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- University of Texas at El Paso. Institute of Oral History--interviews. (13)
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Articles 1 - 30 of 38
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Interview No. 987, Herminio Quezada Durán
Interview No. 987, Herminio Quezada Durán
Combined Interviews
Mr. Quezada briefly recalls having been born and raised in Satevó, Chihuahua, México; his entire family worked on ranches; when his father passed away in 1949, he and his family moved to Chihuahua, Chihuahua; prior to becoming a bracero, he worked illegally in the United States; in 1952, he was hired under the Bracero Program; he recalls that Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas, was the first reception center he encountered as a bracero; he was then taken to Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas ; he remembers that none of the braceros wanted to go to Pecos, …
Interview No. 1544, Consolacion Herrera Chaidez
Interview No. 1544, Consolacion Herrera Chaidez
Combined Interviews
He remembers being stopped by immigration after work but was released because he had money and was gainfully employed; he recalls returning in the 1930’s to Carreras; his first attempt to join the Bracero Program was unsuccessful, he waited in Mexico City for three months before returning to Carreras; he recalls many people returning from the program with bad experiences and no money, which did not discourage him; on his next attempt of the Bracero Program he was selected; he recalls receiving injections and having his hands inspected in Durango; he worked in the train and in the fields; on …
Interview No. 1041, Carlos Rosario Rosario
Interview No. 1041, Carlos Rosario Rosario
Combined Interviews
Mr. Rosario recalls growing up Mazatepec, Morelos, México in a catholic household; he remembers sowing rice and driving herds from an early age; in 1955; he joined the Bracero Program; he describes how the hiring process was conducted, how he had to pay bribes to be placed on the selection list, and the long train trip he took to the contracting center at Empalme, Sonora, México; additionally, he states that he worked in California and Texas picking cotton, grapefruits, green beans, lemons, oranges, and strawberries; furthermore, he details daily activities on the farms, the housing braceros had, the food they …
Interview No. 1031, Rodolfo Cruz Figueroa
Interview No. 1031, Rodolfo Cruz Figueroa
Combined Interviews
Mr. Cruz recalls growing up near México City, México, and working in agriculture; he remembers moving to Miacatlán, Morelos, México at the age of sixteen, and joining the Bracero Program in 1946; as a bracero, he worked in California, Oregon, Texas, and Wyoming picking apricots, broccoli, carrots, cotton, lemons, lettuce, onions, oranges, parsley, potatoes, strawberries, and tomatoes; he describes the hiring process he went through, his experiences at the contracting centers in Irapuato, Guanajuato, México, and Empalme, Sonora, México, and the medical exams he endured; additionally, he details what daily life was like for braceros, what food and housing they …
Interview No. 1034, Heriberto Flores Sotelo
Interview No. 1034, Heriberto Flores Sotelo
Combined Interviews
Mr. Flores recalls growing up in Guerrero, México, and working in agriculture from the age of eight to help his family; he remembers traveling to Mexico City, México in 1956, and enrolling in the Bracero Program; additionally, he describes the hiring process, and his experience at the contracting center in Mexico City, México; he worked in California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas picking cantaloupes, carrots, cherries, cotton, grapes, olives, peaches, sugar beets, tomatoes, and watermelons; furthermore, he details what the daily activities on the farms were like, the housing they had, and the treatment they received from foremen; he also …
Interview No. 1032, Francisco Delgado Soto
Interview No. 1032, Francisco Delgado Soto
Combined Interviews
Mr. Delgado recalls growing up in Villa Jiménez, Michoacán, México, and working in agriculture from an early age; he states that he decided to join the Bracero Program in 1944, and worked in California, Michigan, Texas, and Washington picking apples, cherries, corn, eggplants, lettuce, pears, pumpkins, and sugar beets; additionally, he describes daily life as a bracero, the food they had and the housing they were provided; he details how work was carried out, and the treatment they received from foremen; furthermore, he recounts his experience in a bracero camp when the news arrived that World War II was over, …
Interview No. 1044, Héctor Solís Fuentes
Interview No. 1044, Héctor Solís Fuentes
Combined Interviews
Mr. Solís recalls growing up in Hidalgo, México; at age fifteen, he remembers moving to Mexico City, México for school; he later decided to join the Bracero Program after hearing positive stories about it from his brothers; a bracero from 1953 to 1956, he worked in California picking almonds, cotton, peaches, and tomatoes; he describes enrolling in a small town, paying bribes to appear on a selection list, and what the hiring process was like at Empalme, Sonora, México; additionally, he recounts the long wait there, the routine questions he was asked, and his train trip to the United States …
Interview No. 1043, Liborio Santiago Pérez
