Mishicot Historical Museum

A May 25, 1980 newspaper article about a Mishicot family’s feature in National Geographic magazine.

Article text:

Members of the Xiong family of Mishicot are featured in the May 1980 edition of “National Geographic.” The magazine traced the family’s ex­odus from their homeland in Laos to Thailand’s Ban Vinai refugee camp, to their eventual resettlement in Mishicot.

The Xiongs arrived in Mishicot the day before Christmas in 1979, and only one family member, Nao Leng, spoke English when they arrived.

Tom Kennedy, Mishicot, learned the Laubach method of teaching English so he could tutor the Xiong family. As an affiliate of the Outreach Literacy Council of Manitowoc County, Kennedy teaches English on a one-to-one basis and assists the family in numerous ways.

Kennedy, as well as the Rev. Earl R. Brouchoud, pastor of Holy Cross Church, Mishicot, also were mentioned in the “National Geographic” article written by John Everingham of the magazine’s staff. Holy Cross Parish was the Xiong family’s community sponsor.

Henry Gray, president of Holy Cross Parish Coun­cil, and Florenz Baugniet, parish member who redecorated a house for the Xiongs, also were men­tioned in the publication.

The Manitowoc Public Library has on display through Tuesday, clothing and decorative objects representative of Hmong artistry and Hmong in­ terest in color, design and detail. Hmong textiles show minute stitching and frequent use of em­ broidery and applique work. Much of their work is done without patterns.

Members of the Xiong family dressed in Laotian attire when visiting the library display. Just as in the United States, some of the Laotian garments are more special and are saved for special occasions such as New Year’s Day, weddings and funerals, a family member explained.