Category Archives: Family

La Familia de Donato Rascón Murrieta

October 26, 2020FamilyBob Diaz, Donato Rascon, Rascon Familyjrdiaz@arizona.edu

Rascón surname: Spanish (Rascón): 1. probably a habitational name from either of the places called Rascón, in Cantábria and Badajoz provinces. 2. possibly a nickname from rascón ‘sour’, ‘sharp’ or a homonym meaning ‘rail’ (the bird).

According to the book, Who’s Who of the Conqiustadors (Thomas, 2000), the surname Rascón appears in the Américas as early as 1509, in the early years of the Spanish conquest. It’s been recorded that Alonso Rascón (Fernández), possibly from Huelva, Spain, landed in the Indies in 1509, and was one of over 600 individuals who accompanied Hernan Cortés on his trip to Veracruz in 1519. Over time, according to various online genealogical sources (i.e. Ancestry.com), in the 1600s and 1700s, the surname appeared in Mexico D.F., the state of Puebla, and then later in Chihuahua and Sonora. A look at U.S. census and immigration records shows that there have been many members of the Rascón family who immigrated north to the US. over the past century. They are scattered throughout the Southwest and can be found in Texas, New Mexico, California and Arizona, as well as other parts of the country.

Donato Rascón Murrieta, my maternal grandfather
October 22, 1896-December 12, 1937

Growing up, I knew very little about my maternal grandfather, Donato Rascón Murrieta (1896-1937). I learned from my mother that he was part Spanish and part indio Mayo. Fair-skinned, with hazel/green eyes, tall and handsome, he was a miner by trade. He immigrated to the US in the early 20’s, landing work in Ruby and Superior. He was born deep in the Sierra in a town called Tarachi, Sonora.

My grandfather crossed the US Mexico border alone at Douglas, Az. on March 12, 1925. This card, issued by the US Immigration Service, notes that he was married to Josefa Ortega and that her address at the time was 830 S. 10th Avenue in South Tucson Az. (actually her brother Feliciano’s home). His occupation was listed as a miner. His mother, Maria Murrieta is listed as residing in Bacerac, Sonora, Mexico.

Donato Rascon’s death certificate notes that he died of cardiac decompensation, or heart failure, and that he had silicosis, which was the likely cause of the heart failure. He was 41 years old when he passed.

El Tarachi, version 1, by Los Murrieta

Tarachi, (from the Pima term: Taratzi) was originally a pre-Columbian village of “Los Pimas Bajos” or the Lower Pima people, tucked away deep in the Sierra Madre region of southeastern Sonora. The closest towns of significance are Sahuaripa, Arivechi, and Yécora. According to Flavio Molina M, author of the book Exploradores y Civilizadores de Sonora, the word taratzi means “en el pie” in Spanish or “on the foot” in English. In the Pima language, tara means “foot” in English and “pie” in Spanish, and tzi means “on” in English and “en” in Spanish. The author includes further information about Tarachi, quoting a document written in 1815 that provides details of the missions and people of the lower Pimeria region of Sonora : “Tarachi: nación Pima, se extiende 22 leguas de oriente a poniente, y diez de norte a sur; tiene agregada la iglesia del pueblo de Yécora, dista de la cebecera 20 leguas al poniente, ambas iglesias están arruinadas; el número de sus vecinos es de 64, que abrazan 300 almas, su congrua de 360, 300 de sínodo y el resto de obención”.

Map of Sonora showing the towns of Bavispe, Bacerac, Huachinera and Tarachi.

This photo and the description below come from Paul M. Roca’s book, “Paths of the Padres Through Sonora”, Tucson: Arizona Pioneers’ Historical Society, 1967 p.291. A new church as since been built.

Paul M. Roca quote in Paths of the Padres Through Sonora, p. 291.

El Tarachi, version 2, by Gilberto Valenzuela:

According to an account given in the book, Sonora: An Intimate Geography (Yetman, 1996), in the early 20th century (and probably even before then), the people of Tarachi made their living, by among other things, cattle breeding. Ranchers from neighboring areas of Sonora would travel for days through very rough mountain terrain to purchase cattle in Tarachi. From there they would drive them back through the north and into Chihuahua.

An earlier map of Sonora showing Tarachi , but spelled differently (Taratzi).

