My dad Ramon Araiza was born in the small town of Etzatlan, Mexico on February 6, 1904. My dad's parents were Juan Jose Araiza Reynoso (1851-1906) and Maximiana Fregoso Fernandez (1851-1950.) They married in 1888. They were 33 years old at the time of their wedding.
My father became an orphan when he was two years old. Juan Jose Araiza, his dad, passed away when he was 55 years old. I have a separate narrative in this blog as to the somewhat strange circumstances surrounding his passing.
The economic conditions for the Araiza family must have been dire. My grandfather did not leave any economic resources to my grandmother upon his passing. Grandma became a widow with three mouths to feed. My father had two siblings: Felicitas and Jose Maria. To illustrate the hard times my father endured, he once told me that he wanted to contribute to the home by getting a job at a jewelry store. He was told by the owner that he (my dad) had to wear shoes to fill the position.
I don't know much about my dad's teenage years other than having to drop out of elementary school at an early age. The opportunities for a poor kid must have been limited since Mexico endured the Mexican Revolution which started in 1920 (my dad would have been sixteen years old) followed by the Creistero War, which ended in 1929.
My mom and dad married in 1930. My dad related to me that he was employed laying tracks for the railroad in the state of Sinaloa, worked as field labor cutting sugar cane in the state of Veracruz, a miner in the city of Musquiz, Sinaloa, and as a labor rep at the American Smelting Company (ASARCO) in Nueva Rosita, Coahuila, where my sister Consuelo was born.
Eric Hoffer (1898-1983), the famous self taught philosopher once said: "In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future." I am not sure that my dad ever read any of the books written by Erick Hoffer, but as a layman philosopher I find this quote fitting of my father's life long yearning for education. He truly believed in the future.
When I was a boy, my father worked for a factory that manufactured silver ware. The company located in Guadalajara, Mexico was Cubiertos Mexicanos. He was an accountant. It was at this time that I asked my dad how he became an accountant. He successfully completed a correspondence school diploma. The school materials were written in English, so he didactically learned the
English language to understand the material.
I have an old English dictionary that belonged to my dad. This is not an English-Spanish dictionary, it is intended for English readers only. The book includes several pages that list irregular verbs. Dad took the time to translate every irregular English verb to Spanish so he could quickly peruse the meaning of every irregular verb. What a guy..nothing could stop him.
I inherited one of the many great qualities of my dad; I enjoy reading. Ever since I was a little kid, I remember my father buying books and magazines of every kind. It was not unusual to have Scientific American, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and other great American magazines. When I was a teenager, I asked my dad if he would help me learn English. He promptly matriculated me at school (Instituto Mexico Norte Americano de Guadalajara) to learn this wonderful language.
My dad was a stern disciplinarian; I don't mean he was abusive. He had the wonderful combination of discipline and love. My mom (Carmelita Brambila) and dad were married for forty-nine years. He passed away on August 29, 1979. My daughter was born on August 20, 1979. This was a time of great loss and absolutely greater joy.
My father became an orphan when he was two years old. Juan Jose Araiza, his dad, passed away when he was 55 years old. I have a separate narrative in this blog as to the somewhat strange circumstances surrounding his passing.
The economic conditions for the Araiza family must have been dire. My grandfather did not leave any economic resources to my grandmother upon his passing. Grandma became a widow with three mouths to feed. My father had two siblings: Felicitas and Jose Maria. To illustrate the hard times my father endured, he once told me that he wanted to contribute to the home by getting a job at a jewelry store. He was told by the owner that he (my dad) had to wear shoes to fill the position.
I don't know much about my dad's teenage years other than having to drop out of elementary school at an early age. The opportunities for a poor kid must have been limited since Mexico endured the Mexican Revolution which started in 1920 (my dad would have been sixteen years old) followed by the Creistero War, which ended in 1929.
My mom and dad married in 1930. My dad related to me that he was employed laying tracks for the railroad in the state of Sinaloa, worked as field labor cutting sugar cane in the state of Veracruz, a miner in the city of Musquiz, Sinaloa, and as a labor rep at the American Smelting Company (ASARCO) in Nueva Rosita, Coahuila, where my sister Consuelo was born.
Eric Hoffer (1898-1983), the famous self taught philosopher once said: "In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future." I am not sure that my dad ever read any of the books written by Erick Hoffer, but as a layman philosopher I find this quote fitting of my father's life long yearning for education. He truly believed in the future.
When I was a boy, my father worked for a factory that manufactured silver ware. The company located in Guadalajara, Mexico was Cubiertos Mexicanos. He was an accountant. It was at this time that I asked my dad how he became an accountant. He successfully completed a correspondence school diploma. The school materials were written in English, so he didactically learned the
English language to understand the material.
I have an old English dictionary that belonged to my dad. This is not an English-Spanish dictionary, it is intended for English readers only. The book includes several pages that list irregular verbs. Dad took the time to translate every irregular English verb to Spanish so he could quickly peruse the meaning of every irregular verb. What a guy..nothing could stop him.
I inherited one of the many great qualities of my dad; I enjoy reading. Ever since I was a little kid, I remember my father buying books and magazines of every kind. It was not unusual to have Scientific American, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and other great American magazines. When I was a teenager, I asked my dad if he would help me learn English. He promptly matriculated me at school (Instituto Mexico Norte Americano de Guadalajara) to learn this wonderful language.
My dad was a stern disciplinarian; I don't mean he was abusive. He had the wonderful combination of discipline and love. My mom (Carmelita Brambila) and dad were married for forty-nine years. He passed away on August 29, 1979. My daughter was born on August 20, 1979. This was a time of great loss and absolutely greater joy.
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