Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Oral History Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 2731 - 2760 of 5520

Full-Text Articles in Oral History

Interview No. 1092, Saul Ponce Nov 2005

Interview No. 1092, Saul Ponce

Combined Interviews

Mr. Ponce very briefly discusses his family and childhood; as a young man, he decided to enlist in the bracero program in order to help his family financially; from his hometown in Valle de Zaragoza, Chihuahua, México, he was transported to Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, where he obtained his first bracero contract; he was then transferred to Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas, and then taken to his worksite by plane; as a bracero, he worked in Montana, picking beets and cotton, cleaning corn, and milking cows; he and his brother were fortunate enough to live and work together …

Go to article

Interview No. 1096, Sebastian Saucedo Nov 2005

Interview No. 1096, Sebastian Saucedo

Combined Interviews

Mr. Saucedo talks about his family and childhood; he initially enlisted in the bracero program in 1945, in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México, but he was then transferred to Querétaro, Querétaro, México, in order to complete the paperwork; from there, he was transported by train back to Juárez and into the United States before finally being taken to Nevada, where he worked on the railroads; in addition, he describes the various procedures he underwent while being processed; as a bracero, he went to work picking different crops in several places throughout the United States, including Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, …

Go to article

Interview No. 1085, Antonio Góntiz Nov 2005

Interview No. 1085, Antonio Góntiz

Combined Interviews

In 1943, Mr. Góntiz, decided to enlist in the bracero program and went through the contracting center in Morelia, Michoacán, México; he mentions going through the health inspection station in Uruapan, Michoacán, México; as part of the process, he was medically examined and vaccinated by American doctors; he goes on to detail the transportation conditions, provisions, duties, payments, remittances, treatment, friendships, correspondence and recreational activities; his main duties included clearing the tracks of snow and straightening the railroad ties; he continued working without documentation after his contract ended; he was sent to a place the braceros called la California, he …

Go to article

Betty Flinchum, Betty Flinchum, James B. Crooks Nov 2005

Betty Flinchum, Betty Flinchum, James B. Crooks

Creating a University: UNF Oral History Project

UNF Oral History Project Interview of Betty Flinchum by James B. Crooks on November 10, 2005

Go to article

Charles Galloway, Charles Galloway, James B. Crooks Nov 2005

Charles Galloway, Charles Galloway, James B. Crooks

Creating a University: UNF Oral History Project

UNF Oral History Project Interview of Charles Galloway by James B. Crooks on November 5, 2005

Go to article

Interview With Samuel William Searles - Vhp 057, Samuel William Searles Nov 2005

Interview With Samuel William Searles - Vhp 057, Samuel William Searles

Winthrop University Oral History Program

In his November 1, 2005 interview with Ebony Williams, Samuel William Searles recalls being drafted for the army during WWII. Searles explains his job during war and how he and fellow soldiers celebrated the end of the war. Searles also shares his memories of more of the harrowing experiences of war: segregation, death, and the mental effects of war. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.

Go to article

Interview With William Snyder, Paul Hillmer Oct 2005

Interview With William Snyder, Paul Hillmer

Hmong Oral History Project

Sergeant William Snyder has served on the St. Paul Police Force since 1975. He heads up the Asian Gang Strike Force and has many years of experience dealing with Hmong gangs and relating to Hmong gang members. Sergeant Snyder was the first chairman of the board for the General John W. Vessey Leadership Academy. Dr. Hillmer [the interviewer] is Concordia University’s liaison to the Academy, which may explain any apparent familiarity between the two men in this interview.

Go to article

Interview No. 1091, Hector Ponce Oct 2005

Interview No. 1091, Hector Ponce

Combined Interviews

Mr. Ponce very briefly discusses his family and childhood; as a bracero he picked beets in Nebraska, peppers in North Dakota, and dispensed coal for heaters in Michigan; overall, he had great working relationships with his employers; while in Michigan, he was employed by a group of brothers who treated him extremely well; they often invited him into their home, and they offered to help arrange for his residency in the hopes that he would stay to work there permanently; he also relates a story about how his employer in Nebraska was intent on finding him a girlfriend; he goes …

