My interviewee was current Kirby mayor, Ray Martin. This will be a transcription of the interview that was conducted at Kirby City Hall.

        Raquel: This is Raquel Lopez. It's April 6, 2006 in Kirby, Texas. I am going to interview Mr. Ray Martin. The purpose is to gather and preserve historical documents by means of a tape-recorded interview.
        Can you state your name and occupation?

        Ray: My name is Ray Martin. I am the Mayor of the city of Kirby. I am also the Volunteer Assistant Fire Chief. The job I work that basically puts food on the table, I am a Parts Sales Representative for Wabash National Trailer Centers which is an eighteen wheeler company and I am 48 years old.

        Raquel: Where you raised here in Kirby?

        Ray: No, I've been here for 28 years, and I was raised about 30 miles South of San Antonio in Pleasanton, Texas.

        Raquel: How would you describe Kirby?

        Ray: Kirby is a very unique little community in that we are real close to San Antonio and close to shopping areas and so forth, however we still have the small town atmosphere that I dearly do love. I am not a person to live in a big hustle and bustle city. I do like to have the opportunity to have everything close when I do need something. As far as where I actually live, Kirby is the type of environment I want to live in.

        Raquel: As for other people who live here, what would be their purpose for moving here?

        Ray: I think a lot of the same thing. A lot of what you get from a small town atmosphere that I referred to earlier. People tend to know their neighbors better and also in a small town, you generally have a quicker response from your emergency services such as fires, ems, and police and so forth.

        Raquel: Would you say those types of incidents happen just as often as they do in bigger cities?

        Ray: Probaly just as often. You have to put it in perspective. Do we run as many fire calls as San Antonio? No. I'm just using fire as an example. But, if you take the same ammount of area and population and comparing it to the same area and population in San Antonio, we probably run the same amount of calls as they do.

        Raquel: What kind of examples would you give on Kirby's rich culture?

        Ray: Kirby has a very diverse culture as far as different races and ethnicities out there. Perdominantly Hispanic is the majority, which shocks a lot of people that even live here. But according to the census, it is predominantly Hispanic. We have a very large population of African Americans here and a good population of a mixture of others so its a very diverse community. We ahve quite a few Orientals, when I say that, I mean Vietnamese, Chinese, you know so its a very diverse population out here in Kirby.

        Raquel: Do you have any festivals or such events celebrating that culture?

        Ray: No, we don't at this time. We did have a celebration that was very large last year. It was celebrating the 50th year anniversary that the city of Kirby had been incorporated. We had talked about trying to get an annual or event kicked off at this point we have gotten enough volunteers intrested in taking that and going with it.

        Raquel: How about 30 years ago? It wasn't the same with being predominantly Hispanic. How was it?

        Ray: I don't know exactly what the split was then, but I don't think it's changed a whole lot, in the 28 years that I've been here. Most people seem to think that there are more African Americans out there than anyone else and when I moved here it was at that time. There were still a lot of Hispanics. Some of them are second generation now. There is something about Kirby, a lot of kids, mine included that grew up here. Basiclly graduated from Judson, they both live in Kirby and you couldn't drag them out. They love it here.

        Raquel: Yeah, I used to live here up until I was in tenth grade. I liked it here too! I also enjoyed the small atmosphere, it feels like everyone's watching out for you.

        Ray: You get that sense of belonging. Anywhere you go in Kirby you'll see people you know well enough that they'll stop and speak to you.

        Raquel: Can you elaborate on how wartime was? Were there a lot of men in the community going off to join the forces?

        Ray: I don't think anymore so. One thing to keep in mind is how close we are to both Fort Sam and Randolph AFB. We have a pretty good percentage of people here that are retired military or active military. Overall in the community, there is a very strong respect for our soldiers and troops.

        Raquel: Well, that's true for the entire city of San Antonio.

        Ray: Yes, it is.

        Raquel: I was reading the book,"My Town Kirby," and I read about, The Golden Stallion. I was curious to know if you ever went to one of those gatherings?

        Ray: Yes! Actually when I still lived in Pleasanton in high school, I used to go to the Stallion dances quite often. By the time I moved into Kirby was about the time the place was closing down. Yes, i did spend several evenings there enjoying going with friends.

        Raquel: Was it fun? And would you say it was a hot spot?

        Ray: Yes it was fun and it was absolutely a hot spot at that time, but it was one of the old time dance halls which are basically a thing of the past. Now you have night clubs. In the dance halls, there was always a live band. It was a total different atmosphere than modern day.

        Raquel: Do you think any new place here now has replaced it as far as recreation?

        Ray: Oh it's not replaced, it just shows the progress and outlook that people have in entertainment. Not anywhere in this area are there dance halls but there are still some old time dance halls but not very many.

