Rio Grande Valley Oral Histories
Please note that many oral history interviews may be difficult to hear due to the recording environment and technology available at the time of their original recording.
Please contact Special Collections & Archives for questions, email us.
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Interview with Ignacio Mendoza
Ignacio Mendoza, Charles J. Ellard, and Jaime Cardoza
Ignacio Mendoza (b. 1978) was interviewed by Charles J. Ellard for the "Veterans History Project 2009" on September 25, 2009 at the Dustin M. Sekula Memorial Library. The interview was video recorded by Jaime Cardoza. This interview has been archived at the Library of Congress.
Mr. Mendoza, a native of Edinburg, TX, describes his recruitment and military service in the U.S. Army, including his deployment to Iraq. Mr. Mendoza and his two brothers all served in the US Armed Forces and were sent to Iraq independently and at one point simultaneously.
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Interview with Howard B. Millen
Howard B. Millen and Robert Everett Norton
Howard B. Millen tells about life in Iowa, moving to the Valley, farming difficulties, schooling and description of the Valley during the 1920's.
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Oral History: A Tool for the Study of Mexican American History in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas
Hubert J. Miller
Scholars of Chicano history have been negligent in using oral history as a research tool whereas colleagues in other disciplines (e.g., Manuel Gomio, Paul Taylor, Oscar Lewis, and Americo Paredes) have used the technique extensively. The growing list of oral history projects since the early 1970's argues well for the greater use of oral history collections in writing on Chicano folklore, immigration, farm labor, political movements, and border history. However, a brief survey of history texts on the lower Rio Grande Valley reveals a striking neglect of Chicano history in the 20th century even though the history of this minority antedates that of the Anglos, and the bulk of the population is Chicano. Yet works by Lyle Brown, Devra Anne Weber, George N. Green, and Ricardo Romo show the type of Chicano information that can be gathered. Interviews conducted between 1976 and the present provide eye witness accounts of ranching, the medical profession, Mexican Revolution, border turmoil, migrations, ethnic relations, and social, economic, and political aspects of life in the lower Rio Grande Valley since 1900. These pioneering efforts in using oral history must be increased so that a more comprehensive account can be written about all aspects of Chicano experiences. (NQA)
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Interview with Minnie Norton - Part 01
Minnie Norton Millikan and Robert Everett Norton
Minnie Everett Norton was born in Crossville, Alabama in 1898. She taught school at Ojo de Agua before she graduated from high school. She also witnessed the "Battle of Ojo de Agua". She describes growing up in Alabama where she was born, and working on the farm with her family. Minnie describes the train trip from Alabama to Texas, all the way to Harlingen. There she learned Spanish in school. The family moved to McAllen in 1914. Minnie taught seventh grade in San Jose ranch after getting her teaching certificate while still in high school. She describes the bandit raids and teaching in English only classes. The interview then covers Minnie’s marriage and life in the Rio Grande Valley, attending Pan American in 1963.
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Interview with Angelica Montemayor
Angelica Montemayor and Sandra Cardenas
Angelica Montemayor was born in 1921 in Brownsville, Texas.
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Interview with Manuel Montes - Part 01
Manuel Montes and Joseph S. Hoy
Manuel Montes was born in 1912 in Artesita Ranch (Colonia La Grulla), Texas. He talks about life on a ranch, work on Valley roads, life in the 1940's and work for the Coca Cola Company.
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Interview with Manuel Montes - Part 02
Manuel Montes and Joseph S. Hoy
Manuel Montes was born in 1912 in Artesita Ranch (Colonia La Grulla), Texas. He talks about life on a ranch, work on Valley roads, life in the 1940's and work for the Coca Cola Company.
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Interview with Manuel Montes - Part 03
Manuel Montes and Joseph S. Hoy
Manuel Montes was born in 1912 in Artesita Ranch (Colonia La Grulla), Texas. He talks about life on a ranch, work on Valley roads, life in the 1940's and work for the Coca Cola Company.