Go to article

Interview With Dr. Dia Cha, Paul Hillmer Oct 2005

Interview With Dr. Dia Cha, Paul Hillmer

Hmong Oral History Project

Dr. Dia Cha left Laos with her family in 1975 and lived in a Thai refugee camp until coming to the US in 1979. She commenced formal classroom studies in ninth grade, graduating four years later from Abraham Lincoln High School in Denver, Colorado. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology in 1989 from Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colorado, she went on to receive her Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1992. In 2000, she received a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Colorado in Boulder. She is …

Go to article

Interview No. 1578, Andy Imutan Sep 2005

Interview No. 1578, Andy Imutan

Combined Interviews

Mr. Imutan very briefly describes his travels from the Philippines to California; he began working in Delano, California, but he quickly became involved with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO); in September of 1965, he was part of a strike that was a continuation of earlier efforts in Coachella, California, to achieve better pay; events in Coachella turned violent, with people getting hurt and equipment being damaged; after demands were met in Coachella, the same companies refused the same wages in Delano, hence the continuing strike; within roughly a week, Cesar Chavez joined the strike; …

Go to article

Interview No. 1577, Dolores Huerta Sep 2005

Interview No. 1577, Dolores Huerta

Combined Interviews

Ms. Huerta briefly talks about her parents and what her life was like growing up; as an adult, she began working with braceros as part of the Community Service Organization (CSO); she would often go to the bracero labor camps to help them when they were injured, which included obtaining doctors and/or lawyers when necessary; her mother owned a hotel at the time, where the braceros often stayed; she cared for them, giving them curfews and making sure they did not drink too much; she even invited them to local dances and encouraged them to get involved in the community; …

Go to article

George Corrick, George Corrick, James B. Crooks Sep 2005

George Corrick, George Corrick, James B. Crooks

Creating a University: UNF Oral History Project

UNF Oral History Project Interview of George Corrick by James B. Crooks on September 16, 2005

Go to article

Interview No. 1266, Primitivo Bustamante Sep 2005

Interview No. 1266, Primitivo Bustamante

Combined Interviews

Mr. Bustamante discusses his family and childhood; during the late fifties, when he was about five or six years old, his father worked as a bracero in California, New Mexico, and Texas; as a young boy, he recalls his father explaining what it meant to be a bracero; despite being encouraged by his father to attend school, he left after the sixth grade, because he didn’t like it; he goes on to describe his father as a very hard working man who never let his family go without and who constantly set a good example for him; although his father …

Go to article

Interview No. 1263, Roberto Almazar Valdivia Sep 2005

Interview No. 1263, Roberto Almazar Valdivia

Combined Interviews

Mr. Almaraz briefly discusses his family and childhood; in 1952, he enlisted in the bracero program in Villanueva, Zacatecas, México; from there, he traveled to the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México; he mentions the physical examinations and delousing process he underwent as part of the contracting process; from Empalme he was taken to El Centro, California, which is where the ranchers chose the workers they wanted; while there, the workers also signed their contracts, which were initially for forty days, but they could be extended for six month periods at a time, until they had completed eighteen months of …

Go to article

Interview No. 1268, Martín Conejo Sep 2005

Interview No. 1268, Martín Conejo

Combined Interviews

Mr. Martín Conejo is the son of Ernesto Conejo, who was a bracero during the late fifties and early sixties; Martín explains how much he admires his father for having been able to successfully work as a bracero in the United States in spite of the fact that he only had a third grade education; Ernesto was the first person from his ranch to work in the United States; he was initially contracted in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México; while there he was physically examined and asked questions about his work experience; as a bracero, he worked in Michigan, Texas, and …

Go to article

Interview No. 1269, Vicente Delgado Sep 2005

Interview No. 1269, Vicente Delgado

Combined Interviews

Mr. Delgado briefly describes his family and humble beginnings; when he was eighteen, he came into the United States illegally, but shortly thereafter, he was deported to Tijuana, Baja California, México; in 1952, he went to Mexicali, Baja California, to enlist in the bracero program; he goes on to discuss the various contracting centers he went through in México, including the requirements, the thousands of men vying for contracts, the long waiting periods that sometimes lasted weeks or months, and the harsh conditions he endured while there, like sleeping on the floor; moreover, he mentions the coyotes that were often …

