Subject | Collection | Story | Interviewed by |
---|---|---|---|
Mark Escamilla |
Political & Civic Engagement |
By: Voces Staff Mark Escamilla, who is the current President of Del Mar Community College grew up in Corpus Christi and attended college there himself. When he was of college age, the court case LULAC v. Richards was in progress and... |
Elizabeth Quinn Phelan |
Raul Munoz Escobar |
World War II |
By David Muto Raul Escobar hesitates while recalling memories of bodies lying on the sands of Iwo Jima. He bows his head before continuing, repositioning a cap reading: “Once a Marine, Always a Marine.” “I used to get so many... |
Raquel C. Garza |
Concepción Alvarado Escobedo |
World War II |
By Sandra Freyberg Growing up as the oldest of six girls, Concepción Alvarado Escobedo learned early what it means to take responsibility. Even when she was hardly more than a toddler she helped her mother take care of her younger sisters... |
Sandra Freyberg |
Angel F. Esparza |
World War II |
By Bianca Camaño Education was always important in the Esparza home. So from an early age, Angel Esparza expected he and his six siblings would graduate from high school and go on to college. Esparza attributes his high educational... |
Robert Rivas |
Andrew Esparza |
World War II |
By Jacob Collazo In the late 1930s, as war intensified in Europe, the United States was coming out of the Depression, but not yet directly involved in the War. In San Diego, a high school student named Andrew C. Esparza was biding... |
Rene Zambrano |
Noe Espindola |
World War II |
By Megan Breckenridge Growing up in an artistic family that moved between the United States and Mexico, Noe Espindola was immersed in two cultures and languages. In time, however, he was given the opportunity to serve his native country... |
Philip Rodriguez |
Manuel Espinoza |
World War II |
By Xochitl Salazar Manuel Espinoza's father, Concepción, was struck by lightning in 1930 while working on railroad tracks in Colorado. The older Espinoza's death had great repercussions: His young widow, Ventura Mendoza Espinoza, and... |
Xochitl Salazar |
Mary Espiritu
|
World War II, Political & Civic Engagement |
By Rebecca Millner In more than 40 years of service, Mary Espiritu De Leon received at least 45 awards and honors, recognizing her commitment to San Antonio's Latino community, and especially its women. Her role as a spokeswoman and... |
Stephen Casanova |
Antonio M. Esquivel
|
World War II |
By Robin Larson For Antonio "Tony"M. Esquivel, any romanticized remembrances of youth are tempered with memories of pervasive pre-war segregation in his hometown and the inescapable horror he endured in combat. "I liked the service... |
Dr. Carlos G. Velez-Ibanez |
Gregoria Acosta Esquivel |
World War II |
By Lori Slaughenhoupt Gregoria Esquivel was strongly influenced by her uncles who served in the military during World War II. Their patriotism and involvement in the war effort helped shape her perspective on life when she was only a child... |
Laura Herrera |
Rafaela Muniz Esquivel |
World War II |
By Joanne R. Sanchez San Antonio, TX - When she was seven years old, Rafaela Muñiz Esquivel - the second oldest in the family that would eventually include 15 children - began caring for her brothers and sisters. Rafaela stayed home from... |
Drs. Joanne Rao & Mario Sanchez |
Baldomero Estala |
World War II |
By David Muto Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, Baldomero Estala relied on quiet independence. In junior high school – from which Estala withdrew for economic reasons before fighting in World War II – he kept to himself, he says.... |
Cheryl Smith Kemp |
Herlinda Mendoza Buitron Estrada |
World War II |
By Whitney Sterling On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, the entire Buitron family, including all nine children, was sitting in church when the pastor... |
Gloria Monita |
Jim Estrada |
Vietnam |
By Lindsey Craun Jim Estrada, a 17-year-old high school dropout, showed up for Air Force technical training in Biloxi, Mississippi. He was surrounded by college students. But within several weeks, Estrada's intelligence emerged,... |
Lindsey Craun |
Enrique Rodriguez Falcon |
World War II |
By Jennifer Yee Like many veterans coming home from World War II, Henry Falcon remembers having a difficult time adjusting to American society. His return to the peace of America was a stark contrast to his three years of fierce air combat... |
Mr. Paul Rodriguez Zepeda |
Lorenzo Falcon |
World War II |
By Karina Valenzuela The Falcon family's military service extends beyond four brothers' time in World War II. For one thing, Raúl, José and Alejandro would eventually each have a son who served in the military: Raúl’s oldest son, Raúl... |
Tamez Raul |
John Fernandez |
World War II |
By Spencer Hamilton A simple announcement for aviation cadet training at a camp in Washburn Island, Mass., piqued John Fernandez’s interest, so he applied. He just never expected to make it. But to the El Paso, Texas, native’s... |
