Born and educated in the Philippines as a medical laboratory technician, Arturo Tapiador Viola, by 1967, had adopted Canada as his new homeland, rising to the ranks of Director of Laboratories for the Niagara-on-the-Lake General Hospital in Ontario before retiring in 1994. A tireless volunteer, Art is the only Lord Mayor in North America and the first Asian to be elected mayor of any Canadian municipality. Raising funds for such organizations as the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society, and the Red Cross, Art was honoured in 1992 with the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal. After receiving the Most Outstanding Alumnus Award from Centro Escolar University while visiting Manila in 1999, Lord Mayor Art Viola, in this view, presents University President, Dr. Lourdez T. Echauz, with a commemorative plaque on behalf of all the residents of Niagara-on-the-Lake. [Photo, courtesy Art Viola] |