Grandfather’s Watch: Ed Sevilla

Ed shares the story of the  commemorative wrist watch given to him by  his Filipino grandfather and how this object became a source of courage and inspiration while growing up in a Chicago suburb. The watch is an object at the intersection of two worlds: mid-20th century Filipino nationhood, and late 20th century Americana. As a silver jubilee gift from the insurance company where his grandfather was a founding executive, the watch was a symbol of Filipino excellence. Ed inherited the watch and wore it with pride, especially during middle school when he was one of the few Asian American kids in town and an easy target for teasing and bullying.. In those days, he wore his grandfather's watch as a sort of talisman to provide both luck and encouragement, and to build his sense of  resilience.

Ed Sevilla is a management consultant whose expertise includes strategic communications and fundraising for nonprofit organizations in higher education, arts and culture, and science and medicine. His parents came to the United States from the Philippines in the 1950s for college and settled in suburban Chicago. He began his career as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, and now lives with his wife in the greater Boston area. Ed is a member of the steering committee of the Asian Community Fund of The Boston Foundation, and an advisory council member of the Asian Business Empowerment Council.