Telling my mother’s story has never been easy. I had almost no conversations with her ever, and unlike my Dad, she wasn’t a big storyteller, so I learned nothing from her by way of oral history.

So, it is difficult to write about her except of in terms of how her actions, inactions, presence, or lack thereof affected me personally. All I seem to have is my memories and personal point of view.

But actually, my eyes are not the only lenses through which I can view her life. Her father, Ernest Huntley Clarke, documented his daughter enthusiastically on still and moving film, right from her babyhood in 1931, through to her mid-life around 1974. Put together chronologically, all those photos and film clips could make a pretty rich silent movie of the life of Angela Huntley Clarke.

She never really spoke for herself.

If I do compile some movies to present the photos, I’ll may still provide a little narration, hoping that my own voice could be an adequate proxy for her missing one.