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Interview with Manuel Montes - Part 04
Manuel Montes and Joseph S. Hoy
Manuel Montes was born in 1912 in Artesita Ranch (Colonia La Grulla), Texas. He talks about life on a ranch, work on Valley roads, life in the 1940's and work for the Coca Cola Company.
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Interview with Arnoldo Morin
Arnoldo Morin, Charles J. Ellard, and Jaime Cardoza
Arnoldo Morin (b. 1944) was interviewed by Charles J. Ellard for the "Veterans History Project 2009" on October 09, 2009 at the Dustin M. Sekula Memorial Library. The interview was video recorded by Jaime Cardoza. This interview has been archived at the Library of Congress.
Arnoldo speaks about his family and education. He graduated Edinburg High School in 1962 and planned to attend college before he was drafted in October 1965. He served with the US Army 101st Airborne Division and 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam (1965–1967).
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Interview with Leo Munoz
Leo Munoz and Sandra Veronica Barrera
Leo Munoz was born in 1920 in Rio Grande City.
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Interview with Bartolo Nava and Hermalinda Nava
Bartolo Nava, Hermelinda Nava, and Norma Leticia Rodriguez Gomez
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Interview with Guadalupe M. Nava
Guadalupe M. Nava and Maria Zapata
Guadalupe M. Nava was born in Mercedes, Rio Grande, in 1901.
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Interview with Nina Grace Neptune
Nina Grace Neptune and Roel Garza
Nina Grace Neptune was born in 1902 in Clearfork, Kentucky.
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Interview with Minnie Norton - Part 02
Minnie Norton and Robert Everett Norton
Minnie Everett Norton was born in Crossville, Alabama in 1898. She taught school at Ojo de Agua before she graduated from high school. She also witnessed the "Battle of Ojo de Agua". Norton continues her description of teaching in the Rio Grande Valley in the early 1900s. Then goes on to describe the Battle of Ojo de Agua in more detail. She discusses her husband’s conscription in World War I interrupting their marriage plans. Norton’s husband then worked in the Hollis Rankin telephone company and installed early phone services in the Valley. She discusses housework during that time. The interview then switches to a copy of the part 1 recording.
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Interview with Susan Alma Norton
Susan Alma Norton and Helen Louise Weaver Williams
Susan Alma Norton was born in 1891 in Geraldine, Alabama.
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Interview with Rogelio Nunez
Rogelio Nunez, Saira Lozano, Alexis Rangel, and Jesus Reyna
Activist Rogelio Nunez talks about his childhood, adolescence, and how he got involved with Chicano activism. He also discusses being raised in the Presbyterian Church and raising his own children.
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Interview with Esperanza Olivarez
Esperanza Olivarez and Silvia Ann Olivarez
Esperanza Olivarez was born in 1911 in Cuidad Mier, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
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Interview with Francisca Olvera
Francisca Olvera and Guadalupe Torres
Francisca Olvera was born in 1926 in Georgetown, Texas.
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Interview with Leopoldo Palacios and Lilia Palacios
Leopoldo Palacios, Lilia Palacios, and Robert Everett Norton
Leopoldo Palacios was born in 1905. Lilia Palacios was born in 1916. They tell of their life in Pharr, Texas, where they have lived for the past 70 years.
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Interview with John Randall Peavey - Part 01
John Randall Peavey and Hubert J. Miller
Covers: the early family history and 1905-1915 period.
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Interview with John Randall Peavey - Part 02
John Randall Peavey and Hubert J. Miller
Covers: the 1905-1915 period (continued) and the coming of Mexican Revolution 1910-1916.
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Interview with John Randall Peavey - Part 03
John Randall Peavey and Hubert J. Miller
Covers: the coming of Mexican Revolution 1910-1916 (continued) and World War I.
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Interview with John Randall Peavey - Part 04
John Randall Peavey and Hubert J. Miller
Covers: World War I (continued) and the 1910-1920's period.