Interview No. 1043, Liborio Santiago Pérez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Santiago recalls growing up in Etla, Oaxaca, México, and being adopted by an aunt after his parents died; he remembers being forced to work in his aunt’s bakery; in 1944, he joined the Bracero Program; he states that he worked in California, Idaho, and Texas picking cotton, lettuce, onions, and sugar beets; additionally, he explains how he heard about the program, what the hiring process was like, and what he experienced at the contracting centers in Irapuato, Guanajuato, México and Empalme, Sonora, México; he recounts the physical exams he endured, and the long train trip he had to take …
Interview No. 1028, Gregorio Corrales Rojas
Interview No. 1028, Gregorio Corrales Rojas
Combined Interviews
Mr. Corrales recalls growing up in San Mateo, México, México, and how he worked from the age of eight cutting wood and sowing corn with his father; he remembers laboring in construction and factory work during his teenage years, and how his mother encouraged him to join the Bracero Program in 1951; additionally, he describes the hiring process at the contracting centers in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México and Empalme, Sonora, México, and the procedure he went through at the reception center in El Centro, California; he details how ranchers picked braceros for work, the different activities he did on the farms, …
Interview No. 1033, Cirino Flores Pérez
Interview No. 1033, Cirino Flores Pérez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Flores recalls growing up in Tizayuca, Hidalgo, México, and that his mother died when he was four years old; he states that he labored in agriculture throughout his youth, and that he moved to Mexico City, México when he was nineteen; additionally, he remembers joining the Bracero Program in 1951 due to economic hardship; he describes the hiring process at contracting centers in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México and Empalme, Sonora, México, his train trip to the United States-México border, and the hardships braceros experienced at reception centers; furthermore, he details what daily life was like at the farms, the housing …
Interview No. 1029, Patricio Corrales Rojas
Interview No. 1029, Patricio Corrales Rojas
Combined Interviews
Mr. Corrales recalls growing up in San Mateo Atenco, México, México, and how he worked from the age of ten cutting wood and sowing corn with his father; he remembers laboring in construction and factory work, and how his family’s poverty pushed him to join the Bracero Program in 1952; additionally, he describes the hiring process at the contracting centers in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México and Empalme, Sonora, México, and the hardships braceros endured there; he states that he worked in California and Texas picking carrots, cotton, cucumbers, grapefruits, lemons, and oranges; furthermore, he details what daily life was like on …
Interview No. 1665, Tony Esquivel
Interview No. 1665, Tony Esquivel
Combined Interviews
Tony Esquivel was born in El Paso, Texas and grew up in Big Bend, Texas; his father was well educated and was a teacher, business man, and grocery store owner; he attended school in Castolon, Texas where they had a single teacher for all the students; he learned to read and write in English; he was raised by his maternal grandfather while his parents lived in El Paso. Additionally, he remembers his mom being given deeds to the mines by her father who discovered them and made a claim. The mines were stolen through legal manipulation. At an early age, …
Interview No. 1026, Miguel Arroyo Castillo
Interview No. 1026, Miguel Arroyo Castillo
Combined Interviews
Mr. Arroyo speaks at length about his family, childhood, and adolescence; after his father died, his family moved to México Distrito Federal, with an older sister; while there, he began working as a baker, and he later continued to do so between bracero contract; in 1943, he learned about the bracero program as he was passing by a stadium where contracting was taking place; he decided to enlist in the program, rather than make his debut as a boxer, because he wanted to know what life was like in the United States; after passing physical examinations, he was transported by …
Interview No. 1046, Miguel Zavala López
Interview No. 1046, Miguel Zavala López
Combined Interviews
Mr. Zavala recalls growing up in Agua Caliente, Michoacán, México, and working from an early age sowing beans, corn, garbanzos, and wheat; he joined the Bracero Program in 1955, and remembers picking asparagus, cotton, grapes, lemons, limes, peppers, strawberries and tomatoes in California and Texas; additionally, he describes the hiring process in rural areas, the bribes he had to pay to be on a selection list, his experience at the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México, and the long waits there; he details the hardships braceros suffered waiting to be contracted, the humiliation of the medical exams, and the bad …
Interview No. 1042, Manuel Sandoval Espino
Interview No. 1042, Manuel Sandoval Espino
Combined Interviews
Mr. Sandoval recalls growing up in Mexico City, México, and working from an early age as a street vendor, a factory employee, and a mechanic; he joined the Bracero Program in 1943, and worked in Kansas as a railroad line worker; he describes the hiring process in Mexico City, México, the help he received, the medical exams he endured, and the contract he signed; additionally, he discusses the long train trip to Kansas, and the feelings of uncertainty the braceros felt; he explains what daily life was like in Kansas, how the work was carried out, the housing they had, …
