CHAPTER I
A Life of Excellence,
A Legacy of Service
A Visual Journey Through Nine Decades
CONTENTS OF THIS CHAPTER
A Life of Excellence. A Heart of Service. A Legacy That Inspires Generations.
Strong Roots Create Great Trees
Every great journey begins with a place that forms you. For David B. Katague, that place was Barotac Viejo, a quiet coastal town in Iloilo where the values of family, faith, and hard work were not taught, they were lived.
As the oldest of seven children, David learned early what it meant to lead by example. His father, a dentist who served with courage during the turmoil of World War II, tended to his community with both skill and compassion. From him, David learned that a profession is more than a livelihood; it is a form of service. His mother anchored the family in resilience and grace.
In that small town, under the shade of narra trees and amid the rhythms of provincial life, a young boy began to dream - not of leaving his roots behind, but of extending their reach. America was a distant idea, spoken of in stories and letters, yet the discipline of his upbringing made it feel possible.
Education: The Foundation
If roots give strength, education gives wings. David's academic path was marked by quiet, relentless excellence.
Valedictorian of his high school class in 1951, he entered UP Iloilo as a scholar, then pursued his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at UP Diliman, where he graduated in the top one percent of his class. He placed third in the Philippine Chemist Board Examination, a national distinction that announced a rare mind.
He served as Instructor at the University of the Philippines before crossing the Pacific to the University of Illinois, where he earned both his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. In the laboratories of the American Midwest, far from Iloilo, he proved that excellence translates across oceans when it is built on foundation, not fortune.
A Marriage That Became Partnership
In 1957, David married Macrine Nieva Jambalos. What began as love became a partnership that would span sixty-three years - a union of intellect, faith, and unwavering support.
Macrine was not simply beside him; she was with him in the deepest sense, a co-author of a life well-lived. Through moves across states, through long nights in the laboratory and later in the halls of regulation, through raising children and building community, their marriage remained the steady center.
To speak of David's accomplishments without speaking of Macrine is to tell half a story. Theirs was a love that made service sustainable.
Professional Growth Across Four Decades
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| My Photo at Stauffer Chemicals Laboratory, Richmond, CA |
America tested and refined him. From 1964 to 1969, Kansas City - Chemagro Corporation, introduced him to the rigor of American industrial chemistry. The work was demanding, the winters colder than anything Iloilo had prepared him for, but the precision required suited him.
From 1969 to 1974, Modesto, California- Shell Development Company, broadened his scope. Here, science met community. He helped found the Mabuhay Club, creating a home for Filipino families far from home, proving that leadership does not stop at the laboratory door.
From 1974 to 1990, Pinole, California- his peak industrial years coincided with service with TOKTEN (Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals) under the United Nations Development Programme. It was a period of synthesis: industry, academia, and global service, all at once. He was not just building a career; he was building bridges.
The FDA Years: National Impact
In 1990, David entered public service at the highest level - the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).
He became the first Filipino-American to serve as FDA Chemistry Team Leader, the first to be designated Expert Chemist, and the first Filipino-American to serve on the USP Council of Experts. These were not merely personal milestones; they were doorways. Each 'first' meant that a path had been cleared for those who would follow.
At the FDA, his work touched millions of lives he would never meet -reviewing, safeguarding, ensuring that medicines met the promise of science. It was service at a scale his father, the small-town dentist, would have understood intimately: careful, ethical, and profoundly human.
Recognition Without Losing Humility
Recognition came, as it often does for those who do not seek it. The FDA Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Award honored his contributions to diversity and excellence. His community named him Outstanding Filipino-American Senior. His name was put forward for Pamana ng Pilipino- an honor reserved for Filipinos overseas whose achievements bring pride to the nation.
He accepted each with the same quiet humility learned in Barotac Viejo. Awards gather dust; character endures. David never confused the two. In interviews, he redirects praise to teachers, to colleagues, to Macrine, to family - a habit of gratitude that is itself a form of greatness.
Family Remains Greatest Achievement
Ask him about his greatest achievement, and he will not mention titles or patents or publications. He will speak of family.
Four children, six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren - a lineage of love that stretches forward as surely as his roots stretch back. He and Macrine built a household where education was revered, where faith was practiced, where laughter was frequent.
The journey has also known sorrow- the loss of Macrine, his partner of sixty-three years, and of his son, David Ernst III. Grief, in this family, is not hidden; it is honored. It is part of the same tapestry as joy.
In gratitude, the family gave major contributions to the UP Visayas Library Fund, ensuring that students in Iloilo - perhaps an oldest child of seven, dreaming of America will find books waiting for them.
Life at Ninety-One
At ninety-one, David resides at Heritage Downtown in Walnut Creek, California, where his days are anything but retired.
Morning walks. Bridge with friends who appreciate both strategy and stories. Mahjong tiles clicking like a familiar language. Whole body massage, yes, weekly massage because joy needs touch . He blogs, explores artificial intelligence with the curiosity of a graduate student, and tends to his beloved cats, Batman and Robin, who have perfected the art of supervising a writer and on-line cultural blogger.
This is not a man waiting for time to pass. This is a man using time well. His calendar is full because his curiosity remains full.
Symbolism of Willamette Falls
On June 24, 2023, David stood before Willamette Falls in Oregon and made a photograph. The image is not of himself, but of water relentless, luminous, moving over ancient rock.
The falls became his metaphor. Life, like water, does not stop. It finds a way around obstacles, it carves beauty into hardness, it continues. For a chemist, there is elegance in this continuity: matter transformed, energy conserved, legacy flowing forward.
From Barotac Viejo to Walnut Creek, from a small-town dream to national service, the current has never ceased. It simply changes form from student to scientist, from husband to father to great-grandfather, from service in a clinic to service for a nation.
The falls roar. And in their roar, we hear ninety-one years of purposeful flow.
“Dreams may begin in a small town, but with education, perseverance, faith, and service, they can leave footprints that reach around the world.”
THIS CHAPTER IS PART OF THE PRIVATE FAMILY EDITION - NOT FOR COMMERCIAL DISTRIBUTION
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