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Interview with John Randall Peavey - Part 05
John Randall Peavey and Hubert J. Miller
Covers: the 1920's period.
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Interview with John Randall Peavey - Part 06
John Randall Peavey and Hubert J. Miller
Covers: the 1920's period (continued) and the 1930's period.
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Interview with John Randall Peavey - Part 07
John Randall Peavey and Hubert J. Miller
Covers: the 1930's period (continued).
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Interview with John Randall Peavey - Part 08
John Randall Peavey and Hubert J. Miller
Covers: the 1930's period (continued).
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Interview with John Randall Peavey - Part 09
John Randall Peavey and Hubert J. Miller
Covers: Sheriff's campaign of 1946.
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Interview with Rita Pena Contreras
Rita Pena Contreras and Diana Yvette Garza
Rita Pena Contreras tells of her life and education.
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Interview with Guadalupe Pena
Guadalupe Pena and Linda Pena
Guadalupe Pena was born in 1910 in El Arroyo Rancho, Rio Grande City, Texas.
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Interview with Marcelina Pena
Marcelina Pena and Norma Leticia Rodriguez Gomez
Marcelina Pena was born in 1932 in Harlingen, Texas.
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Interview with Maria Pena
Maria Pena and Rolando Pena
Maria Pena was born in 1907 in China, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. She relates memories of Pancho Villa.
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Interview with Apolinar Perez
Apolinar Perez and Veronica Garcia
Apolinar Perez was born in 1923 in Mission, Texas. The interview covers topics ranging from Perez's early life and education to farm work and economic depression. Perez also speaks about race, discrimination, and prejudice in education and work settings. The primary focus of this interview is what growing up was like for Apolinar Perez.
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Interview with Ismael Perez Gallegos
Ismael Perez Gallegos and Delbert C. Goerlitz
He was born in 1913 in McAllen, Texas. He talks about his parents, work, growing up in McAllen, agriculture, business in McAllen and education.
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Interview with Jose Perez
Jose Perez and Ricardo De Luna
Jose Perez was born in 1912 in Yorktown, Texas.
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Interview with Josefa C. Perez
Josefa C. Perez and Ricardo De Luna
Josefa C. Perez was born in 1901 in Penitas, Texas.
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Interview with Alice Savage Pfeifer
Alice Pfeifer and Robert Everett Norton
Born March 1, 1907, Alice Savage Pfeifer describes her memories of what life was like in the Rio Grande Valley. Savage discusses her childhood memories of her father Robert Lee Savage's general store, San Juan Hotel, railroad travel, and her siblings. She also shares memories of husband, Frank Pfeifer, and their nine children.
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Interview with Paula Pinon
Paula Pinon and Miguel Torres
Paula Pinon was born in 1912 in Huiramba, Michoacán, Mexico.
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Interview with Goldsby May Poag Goza
Goldsby May Poag Goza and Crystal Marie Cantu
Goldsby Poag Goza was born in 1911 in Mercedes, Texas. She talks about her education, religion, career, entertainment and the death of her husband. Interview conducted in 1987 by Crystal Cantu.
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Interview with Ernest A. Polzin - Part 01
Ernest A. Polzin and Denice Leslie Kemp
Ernest A. Polzin, a long-time merchant and resident of McAllen Texas, talks about his life. He talks about: San Juan plantation, 1911 Hidalgo Courthouse moving to Chapin/Edinburg, Polzin was born in Nebraska, parents were France and Maud Polzin, he was born in 1898, his family moving in 1914 to a farm in San Juan, Texas due to his father's health. H-E-B buying his father's house for $21,000, seeing the beginning of Weslaco, being the oldest president of the McAllen chambers of commerce, discusses the salary he made while working as a manager, father’s rooming house, Lalo Ramirez laying carpets with Polzin, his honeymoon with his wife, mercantile business, his children and grandchildren, continues to discuss and speak over one another, Camp Stanley.
