Madeline Pascua Ater
Lucy Peros | All photos courtesy Madeline Ater
Today, pharmacists are an essential part of every health care team and are recognized as drug therapy experts according to Dr. Paul W. Abramowitz, a Pharm D, CEO for the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP). Dr. William N. Kelley, MD, a professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania added that Pharmacists exist because society says there needs to be someone in the healthcare system to oversee the drug-use process. Pharmacy is consistently rated the most trusted profession.
Sakada Offspring Madeline Pascua Ater and her husband Curt Ater are both pharmacists by profession. We are proud to say they both belong to the group of pharmacists that Dr. Abramowitz and Dr. Kelley mentioned.
Madeline was born on Maui, Hawai‘i at the Maui Memorial Hospital (now known as Maui Memorial Medical Center) on September 8, 1967. She attended Kahului Elementary, Maui High School, University of Hawai‘i, Hilo Campus and Oregon State University where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy.
Madeline met her husband Curt in pharmacy school in Oregon. They have been married for almost thirty years now. Curt currently works at St. Lukes Hospital in Idaho as an outpatient pharmacist. As for Madeline, she started practicing pharmacy after graduating, at the Wailuku Professional Pharmacy (now known as Longs Drug – Wailuku). After moving to the mainland, she worked for Albertson’s Pharmacy for twenty years. In 2020, she decided to make a move to her current employer St. Alphonsus Hospital, where she is currently an outpatient pharmacist.
Curt and Madeline have a daughter, Samantha. She currently lives in Bozeman, Montana. She graduated with a business management degree from Montana State University in December of 2020. She is currently pursuing her dream of being a tattoo artist and is an apprentice at Blue Rider Tattoo in Livingston, Montana.
Madeline is an only child although she had a half-sister, Sandra Alionar who passed away several years ago.
When Madeline was younger and living on Maui, she was a very active member of the Christ The King Filipino Catholic Club. After moving away to the mainland, her family attends the local Catholic Church near their home. Currently, they go to Holy Apostles Catholic Church in Meridian Idaho. At Holy Apostles, Madeline volunteers at the various activities in the classrooms and for the church fundraising event. She looks forward in the future to do more volunteer work.
Madeline enjoys playing pickleball, snowboarding during winter, and hiking in the mountains.
Madeline was very close to her Dad, Mateo Pascua, who came to Hawai‘i in 1938 together with his friends, Catalino Cachola and Francisco Cabrera. Mateo was born in Dasay, Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines on September 28, 1914. Unfortunately, Mateo’s parents died when he was very young. Under the care of his Uncle Ponciano Garces’ family, he grew up to be a strong handsome young man. Ponciano Garces was one of those men from the Philippines considered as “Old Timer” because he came to Hawai‘i in the early 1930s to work in the pineapple and sugarcane plantations. Ponciano sponsored young Mateo to come to Hawai‘i.
Mateo did not work at the plantation right away. Instead, he worked as a nurse’s aide at Kula Sanatorium (Kula Hospital). In those days, Kula San as it was commonly called, was a place of rehabilitation for patients who contracted tuberculosis. Patients were confined there until they were completely cured from the disease. At the outbreak of World War II, Mateo was drafted to serve in the war. Because of health reasons, he did not pass his physical exam. So he worked at Kula San from 1938 to 1946. In 1946, Mateo decided to change jobs. He applied at HC&S Company and got a job as a truck operator (driver). He stayed in that job until he retired at age 65.
In December 1966, Mateo, at 52 years of age, decided to go to the Philippines to find a wife. There in Dasay, Narvacan, he met the love of his life, the beautiful Adeline Valdez. There was no doubt in his mind that he found his soulmate.
In those days, it was easier to file petition papers for wives to come to Hawai‘i. Mateo and Adeline only got to know each other well for a week before their marriage. Mateo’s one month vacation was coming to an end so quickly. So to expedite matters, Mateo and Adeline met each other in Manila and got married there on January 3, 1967. Mateo had to come back to Hawai‘i just a week after their wedding on January 10, 1967. Because most of the paperwork were done before their wedding, Adeline was able to follow Mateo to Hawai‘i two weeks after their wedding.
When Adeline arrived on Maui in 1967, she and Mateo lived in Camp I, a camp in Sprecklesville near Pā‘ia. It was a camp complete with stores, theater, etc. After a year, they moved to Alabama Camp, a camp located near the Pu‘unēnē Mill. Their house had its own outhouse, made for two families but with a divider. Their house rental was only $20 per month including water. There were lots of activities in the camp according to Adeline. There were lots of parties in the clubhouses and even chicken fights. They were able to slaughter animals in their backyard at that time. Adeline worked at the Maui Pine Cannery as a supervisor until she retired in 2002.
Adeline emphasized that accepting Mateo in marriage at that point in time of her life in 1967 was a real sacrifice on her part. Her dream and goal was to come to Hawai‘i to find a better life for her and her family especially for her brothers and sisters. Dreams do come true with Adeline and Mateo. They sponsored their brothers, sisters and their families to come to Hawai‘i. They are now all enjoying a better life.
Alex Haley, an American writer and author of the 1976 book, Roots: The Saga of an American Family said, “In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.” Mateo and Adeline in their hearts, truly believed in Haley’s words.
Madeline said this about her parents: “I remember my father fondly as a gentle man with a kind heart. He always had a smile for me. He loved to socialize, going to family parties and ‘talking stories’ with his friends for hours at the Kahului Shopping Center under the monkey pod trees. He passed away before he ever got to meet our daughter but I can see his gentleness in her. I am forever grateful that my father was brave enough to travel to Hawai‘i and was a hard worker. I owe the life I have to him and my mother.”
Lucy Peros is a retired schoolteacher, having taught at St. Anthony Grade School and Waihe‘e Elementary School. Both of her late parents, Elpidio Cachero Cabalo (a 1946 Sakada) and Alejandra Cabudoy Cabalo of Hāli‘imaile, worked for Maui Land and Pine Company. Lucy now enjoys retirement and has time to join other seniors in the Enhance Fitness Program under the Department of Aging three times a week. She also attends the line dancing class and other activities at Kaunoa Senior Center and joins other Waihe‘e School retirees when help is needed at the school. Lucy also devotes some of her time to activities at Christ The King Catholic Church. She enjoys writing and reading in her spare time.