Robert Rivas |
Diana Fernandez |
Political & Civic Engagement |
Diana Fernandez was born in 1950 in Corpus Christi, Texas. She grew up in a newly developed, integrated neighbored designed to serve people working at the Navy base. Pursuing higher education was not a continuous topic of discussion in Fernandez’... |
Brittany Mendez |
Estela Fernandez |
World War II |
By Jenn Zwillenberg Estela Fernandez was a young woman in El Paso, Texas, when World War II began, so the battlegrounds seemed distant. Wartime wasn’t about soldiers and combat. Instead, while her husband Johnny was away, she learned... |
Delia Esparza |
Randel Zepeda Fernández |
World War II |
By Colleen Torma Randel Zepeda Fernández was only a baby when his family moved from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, and then to Los Angeles. But later, as a young man, his lack of United States citizenship hampered him. "I... |
Steven Rosales |
Rafael Fíerro |
World War II |
By Lynn Maguire Rafael Fierro graduated from a small Texas high school in May of 1939, hoping to go to college on a basketball scholarship; but rather than donning a basketball jersey, he put on the uniform of a U.S. soldier. "I went... |
Elizabeth Flores |
Eduardo Fierro |
Vietnam |
By Gilbert Song “All gave some, some gave all” is an old adage that captures the sense of duty and honor Eduardo M. Fierro felt about his service in Vietnam. Around noon one Sunday in May 1968, while on a sweep-and-destroy mission,... |
Frank L. Hernandez |
Juana D. Flores
|
World War II |
By David Muto Juana Flores holds up a photograph her husband sent her while at war more than 60 years ago. “For my dear wife, Juana,” script on the back of the picture reads. “The love I have for you is unforgettable.” ... |
Armando Segouia |
Belisario & Mrs. Flores |
World War II, Korean Conflict |
By J. Barrett Williams Brigadier General Belisario Flores, who served his country for more than 40 years during three wars, retired from the Texas Air National Guard and the United States Air Force in the summer of 1986. Upon his... |
Cheryl Smith Kemp |
Olga Delgado Flores |
World War II |
By Eric Latcham When her new husband shipped off for the Philippines, Olga Delgado Flores was pregnant back home in El Paso, Texas. Only 15 years old when she married 18-year-old Ramón Flores, she had dreams of a better life for her... |
Edna Amador |
Rafael Flores |
World War II |
By Victoria Brown Cal State, Fullerton Rafael Flores put his life on hold when he was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II at the age of 22. His experiences in the Army not only matured him, but also changed his outlook on... |
|
Moises Flores |
World War II |
By Deborah Bonn During a brief trip home from the war in Japan, Moises Flores surprised a whole colony in Mexico that thought he’d been killed in combat. Among those shocked by Flores' return was the sheriff in Chihuahua, Mexico’s... |
Joe Myers Vasquez |
Ramon C. Flores |
World War II |
By Cari Hammerstrom Ramon C. Flores was 64 years old when the Persian Gulf War began. Struck with pangs of patriotism, the World War II veteran promptly showed up at the recruitment office and tried to enlist, but was turned away because of... |
Andrea Williams |
Blandina Cardenas Flores |
Political & Civic Engagement |
By the Voces Staff Former University of Texas-Pan American president Blandina “Bambi” Cardenas Flores found her life’s purpose at a very early age: working to provide quality education to students, no matter their ethnicity or their... |
Nathalia Hernandez |
Raymond J. Flores |
World War II |
By Shelby Tracy Raymond J. Flores has always been a fighter. He volunteered for the Army in the midst of World War II, but a defective leg kept him from fighting overseas. His lifelong battle for freedom would be done on the... |
Violeta Dominguez |
Alfred P. Flores |
World War II |
By Soren Silkenson When Alfred P. Flores was 16, his brother Robert, was lost in an early guided missile attack that sank his ship, the Rohna, three miles off the coast of Italy. The sinking in the Mediterranean of the British troop... |
Jenny Achilles |
Guadalupe Rodriguez Flores |
World War II |
By Jeffrey McWhorter Morning broke as the train rolled into Texarkana, Texas. “Now don’t close your eyes,” the porter admonished a 22-year-old Bertha Flores, “because we’re getting close … and we’ll pass it real fast.” For... |
Raquel C. Garza |
Armando D Flores |
World War II |
By Bettina Luis CORPUS CHRISTI, TX-On October 21, 2000, through the efforts of former alumni, a historical marker was erected on the south side of the Nueces County courthouse dedicated to the Cheston L. Heath Grammar School. The marker... |
Bettina Luis |
Johnnie W. Flores |
World War II |
By Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez Johnnie W. Flores was the fifth of seven children born to Jose Maria and Teresa (Huizar) Flores, on a farm outside of Somerset, Texas, a community southeast of San Antonio. In the mid-1930s, Johnnie moved to... |
