Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Natalie GarzaProject: University of HoustonDario Arellano was born in Pasadena, TX and raised in Houston. He is a veteran of the Korean War, a former constable for precinct six, and served as an assistant clerk to Justice of the Peace Armando Rodriguez. In addition to his professional career, Mr. Arellano speaks about his political organizing. In particular he talks about his involvement in the campaigns of several Mexican American politicians. He...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Leigh Cutler & Natalie GarzaProject: University of HoustonDr. Dorothy Caram is an educator and community activist in the Mexican American community of Houston. In this interview she talks about her personal history, how her family arrived in Houston, her educational history, and her professional and community endeavors. Dr. Caram covers a wide range of topics including cultural activities and community services in the Mexican American...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Natalie GarzaProject: University of HoustonJohnny Mata is a Mexican American activist who has been involved with LULAC and the GI Forum for a number of years. He talks about prominent issues that LULAC has been involved in, such as redistricting, Mexican American representation on grand juries, and permitting communication in Spanish in family court. He also discusses his work with the Harris County Community Action Association under the Lyndon B....

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Ernesto ValdesProject: University of HoustonPorfirio Navarro was born in Houston, Texas on September 15th, 1920. He describes how his mother, born in the Valley but raised in San Antonio, met his father, a former captain in the Mexican Cavalry, and moved around the state due to a job on the railroad. He proceeds to recount growing up in various parts of Houston, giving descriptions of the city before it became the sprawling metropolis it is today....

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Natalie GarzaProject: University of HoustonJuan Parras was born in Big Spring, TX, where he grew up until he left for high school to St. Anthony’s Seminary in San Antonio, TX with support from his local parish. After high school he spent a year studying at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, received his associates from Harvard County Junior College, and studied at the University of Houston. The focus of this interview is on Parras’ professional...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Natalie GarzaProject: University of HoustonFrank Partida was born and raised in Magnolia Park in Houston and is a staple in the Mexican American community. His story is important for the knowledge he has of Magnolia Park history and his activism in various community and political organizations serving the Mexican Americans in Houston. He begins the interview by talking about the preparation for the Magnolia Park centennial anniversary. He then...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Natalie GarzaProject: University of HoustonMary Louise Ramos (neé Palacios) was born in Houston, TX in 1950. She recounts her early days in Houston’s 5th Ward, including attending Marshall Middle School, which at the time was notorious for its high gang presence. She proceeds to describe how she got into real estate and eventually how she got involved with LULAC.Ramos feels that everyone has a right to be treated equally and expresses her...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Natalie GarzaProject: University of HoustonRichard Reyes was born in 1951 in Oakton, Texas. In this interview, he describes how he came to be involved with his community theatre which eventually led to the creation of his most famous character, Pancho Claus. He discusses his passion for working with inner city kids and how that passion eventually cost him his job at Talento Bilingüe. Despite this setback, Reyes continues to be extremely active in the...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Ernesto ValdesProject: University of HoustonChristine Reyna grew up in the Magnolia Park neighborhood of Houston. She is the second generation owner of Reyna’s Florist and Gift Shop and begins the interview talking about the importance of flower arrangements in some Mexican and Mexican American culture practices. The majority of the interview is a reflection of life in 1950s and 1960s Houston. Reyna discusses swimming in the summer, going to sock hops,...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Natalie GarzaProject: University of HoustonJudge Armando Rodriguez was born and raised in Houston. He became the first Mexican American Justice of the Peace elected in Houston in 1973. In this interview he talks about the Mexican American community, cultural traits, and values. A large portion of the interview is spent discussing Mexican American politics in Houston, with Judge Rodriguez naming important people that were involved, organizations...

Scope and Contents Interviewer(s): Natalie GarzaProject: University of HoustonJuan Torres was born and raised in Magnolia Park. During the interview he talks about what life was like growing up in Magnolia Park in the 1950s and 60s, hanging out in the neighborhood, going to the Pan American or American Legion for dances, and working at different local businesses. Torres’ dad owned a couple of businesses himself, including La Poblana Tortilleria, and a night club called La Terraza. ...

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Mary Mezzino is the granddaughter of an Italian Protestant missionary who was invites to come to the United States, specifically Galveston, to prove Protestant services for Italian Protestants. This interview lends insight to early life among different denominations in Galveston and its environs.

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Tom Tellez is an internationally renowned track coach who athletes have won a considerable amount of medals in national and international competition including the Olympic Games. The interview traces his life youth in southern California through his retirement from the University of Houston as track coach.

Scope and Contents From the Collection: When UH’s Center for Public History and the University Libraries collaborated to create the Houston History Archives (UH-HHA), part of their mission included a repository for oral histories that tell stories of the growth and development of the Gulf Coast region from multiple points of view. To that end, the Houston Oral History Project in the Center for Public History trains history graduate students to research and interview Houstonians with recollections of the city’s civil rights,...

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Erin Pennington spent a tour of duty with the United States Coast Guard that included a circumnavigation of the earth. She lends insights to the work of the Coast Guard and the role of women in that branch of service from boot camp to daily life aboard ship and arriving ports of call.