Go to article

Interview No. 1275, Guadalupe Mena Arizmendi Sep 2005

Interview No. 1275, Guadalupe Mena Arizmendi

Combined Interviews

Mr. Mena recalls growing up on a small ranch where his family worked in agriculture; he only had a few years of formal schooling, because he had to help with daily chores; at age eighteen, he married, and when he was twenty, he entered the bracero program; he details what the contracting process was like in Empalme, Sonora, México, as well as in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, and Monterrey, Nuevo León, México; additionally, he states that more than twenty-five thousand men waited to be processed in those centers every day; in Irapuato, Guanajuato, México, many fights broke out amongst the men; he …

Go to article

Interview No. 1276, Aguileo Nambo Sep 2005

Interview No. 1276, Aguileo Nambo

Combined Interviews

Mr. Nambo briefly discusses his family and adolescence; when he was about fifteen years old, he and his older brother went to pick cotton in Sonora, México, and he was able to get his military service ID early; he traveled to Empalme, Sonora, and he paid money to get his name on the county’s list of available workers; while waiting there, he endured harsh conditions, but some of the men that were not called were left without any money or way to get back home; as a bracero he worked primarily in California, but he also obtained short contracts to …

Go to article

Interview No. 1274, Gabriel Martínez Ángel Sep 2005

Interview No. 1274, Gabriel Martínez Ángel

Combined Interviews

Mr. Martínez briefly recalls his family and childhood; his uncles worked as braceros in the late forties, which ultimately inspired him to do the same; in 1960, he enlisted in the bracero program; he describes the entire process he went through both in México and in the United States, including obtaining his military ID card, getting his name on the county’s list of available workers, physical examinations, and being deloused; as a bracero he worked in California, Colorado, Michigan, and Texas, picking beans, beets, cucumbers, strawberries, and tomatoes; he goes on to detail the various worksites, duties, contract lengths, payments, …

Go to article

Interview No. 1279, Tirso Yepes Sep 2005

Interview No. 1279, Tirso Yepes

Combined Interviews

Mr. Yepes briefly recounts his childhood and adolescence; from 1946 to 1948 he labored in the United States as an undocumented worker; he explains how people were often mistreated by immigration officials upon being deported, and they were intentionally sent to the wrong places; in 1959, he enlisted as a bracero, and he describes what he went through at the processing center in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México; his initial contract was three months, but he renewed it, and ended up staying in Earth, Texas, for a year and a half before returning to México; he had a great relationship with …

Go to article

Interview No. 1271, Saturnino González Díaz Aug 2005

Interview No. 1271, Saturnino González Díaz

Combined Interviews

Mr. González briefly recalls his family and childhood; he remembers hearing stories about his dad working in the United States, which made him want to do the same; as a young man he acquired a secure job with the federal electricity commission in México, mounting high tension cables; when he was nineteen he heard about a call for braceros, and he decided to quit his job for the chance to work in the United States; he traveled to the processing center in Empalme, Sonora, México, but he ended up being in debt before ever obtaining a contract; moreover, he details …

Go to article

Interview No. 1278, Jesús Ortíz Torres Aug 2005

Interview No. 1278, Jesús Ortíz Torres

Combined Interviews

Mr. Ortíz recalls the humble beginnings of his childhood and how much he and his family suffered; in 1960, he married Juana Moreno Gómez [See also No. XX], and shortly thereafter he began working as a bracero; he initially traveled to border cities in México on his own, where the only requirement was to pick a certain amount of cotton in order to cross into the United States; there were times, however, that he still had to wait for days or weeks to be called even after picking cotton, but some men were never called; he talks about not having …

Go to article

Interview No. 1265, Francisca Barraza Aug 2005

Interview No. 1265, Francisca Barraza

Combined Interviews

Ms. Barraza recalls that her father was thirty-three years old when he joined the bracero program; he was contracted in Durango, México; as a bracero he completed six contracts and worked for the railroad in Oklahoma, San Antonio, Texas and the border region of Reynosa, México; Ms. Barraza recalls that her father sent money to Durango, México and was able to buy a ranch and marry upon his return; in addition, her father did not wish to return to the United States because he recalled the harsh working conditions and treatment which the braceros endured; he was not pleased with …

