Anisa Tsakuginow

Anisa Tsakuginow .    Age 100+ years.    December 10, 2016

Beloved mother of daughters Giema Tsakuginow, Bembe Vanek and son, Naran Tsakuginow and his wife, Helga.

Background:  My mother is the oldest member of the Mongolian Buddhist community in Philadelphia.  She is 100+ years old and speaks six languages, but little English.  She is a devout Buddhist who prays daily at her altar for her blessings.  She tells me it is her Buddhist religion which has helped her to live and exist to this long life.  

I'd like to tell you about this extraordinary woman.  Both Mongolian parents were born in Russia, near the Don River region.  My father was born in 1897 and was a Cossack in the Imperial White army of the Russian czar as was my mother's father.  They fought against the Communist Red Army during the Russian revolution.  They had to flee during their defeat with or without their families.

Anisa was the seventeenth child.  All her older siblings had gradually died during the chaos of worldly events and diseases (i.e. Typhus, Cholers), prior and during the Russian revolution.  Anisa survived the crossing of the Black Sea from Russia to Istanbul, Turkey.  Her family immigrated to Sofia, Bulgaria about 1922 where two younger siblings were born.  She lived, worked as a child and married my father, Saran.  She and he had my three siblings. They lived there until World War II.  After the war, they lived in displaced persons camps.  They lived in Germany until after I was born-a late life child. In 1959 we all immigrated to the United States and settled in Philadelphia.

Anisa lived happily, with her daughter, at the Hopkins House in Philadelphia.

Important Events Anisa attended:  Genghis Khan exhibition at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia-May, 2015.

Pope Francis at Independence Hall at Philadelphia-September 26, 2016.

His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama reception at the National Constitution Center's 2015 Liberty Medal on October 26th in Philadelphia.

On May 19, 2016 Anisa attended the 16th annual Mayor's Centenarians Celebration hosted by Mayor Jim Kenney.  This luncheon pays tribute to Philadelphia's most precious seniors-residents who are at least 100 years old.  The event has become a city tradition.  Mayor Kenney recognized the contributions of 549 centenarians in Philadelphia-home of the nation's largest centenarian population. Nearly 203 known centenarians will turn 100 in Philadelphia this year.  More than 125 Philadelphian centenarians, largest in event history, attended this birthday gala.

On Friday, September 23, 2016, His Excellency, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, President of Mongolia came to Philadelphia at the invitation of Allison Vulgamore, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra.  Anisa was invited to attend the welcome conference by the Philadelphia Orchestra at City Hall, hosted by Mayor Kenney.  Also in attendance were: Pennsylvania Governor, Tom Wolf; Lieutenant Governor, Mike Stack; members of the U. S. Congressional delegation from Pennsylvania, as well as elected officials from Philadelphia.

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