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Interview with Ernest A. Polzin - Part 02
Ernest A. Polzin and Denice Leslie Kemp
Ernest A. Polzin, a long-time merchant and resident of McAllen Texas, talks about his life. He talks about: How he met his wife, his home in San Antonio, a King Ranch loading dock, a man he lived with (A. A. Huntly) and partner who worked for King. He also discusses a situation that occurred about Mexicans who came from the east that laid on the railroad track who then had a shootout with Huntly. He remembers his partner and another man named George Forbs who was shot in the crossfire. He talks about Jimmy McAllen who also had a shootout with several Mexicans. He discuses the several name changes of the city of Alamo. He discusses other name changes throughout the Rio Grande Valley before the interview is concluded.
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Interview with Polly Proctor - Part 01
Polly Proctor and Robert Everett Norton
Polly Proctor was born in 1914. Part 1 of 2.
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Interview with Polly Proctor - Part 02
Polly Proctor and Robert Everett Norton
Polly Proctor was born in 1914. Part 2 of 2.
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Interview with Harry Carter Quin
Harry Carter Quin and Darrell Brumley
Harry Carter Quin was born in 1914.
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Interview with Manuel Quintanilla
Manuel Quintanilla and Corina Castillo
Manuel Quintanilla was born in 1919 in Donna, Texas.
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Interview with Blas Quiroja
Blas Quiroja and Juan T. Cavazos
Blas Quiroja was born in 1927 in McAllen, Texas.
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Interview with Walter W. Rabe - Part 02
Walter Rabe and Robert Everett Norton
Walter W. Rabe was born in 1897 in La Grange, Texas. Part 2 of 2.
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Interview with Walter W. Rabe - Part 01
Walter W. Rabe and Robert Everett Norton
Walter W. Rabe was born in 1897 in La Grange, Texas. Part 1 of 2.
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Interview with Adolfo Ramirez
Adolfo Ramirez and Corina Cantu
Adolfo Ramirez was born in 1919 in El Capote, Texas.
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Interview with Delia O. Ramirez Alaniz
Delia O. Ramirez Alaniz and Ruben Alaniz
Delia O. Ramirez Alaniz talks about: life as a child, family, education, religion, and funerals in Havana, Texas. She also talks about marriage and land grants. Additionally, she talks about how one of her teachers started a Tabasco school on fire, how Texas Rangers killed a Mexican, Patricio Perez and Senovia Perez, A.Y. Baker of Edinburg, how Juan Cortina is a relative of hers, Clay Henry Davis, Josefa De La Garza Perez, land title for Fort Ringgold, Porciones 70, 71, 72, 78, 80, 81, 88, 104, the history of Havana, Matias Tijerina, the Walkers, and how the Great Depression wasn't felt in the ranches.
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Interview with Alfonso Rene Ramirez
Alfonso Rene Ramirez and Douglas E. Erickson
Alfonso Rene Ramirez was born in 1923 in Edinburg, Texas. He discusses where his family came from, what his parents did for a living, education, the Great Depression, families, sports he played in grade school, higher education in Edinburg, cultural arts in Edinburg, and what he studied.
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Interview with Eduarda Ramirez
Eduarda Ramirez and Linda Pena
Eduarda Ramirez was born in 1908 in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. She talked about her life in the hills of Mexico, her family, social life and the revolution.
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Interview with Francisco Ramirez
Francisco Ramirez and Ricardo Alfredo Villarreal
Francisco Ramirez was born in 1913 in Zapata, Texas.
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Interview with Guadalupe Ramirez
Guadalupe Ramirez and Laura Trevino
Guadalupe Ramirez was born in 1921 in Robstown, Texas.
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Interview with Maria del Carmen Ramirez
Maria del Carmen Ramirez and Josefina Flores
Maria del Carmen Ramirez was born in 1897. She talks about her life in Mission, Texas.
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Interview with Maria Luisa Ramirez
Maria Luisa Ramirez and Norma Linda Canales
Maria Luisa Ramirez was born in 1921 in Laredo, Texas.