Mining was another occupation that the men of Tarachi engaged in, as Tarachi was also the center of the “Veta Madre” or mother lode of gold in Sonora. One researcher noted that during the California gold rush, many of the men of Tarachi left to seek their fortunes there. The same researcher points to this as proof that the famous California bandit, Joaquin Murrieta, was from Tarachi, rather than Trincheras, Sonora as many believe. Joaquin Murrieta was also described as fair-skinned with blue eyes. According to this source, “all of the Murrietas of Tarachi, to this day, are fair skinned with fair hair and most of them have blue eyes”. To further the argument, this source notes that 3 Finger Jack, Joaquin’s sidekick, was named Manuel Duarte. He points out that “there are no Duartes in Trincheras, but the name is still very prevalent in Tarachi and the Sonoran Sierra region”. It could be I’m related to Joaquin Murrieta! (*note: the sources I have quoted in this paragraph are participants in various online genealogical discussion boards, usually members of the Rascón family who study and trace their family history).

Here’s El Corrido de Joaquin Murrieta, performed by Los Madrugadores.

Over the years, the search for gold in Tarachi was big news.

From the “Integral Copper Operator” May 26, 1892.

June 9, 1971 Colorado Springs Telegraph Gazette.

Most recently, the search for gold in the region has become a serious enterprise.

Every May 15, during the feast day of San Isidro, a huge gathering takes place in Tarachi where everyone with the last names Gamez, Murrieta, Rascón, Treviño, and Ocaña all return to visit those relatives that have remained. For more information about Tarachi today, see the article (in Spanish) by Randulfo Ortega Moroyoqui, “Datos de Tarachi.”

I have since learned a great deal more about my grandfather Donato and his family. His parents (my great grandparents) were Loreto Rascón Bermudes (born in ca.1870 in Tarachi) and Maria Murrieta Ocaña. They were both from Tarachi.

I have also recently learned that my great grandfather Loreto’s parents (my great, great grandparents) names were Crisanto Rascon Rivera, (born in 1845, died in 1905 in Tarachi), and Concepcion Bermudes Apodaca. They were married on February 1869 in Sahuaripa, Sonora.

Crisanto’s parents (my great, great, great grandparents) were Honorato Rascon (born in 1815 in Tarachi) and Juana Rivera. Their children included Juan Jose Rascon (b.1834), Romulo Rascon (b.1828), Maria del Refugio Rascon (b.1844) and Manuel Rascon (b.1856).

Concepcion’s parents (also my great, great, great grandparents) were Juan Bermudes and Maria de Jesus Apodaca.

My maternal grandfather Donato’s grandparents (my great, great grandparents) on his mother’s side–the Murrieta branch of the family were: Blas Murrieta and Maria Ocaña Bermúdez. Blas was born around 1832. He died at the age of 87 on April 21, 1919. He married Maria in Sahuaripa on April 10, 1866. They had the following children: Maria Murrieta Ocaña (my great grandmother), and her siblings Guilebaldo, Antonio, Cruz, Mercedes (1870-1974), Maria de Jesus, Isidro, Enrique, Juan Antonio and Lina.

Blas’s parents, my great, great, great grandparents were D. Jesus Murrieta and Da. Ana Robles. In addition to Blas, they had several other children , including Froilan, Trinidad, and Maria Jesus.

My great grandmother Maria Murrieta Ocaña and my great grandfather Loreto Rascón were married sometime in the early 1890’s, While I am still gathering information about them, at this point I know from looking at border crossing records that Loreto had a brother named Manuel whom he visited in Tucson, Az. in 1925. Loreto also crossed the border several times in the twenties (12/17/1923; 10/17/1925; 7/7/1928; and 2/20/1929), to visit his children living in the U.S. One of these records (see below) indicates that Loreto was born in Moctezuma, Sonora (near the vicinity of Sahuaripa), but other records contradict that and state that he was born in Tarachi, Sonora. These same records state that Loreto and his family sometimes lived apart and moved around a lot, I imagine to find work. For example, a March 1925 border crossing record indicates that Maria was living in Bacerac. By December of the same year, on yet another record, she is listed as living in Bavispe, while at the same time Loreto is listed as living in Cananea. By the 30s, they lived in Bavispe again. Another record from the 30’s indicates that they lived in Huachinera, Sonora. All of these towns are in the Sierra on the far eastern edge of the state of Sonora and work there consists of farming, ranching and mining.

