Abelardo R. Convento
- Position
- Kitchen Staff
- Years in President's House
- circa 1953 – circa 1981
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Asian
- Biography
Abelardo Reyes Convento, better known as “Abe,” was born on January 9, 1927, in Rosario Cavi, Philippines.1 In 1945, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving as a steward; navy stewards were responsible for serving officers, cleaning state rooms, and assisting cooks in the galley.2 In 1951, he became a naturalized citizen.3
The exact dates of his service at the White House are unclear, but Convento was assigned to the there from Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidency through Jimmy Carter’s.4 He sometimes traveled as a steward on board Air Force One; on other occasions, he is listed among kitchen staff in the White House Residence– it is possible he shifted between the West Wing (home to the military-staffed Navy Mess) and the Residence staff due to his retirement from the military in 1971.5 He departed from the White House during Jimmy Carter’s presidency and moved to California.6 Abelardo Convento died on October 22, 1991, and was buried at Chapel of the Chimes Memorial Park in Hayward, California.7
- Some sources use 1928 as his birth year, but his gravestone reads 1927. “Birthdays,” Undated, folder: folder “Birthdays (Residence Staff),” box 29, Betty Ford White House Papers, Gerald R. Ford Library, https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/sites/default/files/pdf_documents/library/document/0018/81556614.pdf; Abelardo Reyes Convento in U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60901/records/47625984?tid=&pid=&queryId=dd87c8d8-db35-4e5d-99c0-6f87131f0249&_phsrc=WwA752&_phstart=successSource; “Abelardo R. Convento,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54890025/abelardo-r.-convento.
- According to the Bureau of Naval Personnel: “President William McKinley signed an executive order in 1901 allowing the Navy to enlist 500 Filipinos as part of the insular force. Secretary of the Navy John D. Long signed General Order No. 40, 8 April 1901, promulgating the executive order.Prior to 1946, Filipinos were generally assigned to steward duties.” See “Filipinos in the United States Navy,” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/f/filipinos-in-the-united-states-navy.html; Abelardo Reyes Convento in U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2020, U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs; United States; U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs Birls Death File, 1850-2022, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2441/records/2124924.
- Abelardo Reyes Convento in U.S., Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project), The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC; Index to Naturalized Citizens From the Superior Court of San Diego, California, 1868-1958 (M1526); Microfilm Serial: M1526; Microfilm Roll: 1, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1629/records/7802298?tid=&pid=&queryId=8d8b8c66-862d-483e-a917-3a6d13709e39&_phsrc=WwA764&_phstart=successSource.
- “Convento, Abelardo R.,” Oakland Tribune (Oakland, CA), October 23, 1991, pg. 15.
- “Passenger Manifest: Air Force One,” February 15 1970 in President Richard Nixon's Daily Diary, February 1-28, 1970, Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library, https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/virtuallibrary/documents/PDD/1970/022%20February%201-28%201970.pdf; Abelardo Reyes Convento in U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2020, U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs; United States; U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs Birls Death File, 1850-2022, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2441/records/2124924; Untitled Staff List, December 1972, Collection: White House Usher’s Office; Series: Rex Scouten’s Subject File; Folder: Residence Employees; Container 5, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.
- “Convento, Abelardo R.,” Oakland Tribune (Oakland, CA), October 23, 1991, pg. 15.
- Ibid; “Abelardo R. Convento,” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54890025/abelardo-r.-convento.
- Birthplace
- Rosario Cavi, Philippines
- Burial Place
- Chapel of the Chimes Memorial Park
- Blue markers indicate birthplaces and green markers indicate burial places. Black markers are used for places of both birth and burial.