Go to article

Interview No. 1267, Artemio Cantú Benavides Aug 2005

Interview No. 1267, Artemio Cantú Benavides

Combined Interviews

Mr. Cantú Benavides discusses his childhood and family; in 1959, he traveled to Monterrey, Nuevo León, México, to enlist in the bracero program; he mentions that while there, people often paid for the necessary documentation and were left without any money, but they still had to wait for months to be called; from Monterrey he was taken by bus to a reception center at the border where he was discriminated against and treated poorly; moreover, he describes the delousing process where the men were treated like animals, and the medical examinations, which included collections of blood samples, that were very …

Go to article

Interview No. 1264, Arturo Álvarez Padilla Aug 2005

Interview No. 1264, Arturo Álvarez Padilla

Combined Interviews

Mr. Álvarez briefly discusses his family and childhood; he talks about growing up on a ranch and helping his father work the land; in 1963, a wealthy woman from a neighboring ranch gave him the necessary permits and papers to enlist in the bracero program; he went through the processing center in Empalme, Sonora, México; his first contract took him to Salinas, California, where he continued renewing his contract and remained there for one year and nine months; from there he went on to Stockton, California, where he stayed for a little over a year; he goes on to give …

Go to article

Interview No. 1272, Luis Guzmán Aug 2005

Interview No. 1272, Luis Guzmán

Combined Interviews

Mr. Guzmán briefly discusses his family, childhood, and adolescence; in 1956, he enlisted in the bracero program at a contracting center in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, and he later went through a center in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México; as part of the hiring process, he had to have a letter of recommendation from a judge or authority stating that he was a good worker; in addition, he was physically examined, and he had to give blood samples as well; as a bracero, he worked in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, picking beets and cotton; he goes on to describe the various …

Go to article

Interview No. 1270, María Félix Mota Aug 2005

Interview No. 1270, María Félix Mota

Combined Interviews

María Félix discusses her family and childhood; her father, Leopoldo Mota Serrano, worked with the bracero program during the fifties in Colorado, Michigan, and Texas, picking various fruits and vegetables; María talks about how sad she and her sister were whenever he left and how they were too young to understand why he had to go away; while he was gone, he would send letters, money, and small gifts; these items, however, were sent to a family friend in town, and his wife, María’s mother, would pick everything up from him; upon one of his return trips to México, he …

Go to article

Interview No. 1277, Juana Ortíz Moreno Gómez Aug 2005

Interview No. 1277, Juana Ortíz Moreno Gómez

Combined Interviews

Mrs. Juana Ortíz vividly describes her childhood and the troubles she faced as a child born out of wedlock; she remembers her mother tried to sell her to someone, which consequently led to her grandmother deciding to raise her; soon after, her mother married and started a new life after leaving her behind; when she was sixteen years old, she married Jesús Ortíz Torres [See also No. XX]; he struggled to find work, which led to his decision to enlist in the bracero program against her wishes; as a bracero, he worked in California, Idaho, Michigan, and Texas, picking cotton, …

Go to article

Interview No. 1273, Juan Loza Aug 2005

Interview No. 1273, Juan Loza

Combined Interviews

Mr. Loza recalls his childhood in Manuel Doblado, Guanajuato, México; he explains that he had little formal schooling, and he began working at age eight; additionally, he states that he heard of the bracero program from his godfather, and he approached the mayor of his town to be placed on the bracero list; he recounts his experiences while waiting to be contracted in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México, and how he had to work in order to have a place to stay while waiting for his name to be called; moreover, he relates what the process was like, the rough treatment …

Go to article

Ua1b2/1/3 Oral History, Paula Trafton, Mary Sample Aug 2005

Ua1b2/1/3 Oral History, Paula Trafton, Mary Sample

WKU Administration Documents

Interview conducted by Paula Trafton with Mary Sample regarding her time as a student, College High teacher and executive secretary to Dero Downing from 1957 to 2005.

Go to article

First Prev Next Last