Those of Loreto’s and Maria’s children who moved to the US included Carolina, Olivia, Aurelia (1892-1987), Francisco and my grandfather Donato. Carolina, Francisco and Donato lived in Superior, Arizona in the mid-20’s and 30’s. Aurelia may have lived in Tucson for a while and Olivia lived in the San Diego area. I am not certain of this but I believe that Raul, Crisantos, David, and Isabel all remained in Sonora. The census for 1930 below notes that there were two more children in the family, Rafael and Maria.

I only know a little bit about about my grandfather’s siblings, and only met one of them, Francisco.

Here is what I’ve been able to learn to date:

Aurelia Rascón (born on September 29, 1892, died Nov. 1987). Resided in Tucson Az. at the time of her death. She was one of the two of the Rascón sisters my own sister Irene remembers meeting as a child, and she probably lived with or near my great aunt Olivia at one point somewhere near the California-Mexico border region. My sister remembers them to be “big-boned” ladies. I also remember going with my mom to a house on Grande Avenue in the Menlo Park neighborhood once, to visit one of my mom’s cousins who was in town visiting from Chula Vista. I believe she was my mother’s tia Olivia’s daughter and that she was visiting Aurelia.

Raul Rascón (c.1893-?). Crossed the US Mexico border at Douglas, Az. on November 25, 1922, and was accompanied by his brother David. One of the most intriguing stories I’ve heard about this branch of my family is about Raul. According to one of my cousins from Mexico, Raul was close friends with the mayor of San Miguel de Bavispe, Pablo Machichi, who had been a Carranzista in the Revolution and who later sided with the Cristeros. Machichi led a rebellion against the Mexican government in the late 20’s, and my great uncle Raul was killed either by other Machichi loyalists or by the federales for having revealed Machichi’s whereabouts. Machichi hid in the sierra and led a battle at a place called Huachinera. Here’s a corrido written about him. It gives a lot of detail about who he was and what he fought for.

Francisco Murrieta Rascón: Born on August 6, 1898. Died December 1985. I remember my mom’s uncle Francisco very well. He was very tall. He used to visit our house quite often, and when he was in town he would usually stay at the Santa Rita Hotel. He worked in Superior, Az. as a miner for many years, and was married to a woman named Maria Celida Federico (1905-1951), who died of breast cancer at the age of 46. He lived for many years in a convalescent home in Florence. He was a very tall, but gentle man. I liked him.

From the Arizona Republic, December 6, 1985.

Isabel Rascón Gamez

I know very little about my great aunt Isabel (seated with one of her sons between her husband and other children), except that she was married to Manuel Maria Gamez and that they had at least six children. The writing on the back of the photo on the left indicates that it was taken in Tarachi and signed on April 12, 1937. Other information I have gathered indicates that Manuel Maria Gamez, Isabel’s husband, was born c.1895 in Tarachi, that he crossed the US Mexico border at least twice (on 2/15/24 and 2/23/26) and that had a brother named Alfonso Gamez. I have also found a death certificate for Manuel Gamez Jr, (probably the boy standing on the right). It states that he was born in Tarachi Sonora, on May 39, 1923 and that he died on January 3, 2004 in Esperanza, Sonora.

David Rascón (c. 1899-?) He crossed the US Mexican border several times: November 25, 1922 (at this point his residence is listed as Huachinera, Sonora, Mexico), November 5 and 6, 1923. He was married to Onofre Murrieta Bermudez. The postcard below was written to his brother David by my grandfather Donato. The picture on the other side is of my mother and her brother during their First Holy Communion (see below).

My grandfather wrote this for his brother David.

Carolina Rascon Moreno

I also know that my mother’s tia Carolina (b. 4/15/1902) was medium complected and had brown hair and brown eyes, and a small mole on her right cheek. She married a man from Bavispe, Sonora named Francisco Moreno and they lived in Superior Az at the same time my grandparents were there. My mom often spoke very fondly of her cousins, the Moreno children: Frank, Ricardo, Ismael (Miley), Teresa (Teddie) and Carolina. Their mother Carolina crossed the border several times, including on the following dates: 01/10/1946, 9/30/1947, 12/03/1950 and 08/06/1951.

