History Commons^™

Cuevas Family: Angel Cuevas (Elder), Jenna Aguilera

Mexican American Stories

Angel Cuevas was born in San Nicolas de Acuna Jalisco, Mexico, in 1936. He grew up in a loving family but was challenged from a young age to seek a better life. On the other hand, as a member of a Mexican family, he was taught one of life’s greatest virtues—respect for others and particularly for one’s family. He has always tried to improve himself while maintaining strong family ties…

Cuevas Family: Ricardo Cuevas (Middle), Janelle Fleming

Mexican American Stories

Growing up as the eldest of five children, Ricardo Cuevas had a sense of responsibility and of being more of an adult than his younger siblings. Ricardo was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and grew up in the neighboring town of Zapotitan. He has three sisters—Reynalda, Angelica, Marisela and a brother Gerardo. His feelings of responsibility were enhanced by the absence of his father, who first came to the U.S. in 1961. Ricardo’s father wanted to make a better life for his family, but to do that he first had to leave behind his wife and two young children…

Hirata Family: Karen Cairel (Youth), April Foster

Japanese American Stories

For Karen Cairel, coming-of-age was a journey, involving many steps and the support of loving family ties. She treasures the model her grandmother provided showing her that adult life can be bright and positive. Karen’s religion of Buddhism and Japanese heritage provided the values that guided her to maturity. She remembers the support of parents who adjusted quickly as she began to make adult choices. In sum, she was warmly cared for as she made her way toward adulthood…

Komure Family: Kathryn "Katy" Komure (Elder), Jacob Lethbridge

Japanese American Stories

Since she was a young girl in French Camp, Katy Komure found her life defined by work. Despite a constant struggle to reach her goals, things had a way of working out for Katy. She focused on what she thought important and found she could succeed despite social barriers which stood in her way…

Komure Family: Dean Komure (Middle), Lori Iwamasa

Japanese American Stories

Dean Komure grew up, knowing in his heart, that if his word was good, he would always have something. That would be the pride of being a Japanese American. Dean learned this from his parents and it is what he has passed on to his children…

Hirata Family: Toshiye Hirata (Elder), Amy E. Smith

Japanese American Stories

Toshiye Hirata holds in her hands a valuable letter. Its value doesn’t come from the fame of the writer or from historical significance—but rather from the intense depth of its personal meaning for her. The letter is a Namu Amida Butsu, a Buddhist expression of sincerest, heartfelt gratitude. It was written to her by her husband, Roy Ko Hirata. In the letter he thanks her from the bottom of his heart for how she raised two daughters and a son with him, diligently and lovingly, and how she worked side by side with him through the many hardships of their …

Hirata Family: Henry Hirata (Middle), Tara Runnels

Japanese American Stories

Henry and his sisters think of themselves as part of the Nisei generation, although their mother was also born in America. Typically, Nisei are challenged to live a mixture of Japanese and American culture. Having the opportunity to participate in school events gave him confidence socially. Still, on occasion, Henry felt he was different or separate from his classmates. For example, he knew instinctively that he could not openly date a Caucasian girl. Realizing the existence of such limits, he was torn between wanting to be accepted and having pride in his heritage…

Komure Family: Roxanne Komure (Youth), Oksana Ivanschencko

Japanese American Stories

Within a young Japanese woman’s journey to adulthood, the culture does not offer one specific ritual or even that marks the moment that she leaves her childhood behind. Roxanne is no exception to the rule. While there is not one significant event that causes Roxanne to feel like an adult, she predicts that the sum of experiences that helped her grow and mature, will equate to Roxanne becoming a responsible and independent adult…

Sorn Family: Sonn Meong (Elder), Amy Smith

Cambodian American Stories

Traditional music and the sound of the Khmer language are among Sonn Moeng’s favorite childhood memories. They remind him of a homeland and a way of life devastated by war. Today, he lives in an adopted country, surrounded by a language he does not speak and struggles to understand a culture that is not his own…

Pech Family: Rottana Prak (Youth), Danielle Bosch

Cambodian American Stories

All over the country, at this very moment, parents are asking their children for help with the chores. And all over the country, teenagers are…turning up their headphones, or heading for the door. Or, if they’re like Rottana Prak, they are simply saying “Yes.” Rottana is a typical high school student who likes to spend time with her friends, enjoys music and movies, and is interested in X-treme sports. But she is also a teenager who knows her roots. She knows what her family endured in Cambodia as their beautiful homeland was shattered by war and the brutalities of the …

Pech Family: Ky Pech (Elder), May Lin

Cambodian American Stories

There are many situations that Ky Pech could have marked as the beginning of her adulthood. Her parents gave her a great amount of responsibility at an early age. Fulfilling that responsibility was her greatest accomplishment, but Ky Pech doesn’t feel as though that alone marked the beginning of her adulthood. She helped her family financially, earning money by working in the rice fields of Cambodia. Ky Pech also helped her mother take care of her two younger sisters after her father died. Although society considered her an adult at the age of 14, in her own heart, she did …