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Interview with Raul Ramirez
Raul Ramirez and Sandra Cardenas
Raul Ramirez was born in 1912 in Mexico.
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Interview with Lilia Ramos
Lilia Ramos and Rocio Patricia Rodriguez
Lilia Ramos was born in 1917 in Rio Grande City, Texas.
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Interview with Walter Earl Reed - Part 01
Walter Earl Reed and Robert Everett Norton
Walter Earl Reed, a physician, talks about his family, education, medical training and opening a medical practice in San Juan, Texas. Part 1 of 2.
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Interview with Walter Earl Reed - Part 02
Walter Earl Reed and Robert Everett Norton
Walter Earl Reed, a physician, talks about his family, education, medical training and opening a medical practice in San Juan, Texas. Part 2 of 2.
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Interview with Jesus Reyna and Severa Reyna
Jesus Reyna, Severa Reyna, and Francisca Rodriguez
Jesus Reyna was born in 1902 in Mier, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Severa Reyna was born in 1903 in La Grulla, Texas.
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Interview with Zeb William Rike - Part 01
Zeb William Rike and Robert Everett Norton
Zeb William Rike discusses his early years, his family, his college band, his architectural works in the Valley and the growth of McAllen. Part 1 of 2.
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Interview with Zeb William Rike - Part 02
Zeb William Rike and Robert Everett Norton
Zeb William Rike discusses his early years, his family, his college band, his architectural works in the Valley and the growth of McAllen. Part 2 of 2.
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Interview with Crescencio Rios Hernandez
Crescencio Rios Hernandez and Corina Castillo
Crescencio Rios Hernandez was born in 1912 in Burgos, Tamaulipas, Mexico. He relates his life experiences.
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Interview with Josephine Rios - Part 01
Josephine Rios and Roel Garza
Josephine Rios was born in 1904 in Mendez, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Part 1 of 2.
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Interview with Josephine Rios - Part 02
Josephine Rios and Roel Garza
Josephine Rios was born in 1904 in Mendez, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Part 2 of 2.
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Interview with Luis Rivera
Luis Rivera and Robert Everett Norton
Luis Rivera tells about work in the Hidalgo County Irrigation District #2 pump house in Hidalgo, Texas. He also talks about storms, hurricanes, and river changes.
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Interview with Maria Rivera
Maria Rivera and Maria Isabel Huerta
Maria Rivera was born in 1895 in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico.
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Interview with Bill Robertson
Bill Roberston and Logan Dovalina
Bill Robertson (born September 15, 1943), a lifelong resident of Mission and McAllen, provides a first-hand account of the pioneer era and mid-20th-century social fabric of Mission, Texas, with particular emphasis on the exclusive Shary Heights subdivision.
Robertson traces his family’s arrival: his paternal grandfather entered the cotton business in Mission in 1908, while his maternal grandfather relocated from Vernon, Texas, to establish a citrus grove after purchasing land from developer John H. Shary. He vividly recalls the town’s earliest days, including cross-border bandit activity, homes lost to fire, and freezes, and the tight-knit circle of founding families (Shary, Conway, Bentsen, Buescher, Landry, Jeffries, Duncan, Armstrong, Walsh, Volz, Melch, and others) whose children and grandchildren he knew personally.
The interview offers a detailed “mental map” of 1940s–1960s Shary Heights when it was still almost entirely brush and ebony thickets, with only a handful of homes along palm-lined cul-de-sacs and irrigation canals. Robertson recounts building hunting blinds on lots that later became neighbors’ yards, swimming in the Little Melch canal behind his house, and the arrival of the first additional residences (Armstrong, Zweifel, Campbell, Bentsen, etc.), and the dramatic transformation of the neighborhood from isolated citrus grove to upscale subdivision.