One of the Moreno children, Carolina, or Carey. She lived in Nogales, Az. for a long time.

Teresa, another Moreno daughter. My mom always spoke very fondly of her.

Francisco, whose wedding photo is below. He worked for many years as an accountant at the mine in San Manuel.

Carolina Rascon and her husband Francisco Moreno

Carolina Rascon Moreno’s son Francisco and his bride. Carolina is on the far right.

Crisanto Rascón Born in Tarachi in 1906. Crossed the US Mexico border on July 1, 1935. His departure contact was his father Loreto Rascón. His residence is listed as San Miguelito, Sonora Mexico.

Olivia Rascón (c.1907-?) She married a man named Luis Flores. She also had a son named Luis. She crossed the US Mexico border at least twice, (7/1/1928 and 11/28/1949). She moved to California and settled there. When I was a kid, one of her daughters came to visit Tucson, and she came to our house. I remember she had a little girl with her and that she and I became friends. She taught me some Spanish and it was the first time I felt I could communicate with someone in that language.

My great aunt Olivia and her husband Luis Flores.

My grandfather met my grandmother Josefa Ortega, while working in the Arivaca region of southern Arizona at the “Bluebird Mine”. They were married in Tucson, Arizona on July 9, 1923.

My grandmother was 19, not 18 as noted above, at the time of her marriage.

It’s been recorded that in 1925, they were living at 830 S. 10th, Ave. in Tucson, probably with Josefa’s brother Chano or her mother, Carmen. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Superior, Az, where he worked for the Magma Copper Company.

The Magma copper mine smelter in Superior, Az.

They had five children: My mother Josephine, Eduardo, Dora, Donato Jr. and Mary. My mom, the oldest of my grandparent’s children, adored her father. She would often talk about him, sharing her memories and stories with us. She would always be sure to say that he would often buy her new clothes, making her the happiest girl in Superior. She also remembered those times when she would have to go get my grandfather and bring him home from the local watering hole, a place that miners often went after work and in their spare time. While he spent most of his working years in Superior, according to the 1930 US census, my grandfather and his brother Francisco worked at the Montana Camp, a gold mine near Ruby Arizona. The original census document notes that my grandfather was a foreman in the mine and his brother Francisco a laborer.

Also, my uncle Donato was born in Silverbell, Az, just northwest of Tucson, so the family must have moved around some. By 1932, the family was back in Superior, as my Aunt Mary was born there on December 18, 1932.

My mom Josefina and her siblings, Eduardo, Donato and Dora.

My mom’s first grade photo in Superior, Az. She is seated with her hands in her lap right above the word “school”.

My Uncle Eddie in grade school, Superior, Az, circa 1932. He’s the fourth boy on the left in the second to the bottom row.

My mom and her brother Eddie at their first holy communion.

In 1936, my grandfather became ill with pnuemonia and was bed ridden for about a year. His wife Josefa and sister Carolina took turns taking care of him. There is a story that my father tells about my grandfather that is very interesting, as it took place in 1937, well before my mom and dad had met. According to the story, my grandfather and his family were living in the back room of a restaurant that had a jukebox. One day, my dad, who was about 17 at the time, went in and took out some change to play the song “Zenaida”. He was quickly admonished by others not to play the music because there was a man in the back room dying, and he shouldn’t be disturbed. That man was my grandfather Donato, and the story goes that he said to tell my dad to go ahead and play the music. He wanted to hear it too, even as he was dying. He passed away on December 12, 1937 at the age of 41, and is buried in Superior, Az.. He left behind his wife, Josefa, and their five children, Josefina (my mother), Eduardo, Dora, Donato Jr., and Maria.

My grandfather’s grave in the Superior Cemetary.

My sister Irene with my Aunt Mary at our grandfathers gravesite in Superior.

My sister Irene, brother Charles and me at our grandfather’s grave, 2007.

My grandmother, Josefa Ortega Rascon, 1963.

My grandmother with her children Josefina, Maria, Dora and Donato, circa 1978. Missing is her son Eddie. I don’t have a photo of him as an adult, unfortunately.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Failo!