Sorn Family: Sophat Sorn (Middle), Tammy Hunt

Cambodian American Stories

Sophat Sorn has a great love for his native country of Cambodia. On its soil, he learned great lessons in life and in loss. Sophat never wanted to leave Cambodia. However, he had no choice, as his family safety was threatened. On October 30th, 1991, Sophat and his family arrived in Petaluma, California to start a new life. Two weeks later, the family arrived in Stockton. Now, surrounded by his children, Sophat tells stories of his lost youth, homeland, friends and family left behind…

Pech Family: Kun Tuy (Middle), Lindsey Gaines

Cambodian American Stories

Imagine a 15-year-old girl forced to work in the fields, seven days a week, from five in the morning until seven at night. In the U.S., such a young woman would be going to school to learn about herself and about life’s opportunities. Kun Tuy dreamed of teaching dance. Instead, she was put to work by the Khmer Rouge in the rice fields of mountainous Cambodia. She received no money and little food for her labor. The Khmer Rouge ruled by suppression and killing in anticipation of establishing a Communist regime in Cambodia…

Sorn Family: Leakhena Sorn (Youth), Christina Tran

Cambodian American Stories

In October 1991, Leakhena Sorn was 13 years old when she immigrated to Stockton from Cambodia. Learning a new language and adjusting to a new culture often made her feel isolated during the transition to life in Stockton. Because of Leakhena’s arrival after the first major emigration from Cambodia, she enjoyed the support of an already established Cambodian community. Many Stockton Cambodians were already graduating from universities and had established careers as pharmacists, physicians or as business owners…

Nisby Family: James (Jim) Santana (Elder), Christopher Anderson

African American Stories

James Santana spent his teen years on a farm. His parents stressed self-sufficiency. He learned to cook, clean, iron, and even sew. Living on a farm generated chores most children did not have. James learned to take care of chickens, rabbits, ducks, and turkeys. Despite being the youngest of four siblings, his workload was never adjusted downward. During school breaks and summer vacations, he was expected to help his father, who was a carpenter…

Stallworth Family: Lewis Stallworth, Jr. (Middle), Andrew Gelber

African American Stories

African Americans like Lewis Stallworth Jr.’s family did not migrate to Stockton as a part of the California Gold Rush. Instead, they sought stability in changing times: a home, a job, a place to worship and a chance to raise a family. Lewis Jr. was born in Wewoka, Oklahoma in 1944. As the eldest child, his brothers and sisters admired him. The family moved to Stockton when Lewis was still a young child and he has lived here for the past 60 years…

Stallworth Family: Kimberly Hamlett (Youth), Brett Kaufman

African American Stories

As a child of the ’60s, a person might think Kimberly Hamlett would show signs of her rebellious generation. However, those who know this warm, kindhearted and Christian woman would say differently. Kimberly, born in 1965, was the first child born to her large family. She is the oldest of seven children, four girls and three boys. She was born in Walnut Creek, but grew up in Stockton and continues to live here…

Nisby Family: John Nisby (Middle), Christina Conrardy

African American Stories

Imagine the sun shining high overhead. There is nothing but you, the bright blue sky and the musky smell of hay. You focus on the task at hand—bucking hay. Your physical exertion, combined with the knowledge of hard work, meld into a great sense of satisfaction and sweaty accomplishment. For young John, this imagined scene was a daily occurrence…

Nisby Family: John Patrick Nisby, Jr. (Youth), Chris Bauer

African American Stories

Being the son of two high-achievers might be a burden for some people, but John Patrick Nisby says that he has had a “wonderful life.” His parents have played positive roles in his upbringing, introducing many factors into his life, which have inspired and motivated him...

Stallworth Family: Bishop Lewis Stallworth, Sr. (Elder), Brandon Stevens

African American Stories

Bishop L. Stallworth was born in Welty, Oklahoma in 1923. Not long after relocating to Boley, Oklahoma, Lewis attended school and graduated from high school in 1941. The following year, Lewis along with the rest of his family, joined similar migrants seeking new opportunities in California’s emerging defense industry. Lewis fondly remembers his military experiences that allowed him both to serve his country and to interact with different people. Although he was already of adult age when he left his home state, Lewis’s coming-of-age process was reinforced by his years of military service…

The Redwood, V.101 2004-2005, Santa Clara University

The Redwood

No abstract provided.

