Dr. Elwin Bautista and his wife Julia emigrated from the Philippines in the 1960’s, settling in the Midwest. They were part of a large wave of international medical graduates who were recruited by American medical centers (in the 1960’s and 70’s) to address the shortage of doctors graduating from domestic universities. In exchange for additional medical education, Dr. Bautista pledged service to the hospital that trained him.

Though the Bautistas intended to return to the Philippines, they grew to love America. Elwin treasured the opportunity to practice a more advanced medicine than he could in the Philippines. He excelled in his surgical specialty, developing life-saving techniques which were recognized by surgeons around the world.
Elwin and Julia, decided to stay in the US, where they became citizens and raised 5 children. Over the years, they traveled frequently as a family.
“We wanted to learn all we could about our new country,” Dr. Elwin explains, “We visited almost every state.” Beginning with modest cabin vacations in the Wisconsin Dells, as the Bautista fortunes rose, later trips included resorts in Hawaii, Florida, California, the Carolinas, Europe and Asia.
The Bautista’s taught their children to value education, and expressed great pride that all were professionals who had earned advanced degrees in areas as diverse as law, occupational therapy, divinity and psychology.
“We’ve always told our children that their inheritance is education. It’s our legacy,” Julia stated. The philosophy holds true for their grandchildren. “We set up [529] college plans for our 10 grandchildren,” she explained, “because we want them to have a good start in life.”
Though both come from educated, professional families in the Philippines, neither family was wealthy. When the Bautistas first arrived in the US, Dr. Bautista’s hospital stipend was barely enough to support his wife and two young sons.
“We found this little apartment, across from a beautiful park, but we couldn’t rent it, because it was $5 dollars more than we could afford,” Elwin chuckles, recalling their early struggles.
Over the years, Dr. Bautista’s surgical practice flourished and he became a partner in a successful clinic. Julia focused on raising their 5 children and using her degree in accounting to manage and grow their assets, mostly in conservative investments., such as the retirement plan sponsored by his clinic and in mutual funds.
Now comfortably retired, they laugh recalling a “fake Salvador Dali” they were tricked into buying as an investment, and express relief when recalling a failed hotel investment (which fellow doctors pulled them into). “We didn’t lose much like the others. They were saying it was a sure thing. Nothing is a sure thing.”

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