May 11, 2020Familyjrdiaz@arizona.edu

Today is my uncle Failo’s birthday. He was born in 1927 and is the sixth son of my grandparents Antonio and Zeferina Diaz. He was a wonderful man, and I always remember him smiling and joking. He never seemed to have a harsh word for anyone. He lived in Needles with his wife Armida and his children Dante, Clarissa and David, and was a civic leader there and very well respected throughout the community. He was quite a guy! I remember very clearly the day he and tia Armida took me with them to Sears when they were visiting Tucson one year. It was around the time that Sears had just opened, around 1965. They bought me a hamburger at the lunch counter there and it came with fries, in a little boat with an American flag on it. I’ll never forget that. Tia Armida has the softest, sweetest voice, and I remember how nice she was to me that day. Another time, years later around 1982, I took my dad to visit his brothers in Needles, and my car broke down along the way, just outside Yucca, Arizona. Luckily for us, there was a motel a mile or two away that we had just passed down the road, and I called my tio Failo in the middle of the night from the phone booth there and asked him to come and get us, which he did. The next day, he fixed my water pump for me and we were able to continue our little trip. I wasn’t much into fixing cars, and he expressed some annoyance with me because I didn’t want to get near all that yucky, oily mess, but he didn’t hold it against me for long. Like I said, he was quite a guy. He was everyone’s favorite tio.

Uncle Failo in grade school in Superior, Az.. He’s the boy in the center of the top row. His sister Josie, is third girl from the left in the row below him.

August 24, 1945, Arizona Republic . Uncle Failo is listed as being from Gilbert, Az.

From the Needles Desert Star, April 12, 1973. Tio Failo ran for a seat on the local school board, but wasn’t elected, unfortunately.

Our family vacation, Summer, 1966.

April 26, 2020Family, My Life in Pictures, Travel1966, Bob Diaz, California, Joseph R. Diaz, Vacationjrdiaz@arizona.edu

My dad worked hard all his life, but the mines paid just enough for a large family of eight to get by. Mom would have to work too at times, either at one of the local restaurants in town or at the dry cleaners up the street. To make matters even more challenging, Dad loved to gamble at the dog races. He usually came home empty handed, which always created tension between him and my mother.

One day however, in the summer of 1965, his luck changed and he “struck it rich”. I can still remember him rushing into the house, saying, “Josefina, gane’, gane’!” (Josephine, I won, I won!) Soon after, he bought us new bedroom furniture, and had carpeting installed throughout the house. He even bought us a “new” family car, a 1964 Chevy Nova station wagon, just like the one shown below.

At the time, my sister Becky was in her senior year at Tucson High School, and my brother Rudy was a year behind her, while my other brother Fred and I were both in grade school. My sister Irene was busy being a wife and mother, and my brother Charles was about to complete the first of a four year commitment with the Navy.

My sister Becky’s senior portrait, Tucson High School, 65-66.

My first grade portrait, taken during the 1965-1966 school year. I was six years old.

We took a couple of extended trips in that car, including a visit to Flagstaff in the summer of 1965, where the big annual Pow Wow was held. (I’ll write about that trip another time.)

My brother Freddie standing by our car in Flagstaff, 1965.

The following summer we went on another excursion, this time to California to visit my dad’s and mom’s relatives and to see my brother Charles, who was stationed in Long Beach a the time.

There were six of us on that trip–dad, mom, my cousin Yolanda, Becky my sister, my brother Fred and me.

Rudy stayed home.

My brother Rudy during his junior year in high school, 65-66.

We drove through the Arizona desert for what seemed an eternity. I’m sure we stopped at various places to eat and whatnot along the way, but I don’t remember exactly where. I do remember, however getting my mom to buy me this postcard. It’s a miracle that it’s survived all my moves over the years and that I still have it. I loved this picture!

We finally made it to our first destination, Needles, California. My parents had lived there for a short while after World War II, and my dad had two brothers who lived there, his older brother Val, who ran a concrete/construction company, and his younger brother Ralph or Failo as we all called him, who worked for Pacific Gas and Electric. Both men had families and were married to some very nice ladies, my aunt Vera and my aunt Armida. Val’s children, Gabriel, Sylvia and Richard were all around the same ages as my older brothers and sisters, but Uncle Failo’s kids were around my age.

We stayed with Uncle Val and his family.

My brother Fred and I with one of our cousin Sylvia’s daughters and Richard, Vera and Val’s nephew, standing outside my uncle’s house. I don’t know why we were barefooted. It was 117 degrees. Our feet were burning!

