Jan 15, 2024 · 7:00 AM
Why We Keep This
Families scatter. Hard drives fail. Photo albums fade in attics. I started Heirloom because I watched my father's stories live in only a handful of minds, and I…
By Elena Chen-Rivera
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Elena Chen-Rivera
Daughter · Mother · b. 1970
Eldest child of Wei and Carmen. Elena became a school librarian who filled her children's shelves with both family stories and borrowed books. She started this Heirloom archive so nothing precious would be lost.
Related stories
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
Nov 9, 1996 · 7:00 AM
The Proposal in the Library
Elena worked evenings at the Flushing branch. I designed community buildings for a living and kept inventing reasons to visit the reference desk. On a rainy Nov…
By David Park
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
Related photos
Maya, 8 monthsLeo, 14 monthsIsla, 4 years
Sunset on the shore — three generations, little ones in arms.
Aug 2, 2026 · 8:00 AM · Celebrations
Reunion 2022 — three generations under the same oak.
Aug 20, 2022 · 8:00 AM · Gatherings
David and Elena the night he proposed at the Flushing library.
Nov 9, 1996 · 7:00 AM · Weddings & milestones
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