

What he witnessed there troubled him: Many of the mixed-race children endured so much discrimination that they were treated like second-class citizens, he said. “The kids were ostracized by everyone and picked on, even by the adults,” said Carroll.

The experience convinced him to raise enough money to bring the kids to the United States, find them a home in Spokane and provide them with educational opportunities not available in their home countries. The Jesuit community in Spokane guaranteed $500,000 to support Carroll’s work, but others also contributed to help the Amerasian students.

Carroll also lobbied for the passage of a law that would allow the students to come to the United States as immigrants, remain here and become citizens of this country. In 1982, President Reagan signed the Amerasian Homecoming Act that made this possible.

The students lived with host families at first, but in 1983, Carroll bought a house for them on Sinto Avenue. The dwelling, named Keane House in honor of the Maryknoll missionary in Korea, became home for as many as 10 students at a time. The Amerasian youth were like other students on campus – they attended class, held down jobs, cooked their own meals and lived independently. Carroll rarely told faculty and others on campus about the students’ background, he said. They stood out so much in their native countries that many were glad to come to Spokane and be treated just like everyone else, Carroll said. “They were happy that they were no longer singled out in any way,” he said.

Together, the students were able to retain their Asian heritage while learning more about their American roots, said Richard Shaw, who came to Spokane from the Philippines in 1992.

Carroll, now 75 and retired after serving as Gonzaga’s assistant academic vice president, traveled to Asia six times to find Amerasian youth who recently graduated from high school and were looking for the chance to study in the United States.

He helped bring students from the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam and Taiwan, but the vast majority – more than 80 percent – came from Korea.

“Koreans are good people, but back then, the Amerasians were outcasts,” said Charles Carroll, who is half Korean and is not related to the priest.

As a child growing up in Taju, just 20 miles north of Seoul, he got teased for having a bigger nose and for his Western features. It was considered a disgrace, he said, to be fathered by an American who didn’t want to have anything to do with him or his mother.

Charles Carroll was among the first Amerasian students to study at Gonzaga in 1980. He was 20 years old at the time and pursuing a degree in international business.

“Father Carroll was my legal guardian, my adviser, my friend, the person I looked up to,” said Charles Carroll, who took the priest’s last name in 1989 when he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He wanted to honor the man that he considers his role model, he said.

Besides providing them with a home and an education, Alfred Carroll tried to find the students’ biological fathers so they could become American citizens. Most of the fathers were willing to admit paternity, but a few didn’t. Some agreed to meet with their children but others refused to have anything to do with them. “It tended to be very emotional,” said Alfred Carroll.

For many of the alumni of the Amerasian Heritage Program, Alfred Carroll was more of a father figure than their own biological dads, said Shaw.

“I always say that most of us wouldn’t be here without Father Carroll,” said Shaw, who now works for Spokane County’s information systems department. “Besides helping us, paying for our education, having a house for us, besides all that, he was there for us. … He’s more of a father to us than our real dads were or ever will be.”

The last Amerasian student to come to Gonzaga graduated in 1999. Last year, the program shifted its focus. Instead of bringing students from Asia here, Alfred Carroll sold the Keane House and created a scholarship endowment fund for Amerasians and their children.

As he reflected on the many years he devoted to helping Amerasians, the priest said he is extremely proud of the students who came to Spokane. They were able to adjust to a new life despite the shock of a new culture, he said. They also worked hard and made the most of their educational opportunities. They not only learned English, but also pursued degrees in business, information systems and other fields that led to successful careers. All but Shaw and two others have left Spokane, but many return to visit their beloved Father Carroll.

“I am delighted that they have done so well,” Alfred Carroll said. “They are now leading lives that the United States can be proud of.”