Uncle Val’s kids had left home by the time we visited, but he and Vera raised one of Vera’s nephews, whose name was Richard. His mother, aunt Vera’s sister, had died at a very young age. We got along really well with him.

We also visited Uncle Failo and his family. Our cousins Dante, Clarissa and David were all around our age, and we had a lot of fun playing with them too.

My uncle Failo, Aunt Armida and their children, Danta, Clarissa and David.

Needles is in the middle of the Mohave desert and in the summer it is brutally hot, but the Colorado River runs through the region, and the locals love to go fishing and boating there. When we visited, we spent a day at the river, and I remember catching my very first fish, which we later cooked and ate. Freddie caught one too. I didn’t go too far out into the water. The undercurrents were deadly, and years before, my mother, sister and Aunt Corina almost drowned there. It scared the living daylights out of me.

From Needles, we headed up north to San Jose and San Francisco. My dad’s sister Josie lived in San Jose and my mom’s sister Dora lived in San Francisco.

Aunt Josie had six kids, Armando, Anna, Theresa, Debbie, Steve and Vicki. At the time, she was married to Joe Rubalcaba, whom she’d met in Tucson in the 40s. By the early Sixties, however, they had settled in San Jose. It was fun getting to know my cousins. Steve is closest in age to me and Fred, and we spent a lot of time with him.

We stayed a short while with Aunt Josie, and soon headed up to South San Francisco, where my mom’s sister Dora lived with her husband Armando and her four children, Margie, Richard, Tish, and Susie.

Aunt Dora and Uncle Armando had a house with a garage, and I clearly remember they had a small back yard. She was a bit stricter than my mom. I remember once that I wanted, after eating a nice cool popsicle, one more, and not getting it because she said no, in a very firm voice. I was used to getting my way and was not a happy camper. Oh well. My mother spoiled me, I suppose. I was always crying.

My cousin Susie was my age, and we had fun playing together. I remember seeing a certificate on my aunt’s wall that was given to her for perfect attendance in the first grade. I was impressed because I was always sick!

I also remember that Becky and Yolanda stayed up all night once playing Monopoly with our cousin Ricky and that he had all of the Beatles albums and more. Wow. We were in awe of him.

Our tios took us into San Francisco one day to see the city. We went through various parts of town including Chinatown and also to the Haight Ashbury district to see all the young people hanging out. My parents referred to them as “esos heeppies cochinos”. All I remember is a lot of long hair and dirty feet. They weren’t very clean looking to me either. The photo below doesn’t quite capture what I remember seeing, but its from the era. The district was clogged with cars full of people just like us, coming to the Haight Ashbury to gawk at all the kids.

Later, my tios took my parents out on the town. The rest of us didn’t get to go, because they were going to a “topless” place and we were much too young for that. My dad couldn’t wait!

Mom, Dad, Aunt Dora and Uncle Armando out on the town.

My sister Becky sent my brother Rudy this postcard. I’ve kept it all these years. It’s a relic of the times!

After a few days, it was time to head south to go visit our brother Charles, who at the time was stationed in Long Beach. Becky, who had just graduated from high school, had also recently broken up with her boyfriend Eddie. She needed a change of scenery, so my mom and dad let her stay in San Francisco with my aunt and uncle. It was a major life change for her and for all of us, but she was eager to experience life in a different place. She found a job in the city and lived with my aunt and uncle for over a year. She remembers seeing the members of the Grateful Dead practice in a garage up the street from my aunt’s house, and seeing Janis Joplin at the Avalon Ballroom. She got to experience all kinds of great stuff while she lived there. She was lucky, for sure!

I don’t remember a whole lot about our trip to L.A., except that we had a heck of a time finding lodging along the way. We drove for hours before we found a motel that had any vacancies.

Once we were settled in L.A., we also had to figure out how to get to the naval post in Long Beach. We had trouble finding the right turn off on the freeway and we were late, but luckily, I was the one that spotted the street sign that we were supposed to turn off at, and we finally made it. Carlos was not happy, because we were so late, but at least we got to see him.

