This week I will be attending a memorial service in honor of Onye Kamanu. The Kamanu family invited me and my sister Jean to attend and to share remembrances of Onye, our "African brother." Jean isn't able to come, but I will represent our family. I've been reviewing old photos, to jog my memories. I've selected some to share here.
Onye arrived from Nigeria in August 1962 with a scholarship to attend Bowdoin College and lived with our family in Danvers for a month-long "homestay" before his college term began. Here's photo that came with his initial letter of introduction:
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| Onye Kamanu, 1962 |
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| Onye by our front door, 121 Nichols Street, Danvers, MA |
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| Onye dressed in Nigerian outfit L to R: Sandy, Mommy, Onye, and Jean |
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| Onye posing in our front yard, Thanksgiving 1962. I had just finishing knitting this sweater for him.
 Onye at my wedding reception in June 1965. Onye had just graduated from Bowdoin College, and I from Mt. Holyoke College. |
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| Onye and Lillie in Danvers |
On September 3, 1966, Onye married Lillie White of Boston, and we attended the ceremony. My parents were honored to be invited to stand in as Parents of the Groom. (Onye's parents were no longer living.) I haven't found a photo of that event.
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| Onye and Jean, Spring 1976. We had all returned to Danvers for Mommy's memorial service. I flew in from California; Jean from New Mexico. |
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| Onye in August 2001 revisiting Star Island, where he and I had worked in 1960's at the Oceanic Hotel |
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| Aug 1, 2004. a brief visit in Dorchester, MA. |
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| In August 2006, Jean and I flew to Holland for the wedding of Nnemdi, Onye's eldest daughter |
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| Ken and I visited Onye & Lillie in Washington DC in January 2017 |
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| On February 19, 2020, Ken and I visited Lillie & Onye again in DC. |
For more about my recollections Onye, see my Blog entry of August 17, 2019 titled, African Guest . It includes a copy of my article that had been published in the Danvers Herald that month. I titled it, "A guest from Africa becomes family." It is similar to what I've written this week to share at the upcoming Service of Remembrance honoring the life of Dr. Onyeonoro Kamanu.