Ansel Adams’S Eucalyptus Tree, Fort Ross: Nature, Photography, And The Search For California, Adam Arenson

Adam Arenson

The John Muir Newsletter, Winter 2004/2005, The John Muir Center For Environmental Studies

Muir Center Newsletters, 1981-2015

Newsletter UNiVfeftsnY or the Pacific, Stockton, cA Volume 15, Number 1 Winter 2004/2005 Black Sheep of the in Muir's Motivations for Yosemite National hi] Jeimij Krone ERRA: GREAT! Park (he expansive 760,000-acre Yosemite National Park consists of meadows, forests, and mountains that presently awe over three million visitors annually.1 Yosemite Valley became the second national park in 1890 after an intense nationwide conflict that most tourists neglect to acknowledge when scaling the glacial-smoothened sides of Half Dome or navigating woodlands of sugar pines and giant sequoias. John Muir, a foremost figure in the early conservation movement, spearheaded the proposal and …

The John Muir Newsletter, Fall 2004, The John Muir Center For Environmental Studies

Muir Center Newsletters, 1981-2015

University of the Pacific, Stockton, C. Volume 14, Number 4 Fall 2004' OHM nUlKS C^ONNECTIOri WITH THE CREATIOM OF PREFACE by W.R. Swagerty, Director, John Muir Center ne of the earth's unique geological wonders, the ) Grand Canyon of the Colorado River was home to ancient Native Americans long prior to its first description by a Spanish exploratory party in 1540. Intimidating in its depth, width, and length, the canyon seemed impenetrable to newcomers peering down from the rim until Major John Wesley Powell successfully navigated his way through "the Great Unknown" in 1869.' Even then, few took careful notice …

Patrick Warren Johnson

African American Funeral Programs, Willow Hill Heritage & Renaissance Center, Bulloch County, Georgia

No abstract provided.

The John Muir Newsletter, Spring/Summer 2004, The John Muir Center For Environmental Studies

Muir Center Newsletters, 1981-2015

News feSITY OF' THE PACIFIC, STOCKTON, CA Volume 14, Number 2/3 SPRING/SUMMER-2004 The Dim Dark Sea of the Norther John Muir's Exploits into the Pacific Northwest by Shane M. Hetzler (Editor's note: A native ofBeaverton, Oregon, Shane Hetzler graduated from Pacific in May, 2004, with a double major in Histoiy and French as well as a minor in Environmental Studies. This paper was researched as an Independent Study research project utilizing the unique resources of the John Muir Papers on campus.) 7ti the Pacific Northwest of today, many people do not wonder why they are able to enjoy wild and …

The Redwood, V.100 2003-2004, Santa Clara University

The Redwood

No abstract provided.

The John Muir Newsletter, Winter 2003/2004, The John Muir Center For Environmental Studies

Muir Center Newsletters, 1981-2015

Newsletter ^ERSnY OF THE PACIFIC, STOCKTON. CA Volume 14, Number l Winter 2008-2004 John Mum and Civilization Corinne Wong, Clackamas, Oregon (Editor's note: Corinne Wong is a graduating senior double majoring in Environmental Studies and Geosciences. In addition, Wong is a student athlete in women's basketball at the University of the Pacific. This paper was prepared in the Fall of 2002 for an undergraduate course, "John Muir and the Environment.") J-ohn Muir was very much a man of nature. He was a geologist, botanist, mountaineer, nature writer, and, as most commonly recognized, a conservationist. His love for nature is a …

The John Muir Newsletter, Fall 2003, The John Muir Center For Environmental Studies

Muir Center Newsletters, 1981-2015

LETTER UwiVfeRsnYoFTHfi Pacific, Stockton, CA- Volume 13, Number 4 Fall 2003! uir & his Reading Interests by Ronald Limbaugh (Editor's note: Ronald Limbaugh retired in 2000 after thirty-four years at the University of the Pacific, serving concurrently as director of the John Muir Center for Regional Studies and Rockwell Hunt Professor of California History) ven without considering his published works, John Muir's surviving journals and private correspondence demonstrate that he was a voluminous writer with unusual gifts. With his family and friends— and with himself— he carried on an effusive dialog, describing events, recalling anecdotes, lecturing and philosophizing, opening a …

The John Muir Newsletter, Summer 2003, The John Muir Center For Environmental Studies

Muir Center Newsletters, 1981-2015

JOHIMUI Newsletter UNlVfeRSnYOFTffi Volume 13, Number 3 Summer 2003; The Tramps by Edmund Herlihy, Mission Viejo, CA (Editor :s note: Edmund Herlihy is an Environmental Studies major at the University of the Pacific. This paper was prepared in the fall of 2002 for an undergraduate course, "John Muir and the Environment") 7magine a vast expanse of raw untamed land where a man might make a fortune as quickly as he might be scalped — the American West during the late 1800's was the frontier where one could pack up and start a whole new life west of the great Mississippi. …