Additional topics include downtown Mission’s commercial landscape (Shary Building, post office, banks, hardware and lumber yards, theaters), prominent local figures such as Judge Strickland and postmaster Flint Sorrell, the interconnected citrus and banking families, the impact of devastating freezes, and Robertson’s own experiences with polio as a child, big-game hunting worldwide, art collecting (Porfirio Salinas, Robert Wood, David Shepherd), and extensive travel, including 35 years of owning a second home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Throughout, Robertson expresses nostalgia for Mission’s conservative, close-knit past and appreciation for efforts to document its history.
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Interview with Mrs. Willie Robertson
Mrs. Willie Robertson and Johan-Carl Eric Seagren
Willie Robertson was born in 1902 in Killeen, Texas.
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Interview with William Robinson
William Robinson and Robert Everett Norton
William Robinson was born in 1915 in McAllen Texas.
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Interview with Celia Rocha
Celia Rocha and Maria Isabel Huerta
Celia Rocha was born in 1925 in General Teran, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. She talks about: growing up without a mother, not being able to go to school, entertainment, hurricane, flooding, working as a maid servant in Reynosa, Tamaulipas and being treated like family, working in the cotton fields in Valle Hermoso, Tamaulipas, her father running away during the Mexican Revolution because he did not want to commit atrocities, finding gold and copper when they would see a flame in the ground, wanting to learn English though continuing education, and overall growing up with a single father.
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Interview with Julio Rocha
Julio Rocha and Oscar G. Rodriguez
Julio Rocha was born in 1910 in Partision, Texas.
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Interview with Luis Rocha
Luis Rocha and Maria Isabel Huerta
Luis Roche was born in 1927 in Oakville, Texas.
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Interview with Mary Vastine Rodgers - Part 01
Mary Vastine Rodgers and Juan F. Gonzalez
Mary Vastine Rodgers was born in 1895 in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Part 1 of 2.
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Interview with Mary Vastine Rodgers - Part 02
Mary Vastine Rodgers and Juan F. Gonzalez
Mary Vastine Rodgers was born in 1895 in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Part 2 of 2.
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Interview with Clemencia Rodriguez
Clemencia Rodriguez and Ana Maria Herrera
Clemencia Rodriguez was born in 1908 in Agualeguas, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
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Interview with Didio Cecilio Rodriguez
Didio Cecilio Rodriguez and Linda Pena
Didio Cecilio Rodriguez was born in 1917 in Rio Grande City, Texas.
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Interview with Dominga Rodriguez - Part 01
Dominga Rodriguez and Maria Del Rosario Ybarra
Part 1 of 2.
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Interview with Dominga Rodriguez - Part 02
Dominga Rodriguez and Maria Del Rosario Ybarra
Part 2 of 2.
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Interview with Elvira Rodriguez
Elvira Rodriguez and Sandra Cardenas
Elvira Rodriguez as born in 1923 in Raymondville, Texas.
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Interview with Oralia Rodriguez
Oralia Rodriguez and Sean Visintainer
Oralia Rodriguez discusses her time on the 1940s softball team's history, the Green Hornets, as well as about her life in the Rio Grande Valley.
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Interview with Pablo Rodriguez
Pablo Rodriguez and Oscar G. Rodriguez
Pablo Rodriguez was born in 1913 in General Teran, Mexico.
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Interview with Juanita Rosales Cantu
Juanita Rosales Cantu and Robert A. Hinojosa
Juanita Rosales Cantu born on April 21, 1950, talks about her life, including: her childhood, working as a migrant worker, her battle with breast cancer, medicine in the United States, her time as a mother, language exams to enter Pan American College, University of Texas Pan American, pesticide related illnesses, and her time working with U.S. Customs Service. She also tells of family stories, including: bootlegging, violence against Hispanics, and U.S. Customs Service.
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Interview with La Roy Chester Rossow
La Roy Chester Rossow and Patricia Laura Pena
La Roy Chester Rossow was born in 1904.
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Interview with James N. Rowe
James N. Rowe and Robert Everett Norton
James N. Rowe was born in 1938.
