Remembering Florante Ibañez

AAAS dedicated member and the “Keeper” of the Association’s Visual Memories

The AAAS board and secretariat sadly announce the passing of Florante Peter Ibañez on Sunday, November 30, 2025. For some of you who may not know him personally, it would have been possible that you have seen this gentleman with a ready smile and camera in tow in several AAAS conferences.  For many years, Florante has generously given his time, skills, and resources in recording important events of the Association.  He was always present in many important AAAS events with a cheerful smile and the camera ready to capture a vital moment for posterity. Through the years, he has garnered a veritable treasure trove of AAAS memories. He did this faithfully and with very little public recognition. 

Florante was born in Los Angeles, California, on September 23, 1951. He graduated from Banning High School and then continued his education at the University of California, Irvine. In 1974, while attending University of California, Irvine (UCI), he married his life partner and the love of his life, Roselyn Estepa. He received his bachelor’s degree in Comparative Cultures from UCI in 1977.

Florante would later complete the joint degree program for Master of Arts in Asian American Studies and Library Information Science at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in 2006. He accomplished this while working at Loyola Law School, where he was the Manager of Library Computer Services until he retired in 2020. He was a librarian and archivist, as well as an adjunct professor at Pasadena City College and Loyola Marymount University. In 2014, Florante was appointed to the California Library Services Board by Governor Jerry Brown.

Florante was dedicated to family and the community. He was not only a gifted photographer, but he was also an active citizen and leader in the intellectual, civic, and cultural life of Asian Americans in general and Filipino Americans in particular. He was a co-founder of UCLA’s Samahang Pilipino and UCI’s Kababayan. He was involved in the Katipunan ng mga Demokratikong Pilipino (KDP) and the struggle for social justice and the anti-martial law movement. He was a committed activist who fought to restore Philippine democracy, defended human rights, protected the right to access all ideas and information to prevent censorship and continued to build progressive politics (recently campaigned for Los Angeles City Mayor Karen Bass). He was always eager to contribute his time to volunteer work to many organizations. He was President of the Kayumanggi Lions Club and Asian/Pacific Librarians Association (APALA), and a Board Member of Search to Involve Pilipino American (SIPA), the Filipino American Library and FilAm ARTS.

He was a talented artist and dedicated scholar. In addition to being an avid photographer at numerous family and community gatherings, Florante cycled and ran countless roads and streets, was a talented musician (pianist and ukulele bass player) and mentored countless young Filipinos. He and his wife, Roselyn co-authored the book, Filipinos in Carson and the South Bay. He did a documentary, “Got Book?” on Helen Agcaoili Summers Brown, a Filipina American educator and librarian. As part of Visual Communication Digital Histories Program in 2024, he did “The Fabulous Rocky Fellers,” a documentary on a Filipino American boy band from the 1950s-60s and was working on the upcoming Filipino Peoples Far West Convention: 1971-1984. He was also interviewed in the PBS show, Lost LA: Historic Filipinotown on the yo-yo. He established the Florante Peter Ibanez Collection at CSU Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) documenting Filipino American history, culture, activism, and community events from roughly the 1940s to the 2020s, containing papers, photos, publications, audiovisuals, and ephemera, organized into seven series and housed in the university’s Archives & Special Collections, offering primary source materials on the Filipino American experiences in the U.S.

Florante is preceded in death by his parents, Cleto Ibañez and Laura Rossi. He leaves behind his wife of fifty-one years, Roselyn Estepa Ibañez; daughters, Gabriela Nguyenphuoc and Mikaela Ibañez; son-in-law, Hoanvinh Nguyenphuoc; grandsons, Cleto BaoQuy and Liam BaoMinh Nguyenphuoc; his brothers, George and Jerry Rossi; and his sisters, Lauren Hallman and Irma Rossi.

The Association is planning a small event in Honolulu to honor Florante and to remember his valuable contributions and expansive life. Please watch for further announcements.