Pedro Martinez
Pedro Martinez the oldest of 13 children was born on October 19, 1942 in Las Mara villas, Coahuila, Mexico to Juan and Tibourcia Martinez. He was born and basically raised there till he was 26. He was only given the opportunity to reach an education level up to the sixth grade, he would have loved the opportunity to be able to go to high school but for him and his family the expenses were just too much. He never had school vacation because while other kids were out playing he was out either shining shoes or washing cars so he could help his mom support his 13 brothers and sisters. On May 17, 1971 Pedro Martinez married his long time girlfriend the beautiful Guillermina Arteaga Martinez in San Antonio, Texas. In 1968 he got the opportunity to come to San Antonio as a legal alien, having his citizenship made things easier for him, he was hired as a mechanic but just when he thought it was going to change for the better, discrimination stepped in. Pedro not being born here, his bosses kept giving away his promotions for a higher position to other people who had just started. When my grandpa finally got offered a job with City Public Service he took it to help support his family of 5 kids, and it turned out that is where he would stay till he retired in 2005. Pedro Martinez is a wonderful hard- working Christian all around, he tries to attend Sur San Antonio Baptist Church every sunday and thank God for all the blessings he has given him. His favorite pastime which he been doing since he was 4 is baseball and to this day my grandpa still plays in the senior leagues as catcher.His favorite player of all time is Jackie Robinson because he was a hard worker who changed the game of baseball and was a thrill to watch. When hes not doing baseball he's either out in the yard working on it or watching sports on tv. This interview was done in my grandpa's den at his house on a Sunday afternoon after church where we discussed immigration and the hardships of it for about 2 hrs.
How was it like to get your citizenship?
It was a very important step in my life, the feeling of just being able to know that I could vote and it make a difference was just a feeling thast is unexplainable.
How did ya'll eat/get food from?
There was a little store near the house they would give us credit and then every saturday we would pay them back. We ate mainly beans and eggs, and sometimes meat.
Why did your family move here?
For the American Dream..... A better job, a better car a better Life! But before I could get the best things I had to find a better job that would better me and my families life.
How was life like in Mexico?
It was very hard, especially a family of 13 kids 7 boys and 6 girls in a house with one room and a kitchen, we lived in that same place for 25 years, and yes we did pay rent.
Where did everyone sleep?
We had 2 beds, in one bed my sisters slept and then in the other one my parents. All my brothers and me slept on the floor.
Where did you take showers?
We took a bath in a tin outside. Sometimes we would even take showers in the little stream that ran by our house
How was it like working in the United States?
In the beginning there was jobs but they were jobs with no future and little pay. Sometimes holidays with no pay, No health insurance but that if he paid taxes.
How did you get your first job?
Like I said before, I had jobs that didn't give good results (in 9-24-74). I started to work for CPS for 30 years and 8 months I worked for that company let me tell you it was a Blessing!
Did all your brothers and sisters work?
My sisters never worked, my brothers yes, We would wash cars, shine shoes, and clean the windows from houses.
What would you rather be doing besides working?
Well on sundays I would rather be playing baseball. When I could we would play from 10 am till 3 pm. Still to this day I play and Im 65 years old! I think God for thge ability he gave me.
What was your first car?
My first car was a 1955 chevy, a very nice car. The girls always wanted me to give them a ride. OH YEAH!
How did you get here to the United States?
I applied for my citizenship in September 1968 and it was aprroved a few months later. I thank God for that. Since I have had my citizenship I have lived in San Antonio. My wife and I have have progressed so much. I have a wonderful family of 5 kids 3 girls and 2 boys, 7 grandkids 4 girls and 3 boys. Im thankful for all the blessings God has given me and my family.
Is there anything else you would like to add to this interview?
My grandpa is a very hard working man whom I respect and love greatly. If it wasn't for him and his ambitious attitude I would not have had the chance to be here right now. He shows me that even when everything is against you, you can succeed if you just work hard at everything you do and keep your mind on your dreams.
I learned from this project just how difficult it actually is starting a new life in a foreign country where nothing is familiar to you and just having to learn as you go. The most important points made in this project were the facts of hardships and where he came from, living in a one bedroom house with 13 brothers and sisters had to be difficult. I did not know how bad he had it when he was younger but through all that he still pursued his love for baseball.I always imagined immigration to be hard but now that my grandpa has been through it and faced all the difficult tasks im glad I never had to do that, the way he said how things were you can tell they were hard by the way his face changed when the questions were asked or he he would sit there and think trying to bring up the right words. The stories he told me would all match up by the details he explained and how he described the house and the different jobs he took just to help his mother support their family. The benefits are great because you gain a sense of their history making you give the respect they deserve because of the hardship and pain they endured just to give thier family a better life. Its effective because it makes you sit with the person and actually hear their stories not only to be nice but for a reason a reason so that you can make a bibliography anout their life.
City Public Service. History of City Public Service (CPS). Pedro Martinez worked for CPS from 1968 to 2005. Copyright © 2006 CPS Energy. CPS Energy® is a registered trademark of CPS Energy, San Antonio's municipally owned natural gas and electric company.
Las Mara villas, Coahuila, Mexico. Facts about Mexico. Mexico is where my grandpa and his wife oringinated from. Copyright 2007 World Sites Atlas (sitesatlas.com). All rights reserved Jackie Robinson. The acceptance of Jackie Robinson and how he changed the game. Jackie Robinson is still my grandfather's favorite baseball player.Copyright © 2007 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission American Dream. The definition of American Dream can come in many terms to people. My grandfather came in search of the American Dream for his family and in his eyes he has found it! All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity. Christian. The definition of Christian and from where it derived. My father is a Christian man and believes everything can be done through God.This page was last modified 17:48, 7 November 2007. All text is available under the terms of the GNU.Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity Photographs and/or documents on this website were provided by Pedro Martinez . All these photos are memories of his family in which he is very fond of, he keeps everyone of his photos in a fire proof box in his bedroom closet.