Miguel Trinidad Galang, M.D.

Miguel Trinidad Galang loved to tell stories. Stories from his boyhood in rural Pampanga province in the Philippines during World War II, or the charming one about meeting his wife when she was a graduate student at Marquette, and he was an intern at Deaconess Hospital. At any moment he might sing the Philippine National Anthem or recite the Gettysburg Address.

Of the 40 years Dr. Galang practiced medicine, 35 were in the Milwaukee area, where he was a leading figure in the Filipino American community. At six feet two, he was rail thin, towering over most gatherings. He had a booming voice, an unfailing good humor and generosity, and the energy to make it count.

“He was always thinking about where the problems were,” said Gloria Galang, his wife of 58 years, “and then he would fix them.”

Dr. Galang was born to eternal life on December 5, 2018, at the Congregational Home in Brookfield, surrounded by a loving extended family that included his wife, brothers, sisters, children, grandchildren, and in-laws. He was 87 years old.

Born on Dec. 21, 1930, in Macabebe, Pampanga, Philippines, he was the eldest of 12 children. His parents were Miguel Mercado Galang, a dentist, and Nicolasa Trinidad Galang. His childhood was marked by a lively curiosity-he taught himself to play piano. Even then he was a leader, organizing the town’s first Boy Scout troupe while in his teens.

Dr. Galang earned his medical degree at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila in 1955, followed by residency in Milwaukee and specialized training in internal medicine in Baltimore, MD and Harrisburg, PA.

Invited to help mount a Filipino cultural program at Marquette University, he met Gloria Lopez-Tan, a Masters degree candidate in English from Manila. They were married in 1960.

In 1962 the Galangs returned to Manila, where he treated poor patients without charge. By the time his practice became profitable, Dr. Galang had foreseen the coming of martial law under Ferdinand Marcos. In 1965, the Galangs decided it was better to raise their children in the United States.

Their first stop was in Regina, Saskatchewan, where Dr. Galang was approached by Filipino immigrant nurses who could not find apartments in the area. He called the newspaper to talk with a reporter.

“The day after the article was published we received all these phone calls,” recalls Mrs. Galang. “In no time all the nurses were settled in apartments.”

At Peoria State Hospital in Illinois, Dr. Galang organized review classes for the many Filipino doctors who had not yet qualified for their licenses. Most passed the exam.

Upon his return to Milwaukee in 1968, Dr. Galang became head of the intern program at Deaconess Hospital. Over the years, he worked or had privileges at Deaconess, Lutheran, Sinai-Samaritan, St Joseph, and Elmbrook hospitals. He saw thousands of patients at his practice in Milwaukee.

Dr. Galang helped to put his siblings through medical, dental, or law school. He was the founder of the UST Alumni Association of Wisconsin. He was always ready to guide Filipino medical immigrants in finding jobs or furthering their medical training.

Along with fellow physicians Dr. Alex Guansing, Dr. Johnny Singson, and Dr. Jimmy Yamat, Dr. Galang formed the Philippine Medical Association (later the Philippine Medical Society). After the Mount Pinatubo eruption near Macabebe in 1991, he raised money to dig artesian wells and led a medical mission to the area.

Dr. Galang was a gifted musician and artist, leaving his family a wealth of striking canvasses, most of them Filipino scenes. He always carried a film or video camera to capture events in the local Filipino community. He loved golf and tennis, playing often with family and friends.

“He was more than a physician,” said M. Evelina Galang, the eldest of his six children. “He was not just about science, but also people, the arts. He saw everyone as an individual. He never met a stranger.”

Dr. Galang is survived by his wife, Gloria, of Brookfield; children M. Evelina Galang (Chauncey Mabe); Miguel J. Galang (Rubee); Manuel Galang (Lynn); Myrna (Doug) Long; Marcial Galang; Marcelino (Emily) Galang; grandchildren Matteo and Lorenzo Galang; Manolo, Nina and Mia Galang; Michael, Anna, Noah and Mason Long; Julia, Ligaya and Carmen Galang; Josephina, MacArthur and Wallace Galang; great-grandchild Jaiden Vazquez; sisters Dolores Galang and Milagros Galang (Edward) Pangilinan; brothers Dominador (Loreto) Galang; Orlando (Cora) Galang; Oscar (Nidia) Galang; Hector (Julie) Galang; Lamberto (Elizabeth) Galang.

Visitation will be held at Krause Funeral Home, 21600 West Capitol Drive, Brookfield, WI, on Sunday, December 9th at 3:00 PM – 5:45 PM, followed by Prayers and Remembrances at 6:00 PM, Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, December 10, at 11:00 AM at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 1755 N Calhoun Road, Brookfield, WI 53045.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.