Interview No. 1040, Ignacio Ochoa
Interview No. 1040, Ignacio Ochoa
Combined Interviews
Mr. Ochoa recalls growing up in Petatlán, Guerrero, México, his mother dying when he was twelve years old, and working from an early age cutting wood; he states that he moved to Mexico City, México at the age of fifteen, and that he started working on a Mexican naval boat in 1943; he remembers joining the Bracero Program in 1957, and working in California and Washington; there he picked asparagus, avocadoes, grapes, green beans, lemons, peas, pumpkins, oranges, strawberries, and watermelon; additionally, he details what the hiring process in Empalme, Sonora, México was like, the contract he signed, and how …
Interview No. 1037, Homerlo López
Interview No. 1037, Homerlo López
Combined Interviews
Mr. Lopéz recalls growing up in Petatlán, Guerrero, México, and learning from his stepfather how to work in agriculture; he remembers planting beans, corn, and peppers from the age of eight until he was seventeen; additionally, he relates how he moved to Mexico City, México, and why he decided to join the Bracero Program in 1954; he describes the hiring process he went through, the legal requirements he needed to fulfill, the train trip to the border, and the different contracts he had; as a bracero, he worked in Arkansas, California, New Mexico, and Texas picking cantaloupes, cotton, sugar beets, …
Interview No. 1039, Servando Peñaloza Muñoz
Interview No. 1039, Servando Peñaloza Muñoz
Combined Interviews
Mr. Peñaloza recalls growing up in Guayameo, Guerrero, México, and working in agriculture from an early age; he remembers moving to Mexico City, México at age nineteen, and working at the Chapultepec Castle; additionally, he relates that he had to take care of his younger brother during this time; he states that he joined the Bracero Program in 1955 with an older brother, and worked in Arizona and California picking broccoli, celery, green beans, lemons, lettuce, strawberries, and tomatoes; furthermore, he describes the hiring process, his time at the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México, and the contracts he signed; …
Interview No. 1038, Heleodoro Martínez Solís
Interview No. 1038, Heleodoro Martínez Solís
Combined Interviews
Mr. Martínez recalls growing up in Metepec, Hidalgo, México, and working from an early age in agriculture and construction; he remembers that, in 1951, he joined the Bracero Program after suffering economic hardships; additionally, he describes the hiring process in rural areas, the legal requirements he needed to fulfill to get on a list of people who could become braceros, and the bribes he had to pay to get on that list; he details what the contracting centers were like in Irapuato, Guanajuato, México and Empalme, Sonora, México, the physical exams he endured, his experience in the reception center in …
Interview No. 1027, Guadalupe Cano Quiroz
Interview No. 1027, Guadalupe Cano Quiroz
Combined Interviews
Mr. Cano recalls growing up in Valle de Santiago, Guanajuato, México; he remembers working with his family in agriculture until he was nineteen years old; additionally, he explains how his family’s poverty pushed him to join the Bracero Program in 1955; he details the different steps he had to fulfill to obtain a bracero contract, what his experience at the bracero processing center in El Centro, California was like, and how the disinfection process was carried; he also states that he worked in California, Nevada, and Texas picking asparagus, cantaloupes, cotton, grapes, lemons, olives, peaches, strawberries, tomatoes, and watermelons; furthermore, …
Interview No. 1035, José Santos Guevara Rodríguez
Interview No. 1035, José Santos Guevara Rodríguez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Guevara Rodríguez recalls growing up in Valle de Santiago, Guanajuato, México, and sowing beans and corn from the age of eight; he relates how, when he was eighteen, he traveled to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México, and later crossed into the United States to work as an undocumented laborer; additionally, he recounts being hired by a rancher in Texas, and taken to the border to become a bracero; he describes the hiring process in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México and Empalme, Sonora, México, how braceros slept in the streets before being hired, the medical test they got, and the disinfection process they …
Interview No. 1030, Heriberto Cortez Cortez
Interview No. 1030, Heriberto Cortez Cortez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Cortez recalls growing up in San Isidro, Oaxaca, México; he relates how he worked planting beans, corn, and peanuts as a child, and, at age seventeen, moved to Oaxaca de Júarez, Oaxaca, México; additionally, he remembers being advised by a friend to travel to Mexico City, México to join the Bracero Program; he worked as a bracero from 1957 to 1960 in Arkansas, Minnesota, and Texas; there, he picking apples, peppers, cotton, cucumbers, and watermelons; he describes his experience at the bracero contracting center in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México, and the legal requirements he needed to fulfill for the …
Interview No. 1036, Manuel Guzmán Núñez
