They met at Brookside tennis courts in Pasadena.  She was a beautiful and a talented pianist.  He was striking in his tennis whites; he was hoping to get into medical school.  Her name was Marjorie Rogers and his name was Salvador Roldan.  The photograph is likely from between 1930 and 1933.

Like many Filipino Manong,¹ Salvador Roldan worked as a farmworker and then as a houseboy as revealed in this photograph where he sits on the porch with his Pasadena employers.  Salvador had immigrated in 1925 with hopes of attending medical school.  While attaining that dream was not possible, he did serve as a chef in several Pasadena eateries including the Pasadena Cafeteria, Francois and the Jet Propulsion Lab for many years.  

^{1. “Manong” comes from a northern Philippines dialect called Ilocano and is a term of affection and respect, best translated as “older brother.” Many Filipino Americans apply the term to this first wave of immigrants who came to the United States in the 1920's and 1930's.}

In this personal journal entry Salvador documents his meeting with Marjorie in 1931.   "March 19.  This is Sunday.  I meet Miss Majeory Rogers she is a little woman with good humor."

Again from his personal journal, Salvador writes:

April 10: "The same day the house seems it did not be clean for some time."

April 10, 1933  "This is a very happy day in my life.  I did take my married license and ?" 

April 11: "And another day O, boy work hand and yet happy"

April 11, 1933: "Every body is given me these best wishes"

Salvador Roldan was born in Ilocus Sur when the Philippines was an American territory. At age 42, Salvador volunteered for the National Guard as "the Army would not accept him for his flat feet." This is an image of his identification card showing his membership in the National Guard.  Roldan ultimately gained his U.S. citizenship in 1956.

Salvador Roldan, a Filipino - or "Malay", challenged California's anti-Miscegeneration laws in the 1933 case of Roldan v. Los Angeles County.   The couple married on April 10, 1933 after waiting almost two years to get a marriage license.  It had been denied because marriages between Whites and "Negros" and "Mulattos" and "Mongolians" was illegal.   In January of 1933 Superior Court Judge Walter Gates granted a writ to the lawsuit that had been filed by Roldan and declared that Filipinos were not "Mongolians" but "Malay".  The couple married but then in August of 1933  a new law invalidated, even retoractively, all marriages between Whites and non-Whites.  Finally in 1948 in the case of Perez v. Sharp, the California Supreme Court declared that bans on interracial marriage violated the 14th Amendment of the Constitution and the couple were once again considered legally married.  They went on to raise two children in their home at 109 Valley Street, Pasadena. 

In Member's Resolution 1781, Assemblymember Mike Gatto's officially recognizes the importance of the Roldan v. LA County case in Calfiornia's history. 

Resting place of Salvador and Marjorie Roldan at Mountain View Cemetery, Altadena. Salvardo lived to the age of 75 and Marjorie until 100.  

In August of 2016, the California State Assembly formally acknowledged and apologized for 1930's Roldan v. LA County lawsuit.