Aug 16, 2008 · 8:00 AM
The First Big Reunion Picnic
By 2008 the family had sprawled across three boroughs and two time zones. We decided on a picnic in Flushing Meadows — the same park where Mom and Dad had wande…
By Elena Chen-Rivera
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Carmen Rivera Chen
Matriarch · Grandmother · b. 1945
Raised in San Juan and Brooklyn, Carmen met Wei at a community dance in 1968. A nurse for thirty-five years and keeper of every family story, she still hosts Sunday gatherings where Spanish and Cantonese share the same room.
Related stories
Jul 20, 1985 · 8:00 AM
Summer in San Juan, 1985
The summer I turned twelve, Mom took Elena and me to San Juan for three weeks while Dad stayed with the shop. It was the first time I understood that half of wh…
By Miguel Chen-Rivera
Mar 3, 1978 · 7:00 AM
The Shop on Roosevelt Avenue
I signed the lease on a narrow storefront on Roosevelt Avenue in February 1978. Carmen said I was crazy. Elena was eight and asked if she could help choose the …
By Wei Chen
Aug 22, 1970 · 8:00 AM
Wedding Day, Flushing Meadows
Mom and Dad were married on a humid August afternoon in Flushing. The reception was in the church basement — fold-out tables, paper flowers, and a reception Wei…
By Elena Chen-Rivera
Jun 14, 1968 · 8:00 AM
The Dance at St. Mark's
I was twenty-three, finishing nursing school, and my cousin dragged me to a community dance at St. Mark's Church in the East Village. I almost stayed home. Than…
By Carmen Rivera Chen
Related photos
Reunion 2022 — three generations under the same oak.
Aug 20, 2022 · 8:00 AM · Gatherings
An easy evening at Carmen's table — three generations leaning in.
Sep 6, 1992 · 8:00 AM · Gatherings
Family on the malecón in San Juan, summer 1985.
Jul 22, 1985 · 8:00 AM · Travel
Carmen at home — the portrait Elena still keeps on her desk.
Nov 12, 1979 · 7:00 AM · Family portraits
Wei and Carmen on their wedding day, Flushing, August 1970.
Aug 22, 1970 · 8:00 AM · Weddings & milestones