Interview No. 1036, Manuel Guzmán Núñez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Guzmán recalls growing up in Uriangato, Guanajuato, México, and sowing corn, garbanzo beans, and wheat at an early age; he also remembers crossing into the United States as a teenager to labor as an undocumented worker; additionally, he discusses how he joined the Bracero Program in 1957, and what his trip to the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México was like; he describes the different steps he went through to sign a contract, what it was like at the reception center in El Centro, California, the medical exams he endured, and the way clauses in his contract were explained; …
Interview No. 1045, Bernardino Vilchis Cesar
Interview No. 1045, Bernardino Vilchis Cesar
Combined Interviews
Mr. Vilchis recalls growing up in Cuernavaca, Morelos, México; he states that his family was part of the middle class in México, and he was trained to be an electrician; additionally, he remembers joining the Bracero Program to prove to himself that he could do hard physical labor; he worked in Arizona as a railroad line laborer from 1943 to 1948; he relates the bad impression he initially had of the program because of the train ride he was forced to endure to Querétaro, Querétaro, México in a dirty cattle car; furthermore, he describes the hiring process there, the contract …
Interview No. 1659, Anonymous
Interview No. 1659, Anonymous
Combined Interviews
He was born in the El Paso settlement called Smeltertown. His father had begun work at the ASARCO plant after arriving in the early 1900’s. He was raised by his mother and grandmother. growing up in Smeltertown, he remembers being very poor and rummaging through trash for goods. He recalls being discriminated against for being Mexican once he began working at ASARCO. Everything was segregated and higher paying jobs were only given to whites. He remembers a large sense of community among Mexican workers, from cooking to bars and stores. ASARCO had a company store which sold items at high …
Interview No. 1642, Louis Baudoin
Interview No. 1642, Louis Baudoin
Combined Interviews
He believes that his father being stationed in Oklahoma for a time during World War II where Coach Don Haskins is from helped convince his parents to accept his decision to go to Texas Western College; he describes how it was close to his family, had just created a Liberal Arts department and had a strong engineering program. Describes Don Haskins’ approach to basketball as simple, stressing proficiency in basic drills rather than relying on complicated plays; he describes practices as brutal and repetitive but that the team’s success on the court proved Don Haskins right. Mr. Baudoin believed at …
Interview No. 1644, Harry Flournoy
Interview No. 1644, Harry Flournoy
Combined Interviews
He was recruited by Coach Don Haskins from Indiana; his mother felt Coach Haskins would be a good mentor; he received good treatment from everyone in El Paso; he describes Coach Haskins practices as tough but stated that Haskins warned them in advance. Mr. Flournoy felt that at the time that the 1965-66 team was good and an improvement from the last year, but did not know whether they would make it to the NCAA Championship. He describes the poor treatment and racism he and other black players experienced from some of the crowds, as well as at restaurants and …
Interview No. 1652, Togo Railey
Interview No. 1652, Togo Railey
Combined Interviews
Togo Railey discusses his recruitment and experience playing for the Texas Western College basketball team. As a basketball player in Austin High School, he had two influential coaches who influenced his decision to attend Texas Western College. While in high school, he recalls the presence of Texas-Western’s basketball coach, Don Haskins, who actively promoted basketball in El Paso and was always looking for recruits. He discusses his admiration for Coach Haskins who he describes as well mannered, a taskmaster, and basketball enthusiast. Railey also describes his first impressions of the Texas-Western basketball team, who he knew would perform well because …
Interview No. 1645, Don Haskins
Interview No. 1645, Don Haskins
Combined Interviews
He played basketball at Oklahoma A&M; he played with the Artesia Travelers in the National Industrial Basketball League; he went to a coaching clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico where Texas Western Head Coach George McCarty convinced Don Haskins to complete his degree; explains that in the interim he took a job coaching basketball and driving the school bus in Benjamin, Texas and later Hedley, Texas. Mr. Haskins recalls that while he was coaching at Dumas, Texas, George McCarty Dean from Texas Western College recruited him to be head coach. Mr. Haskins addresses his reputation as a tough coach by stating …
Interview No. 1646, Tyrone Bobby Joe Hill
Interview No. 1646, Tyrone Bobby Joe Hill
Combined Interviews
He was originally from Michigan but was playing at a junior college in Iowa where Don Haskins saw him play and recruited him; he was not familiar with the city or school, he was surprised by the size and warm weather; he mentions that Jim Barnes and Nolan Richardson showed him around town and people were friendly. He describes his initial impression of Don Haskins was that he was nice, but at practice found out that he was very disciplinarian; he mentions that he thought the 1965-66 team was good, but they had a quiet confidence; he addresses the story …