While in the L.A. area, we went to Culver City to visit my Aunt Vera’s sister and her husband. My Uncle Val and Aunt Vera met us there, and we stayed for a day or two. I remember tasting bottled water for the very first time while there, and that the houses had no fences. The back yards seemed like a giant sea of green grass. I remember too listening to the radio a lot. Songs like “Lil’ Red Riding Hood”, “Summer In The City”, and “Sweet Pea” were very popular at the time.

My mom and dad with Uncle Val, Aunt Vera and Vera’s sister and husband.

We didn’t go anywhere else after our stop in Culver City. Disneyland would have to wait. I remember that the drive home took forever and I also vividly remember hearing the news on the radio that eight student nurses had been recently murdered in Chicago by a guy named Richard Speck, the same day, July 14, that my sister sent the above postcard to my brother Rudy. I was a little kid and stuff like this made me very scared.

It felt good to finally be back home. This was the only family vacation that I ever got to go on with my parents, and I’ll always remember it fondly.

As I look back on this time in my life, I realize that I was just a child, with a child’s world view. My life was consumed with spending time with my nieces and friends and consisted of toys and games and bicycles, with playing at the local park and going to school. I didn’t have a clue about what was happening in the world at large. I never thought about why our country was at war in Viet Nam or about the struggle for civil rights and the racial tensions in the American south. I didn’t know why America’s youth were rebelling, or why my brother Charles joined the Navy rather than wait to be drafted. It never occurred to me that the Navy was considered a safer branch of the military than the Army or Marines. Why didn’t he stay in college? These questions were not for me to ask, much less have answers to, and I suppose I’m grateful that I was allowed to be a kid at the time and that my parents took care of me in the best way they knew how. I’m grateful that Charles made it through those four years of the war and that Becky was able to “do her thing” as a young woman. We all managed to survive these years of turmoil and tension, experimentation and change, and I’m forever grateful to my parents for taking us on this little trip. For a seven year old kid like me, it was the trip of a lifetime.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Tony! (1924-2017)

April 2, 2020Familyjrdiaz@arizona.edu

Uncle Tony as a young man. He was born in Colton, Az., on April 2, 1924, the fifth son of Antonio and Zeferina Diaz.

Uncle Tony, Superior High School basketball team, 1942. He’s third from the left in the bottom row.

He was also on the football team. This is from the 1943 Superior High School yearbook, The Prospector.

It’s Uncle Tony’s birthday today. He was born on April 2, 1924 in Colton, Az (according to a State of Az document I have) and he passed away on July 12, 2017. He was my dad Alfred’s younger brother, and they both worked at San Manuel together for many, many years.

What a handsome man! I’m told I look like him. He he he…I wish!

He was married to my Aunt Corina Gonzales, and they had seven children. Early on, they lived in Tucson, but later moved to Oracle, Az.

Aunt Corina and Uncle Tony, sometime in the 50s.

Uncle Tony’s and Aunt Corina’s marriage announcement, Tucson Daily Citizen, March 25, 1947

Denise, Frank, Tony, Paul, Mike, Phil and Susie Diaz, Uncle Tony and Aunt Corina’s children.

This was taken in my mom’s living room. My cousin Phil is shown here with his parents.

I used to love to go to Oracle with my parents for family gatherings. Uncle Tony had an underground barbeque pit and he would love to play host to the entire Diaz clan. All of us cousins would have a blast swinging on the big tire that was hanging from a tree in the arroyo up the street. We would also pick bellotas and play volleyball for hours on end.

One summer, my parents sent my brother Fred and me up to Oracle to spend time with my uncle Tony and his family. There were seven kids in his family, and five of them lived at home at the time, if I’m not mistaken. I was closest in age to Dee Dee and Tony-o. We had a lot of fun hiking in the foothills of the Catalinas and hanging out with our cousins, listening to the Beatles and Bob Dylan. I was a big mama’s boy, so it didn’t take long for my cousins to figure out I was a crybaby, chipili, but I survived the experience. I especially remember that I got along well with my cousin Tony-o. He had a motor scooter and he’d let me ride with him through the streets of Oracle.

He later got killed in a car accident on the road between Oracle and San Manuel. His death was such a tragedy. He was only in his late teens. I often think about my Aunt Corina and how hard it was for her. It was hard for everyone. I hadn’t experienced much death in my life up to that point, and I remember it affected me deeply too.

His wife and my mom were the best of friends.