        Raquel: What was your favorite store when you first came to Kirby or the one you remember most?

        Ray: Well, right here in the corner of Seguin and Ackerman where "La Villa" is now, was still run as a general store so to speak. There were gas pumps out front and when a car pulled up, you had a very narrow strip between the driver and the gas pumps. They had a fresh meat counter. Today, in terms of size, it would be like an overgrown convienent store. In the back of the store, where the kitchen is now, you had a bar. It was more. I don't want to say beer joint, but in a sense it was. However it was a very quiet crowd. Men that would gather in the middle of the afternoon, go in there and drink beer. There was always a domino game going. Then right here in the corner, where Kirby Food Mart is, was a very old building called Brantley's. It was an old town beer joint or pool joint. It was a very old run down building but it was a landmark. A lot of the locals went there. You walked in there and have a cold refreshment. There was always someone in there you knew. There was two or three games of pool going and the building was in such bad shape that the floor went back and forth. You couldn't tell if anyone was drunk or sober because walking across the floor, everybody looked drunk becuase the floor was so uneven. Underneath the pool leg, they had magazines or something to keep the pool table balanced.

        Raquel: Would you describe the whole Volunteer Fire Fighter issue? Is it still or it's not-

        Ray: It's partial pay and partial volunteer. Actually, we started having paid members some old years ago. I've been involved a little over 20 years and our EMS system is fully paid and the Fire Department is partially paid. Still, it is mostly volunteer.

        Raquel: When was the year you joined?

        Ray: I joined in 1984 or 1985. I have to look up the records to be sure.

        Raquel: Do you think it's made some major improvements over the years?

        Ray: Absolutely! Not so much improvement in people, but in equipment and training. A lot of people don't realize how modern the fire department is for being volunteer. People that are really on the ball.

        Raquel: I read that the town was built and centerd around the rail road. Do you think the rail road is still a big economic boost for the town?

        Ray: No, it's not. The railroad yard is actually in San Antonio city limits. At the time that this all happened and Kirby became a settlement, you got to realize Seguin Rd was the main road, FM 78 was not there. That was all pasture. All that time there was only a few houses. This was still a farming settlement. Some of the people that farmed, especially the kids wound up working for the railroad. At that time, Kirby really wasn't a town. It was like being out in the country with a few houses scattered. That community became the Kirby Stop because the Kirby ties came from the Kirby Lumber Mill over around Houston, and they got dropped off here for all this area. It just got referred to the Kirby drop or the Kirby Stop. If you've ever been out to the country and looked at some of the railroads and stuff, there are signs where there is no city and they'll have a name or something on it. That's kind of how Kirby's name came about. This was the Kirby Stop.

        Raquel: The founding fathers were of what descent?

        Ray: There was a rich German descent out here at the time. I don't want to say that was all that was out here, but really don't know that many of the original founders.

        Raquel: What are the city's goals for the future?

        Ray: To continue to upgrade our infrastructure, to make it a good working environment for out city's employees, and to keep the atmosphere that the people out here enjoy and continue to provide city services and upgrade these as well. We have started this year working agressively, as we can to take on street projects. We do have a long term goal to replace the Fire Station.

        Raquel: What kinds of changes are you going to make to have that a reality?

        Ray: We have already started a fund to each year, in the budget, put so much money back towards the Fire Station. We have already budgeted money for street repairs and are looking for ways each year that we could raise that amount.

        Raquel: Okay, well thank you for your time and I hope you could check out the finished project on the internet.

        Kirby's friendliness was best displayed to me on the day of the interview. I met with the city's mayor! I never even met my own city's mayor. Our interview was conducted before a City Council meeting, in a comfortable and professional meeting room in the City Hall. I almost felt like a professional reporter. Certainly I was getting treated like one. This was a great relief becuase although I am a college student, there have been numerous times where I am not taken seriuosly by elders. Not in Kirby. They showed me true respect as a person and a historian.

        The most helpful part of the interview was the experience itself. Being there in Kirby, socializing with the people of the town gave me real life experiences to refer to. Everyone was very helpful in my cause. It was the City Manager, Zina Tedford, who supplied me with Ms. Clara Weller's book. Without their help, my report would be nothing.

        Ray Martin appears to be a well-respected individual in the community. While we were talking he expressed significant humor which is a good reflection of the people of the town. They are joyful and friendly people. I was surprised to be laughing with the city's mayor, but it's good to be able to work and smile at the same time. Mr. Martin verified and elaborated on the facts I only had read about the city. I remembered it more because Ray added commentary to it. Overall, the interview was a pleasant and informative experience.

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