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On April 14, 1994, U.S. President Bill Clinton (b. 1946) appoints Robert Santos (1934-2016), Filipino American community activist, as the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary's representative for the Northwest-Alaska area, Region X.

Affectionately known to many as "Uncle Bob," Robert Santos has been dubbed "Mayor of the International District" because of his efforts to preserve and develop Seattle's International District. Santos also helped start many community-based organizations such as the Denise Louie Child Care Center, the Danny Woo Community Garden, the International District Community Health Center, and the International District Preservation and Development Authority.

Santos grew up in the Seattle area with his father, who was in the 1920s and 1930s a popular boxer.

Sources:

Cynthia Mejia-Giudici Phone Interview with Robert Santos' HUD office staff, June 1999.

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