|
Teodoro Franco |
World War II |
By Cheryl Smith Looking at the elderly man in the brown fedora and navy blue dress coat, preening his snowy mustache with a miniature comb from his shirt pocket, one would never suspect the turbulent road he has followed throughout his life... |
Andrea Shearer |
Edward Frazer
|
World War II |
By Kathleen Bily Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, Edward Frazer’s first teacher thought he was mentally disabled because he spoke only Spanish. But during his World War II service in the Philippines, that Spanish became one of his best... |
Raquel C. Garza |
Leonard Vara Fuentes |
World War II |
BY LINDSAY FITZPATRICK Even after flying several successful missions over Italy during WWII, Leonard Fuentes was prepared to continue serving his country, and remained in the military after the war, serving in Korea. Fuentes graduated... |
Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
Santos Acosta Fuentes |
World War II |
By Karla González It was 1944 and 28-year-old Santos (Sandy) Acosta had lost all hopes of meeting the man she would marry and live with for the rest of her life. But that same year, the fantasy became a reality. Sandy Acosta met a... |
Karla Gonzalez |
Toby Fuentes |
World War II |
By Nora Ramirez For 58 years, the sounds of flying bullets and torpedo explosions have tormented Toby Fuentes. Sitting outside the porch of his house in a peaceful, almost rural area of East Austin, Fuentes recently recounted the... |
Nora Ramirez |
Guy Gabaldon
|
World War II |
By Ruchika Joshi Guy Gabaldon said he stopped counting how many people he was taking prisoner in Saipan during World War II. But in a 1957 episode of the television program, "This Is Your Life," his fellow Marines credited him with single-... |
Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
Thomas Galindo |
World War II |
By Antonio Gilb Thomas Galindo was working at an Austin drug store selling sodas for 35 cents when he heard the shocking report on the radio. It was news that would irrevocably change the 19-year-old's life. The date was Dec. 7, 1941... |
Antonio Gilb |
Jose Galindo
|
World War II |
By Lisa Cummings When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Nationality Act of 1940 on October 14 of that year, Jose Galindo's life would never be the same. The act allowed Mexican-born residents to be drafted or volunteer for the U.S... |
Lisa Cummings |
Ramón Galindo |
World War II |
By Marta McGonagle It was May 8, 1945. The war in Europe was over, but not for Ramón G. Galindo. After the death of Adolph Hitler, it was Galindo's 571st Anti-Aircraft Automatic Weapons Battalion that was stationed at Hitler's... |
Martamaria McGonagle |
Hortense Mota Gallardo |
World War II |
By Alicia Downard When Hortense Mota Gallardo recalls her childhood growing up in Depression-era San Antonio, Texas, she remembers the generosity of her father, Bartollo Mota, and how he not only provided for his own family, but for... |
Drs. Joanne Rao & Mario Sanchez |
Reynaldo Perez Gallardo |
World War II |
By Lucy Guevara As the son of a Mexican Army general and an aficionado of airplanes since childhood, Reynaldo Perez Gallardo was a perfect candidate to join Mexico's Fighter Squadron 201, the only combat unit from that country to... |
Lucy Guevara |
Elena Peña Gallego |
World War II |
By Lindsay Peyton While scores of Latinos valiantly served their country amid discrimination during World War II, many -- such as Elena Gallego of Fort Stockton, Texas -- fought social battles on the homefront. The wife of a WWII... |
Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
Pete A. Gallego |
World War II |
By Leslie McLain When Pete A. Gallego returned from World War II after having helped changed the course of history, he found his hometown hadn’t undergone such dramatic transformation. Instead, the population in Alpine, Texas, had... |
Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez |
Iris Galvan |
Political & Civic Engagement |
By Rebecca Chavoya An old Hispanic man pushed a tamale cart down the streets of Rosenberg, Texas, in 1974. Iris Galvan, 18-year-old high school student and member of Juventud Unida, approached him with a warm, welcoming demeanor. “... |
Rebecca Chavoya |
Cipriano Gamez
|
World War II |
By Ashley Tompkins Cipriano Gamez contends he "never did anything outstanding," but many would disagree. His actions speak for themselves and for the thousands of other men who served in World War II. Born in Belmont, Iowa, in 1922... |
William Luna |
Dr. Juliet Villareal Garcia |
Political & Civic Engagement |
Juliet Garcia forged her own way into the all-male “club” of Texas community college presidents to become president of Brownsville’s Texas Southmost College in 1986. Eventually, she would become the president of the University of Texas at... |
Chelsea Moreno |