Jose Antonio Medel Sr.
The man who had a rough life
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This oral history was done in Spanish and translated into English by my father Jose Antonio Medel Jr. Thanks Dad.
Jose Antonio Medel Sr. was born on January 21, 1931 in Guanajuato, Mexico to Salvador and Maria Vargas Medel. Jose has two sisters, Alicia and Terriesa Medel. For all of his childhood until his twenties, Jose has lived in the county of Mexico whether it was Guanajuato or in the border town of Nuevo Laredo where he met his first wife Josefina Medel. They conceived five children. The first two were Norma Delia and Jose Antonio Medel Jr. who were conceived in Mexico but a year after Jose Jr. birth they immigrated to the United States. In the U.S. they conceived Gabriel (Henry) Enrique, Juan Carlos, Jorge Rafael, and Rolando Medel. After his first wife passed away Jose remarried to a woman named Simona Rosa Medel who are still married. Jose's highest level of academic achievement is grade school due to his father passing when he was only nine. He maintains a working middle class status despite not having a formal education. For almost his whole life Jose has worked with leather goods. Jose's religious affiliation is Roman Catholic. His favorite hobbies are listening to and composing music. He is my grandfather from my dad's side.
What is your strongest memory of your childhood? Explain.
I would watch Zorro movies at the theater with my friends, then I dress up like Zorro with a mask that I made and a hat that I found on the ground. Then would go climb trees while dressed as Zorro.
What was it like growing up in Mexico as a child?
It was calm and I used to study a lot in mathematics since there was no T.V. I listened to the radio or go to the movies.
How far did you make it in school? Explain.
I only made it to the third grade because my dad died of Typhoid Fever. Afterwards my mother had to take me out of school to work to support the family. My buddies around my neighborhood told me that they were hiring at the central market in the city of Leon, Guanajuato Mexico. When I got hired there I used unload the crates from the fruit trucks and wash the fruit before it was sold in the stalls.
Who was your greatest influence when you were growing up? Why?
It was Enrique Boset. I met him when was I bout six-teen working in a no name leather shop. I was his apprentice; he was the one who showed me about working leather and I saw him as a second father
Describe a typical day in Mexico?
Me and my friends used to buy fireworks from the big stalls outside the city limits and we would take them back to our neighborhood and sell them to the kids in the neighborhood for more than what we paid for them. I would never pop them myself because I wouldn't make money off them.
What hobbies did you have growing up in Mexico? For example a band, or drawing.
I used to play soccer and baseball with all my friends.
Is there a particular moment from play soccer or baseball that stands out?
This one time we were all playing soccer and I was able to take the ball away from this one kid and score a goal off of it. The kid that I had swiped the ball from got mad, threw a fit as he left home.
What are your views on discrimination?
That word shouldn't even exist because were humans beings all created by Jesus Christ.
Did you experience discrimination of any sort when you were in Mexico?
I wasn't even aware of that in Mexico. Everyone around me was poor.
What was your economic status in Mexico?
Very bad, I was poor that why I left Mexico.
What economic opportunities were there in Mexico with someone with little education? Explain
There were few opportunities, you could be a mirror maker or shoe maker.
What about joining the Mexican Military?
In Mexico it's required by law to serve in the military for one year. I served from 1956 to 1957 at Colonia Hidalgo as a rifleman. I was a very good shot with a rifle. One particular time on February 22 in Laredo Texas, the U.S. government invited our platoon to march in the Washington Day (now Presidents Day) Parade.
Why did you want to leave Mexico?
I left for a better life for myself and for my family.
Talk about how you got sponsored to come to the United States?
This Jewish man, Moses Rossini, who owned a show manufacturing company called Bimbi need some leather workers so he recruited me and a few of the other workers to go work for him. Moses came from the U.S and literally picked up me and the other workers and drove me to the U.S to work for him. He was the one who helped me immigrate to the U.S. When I immigrated to the United States, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (now called U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) kept my military ID for what they called "security reasons."
Talk about a typical day in the United States?
This other leather shop, which didn't have a name but was owned Daniel Trujillo, where I worked in Brownwood, Texas, had a small house in the back and I lived there with some other workers and their families. I was the best cook in that house. In the morning I would wake up and cook for the guys and sometimes for the owners too because there in Brownwood most of the people there are German or of German descent and they would be surprised because they never tasted Mexican food. After that I would go to work in the factory designing the patterns for the boots. Once work was done me and some of the guys would buy beer and hang out at home or go to the movies because some of the workers did not have papers yet.
When you were here in the U.S. for the first time, were you here with your family?
No I was here to make money so I could pay to bring my family to the U.S. When I finally had the money I had a house ready for them where the hemisphere park was. Before Hemisphere Park was there, there were houses there and North Street ran through it. I received a letter my mother-in-law that my second child was a boy but I thought she was bullshitting me. In the letter it had said that the child was without name and for me to pick a name for my son. Of course I gave my name to my son. It was the tradition back then to name the first son after the father. When I got back to Mexico I still did not believe my in laws that I had a son and when I got to the house I went straight to the crib and yanked the diaper off my son to make sure he was a boy.
In the United States was it easier to find a job that in Mexico?
It was much easier to find work that in Mexico!
What was and is your economic status in the U.S?
I was making about triple the amount that I was in the U.S. than when I lived in Mexico. Of course i was working three jobs at one point.
Did you experience discrimination of any sort while living in the U.S?
Yes actually. 1981 I was in Hospitalized for a lump in my throat, I was on the bed and the people who bring in the food had one time said and I quote "Let him die, he's a wet back anyways."
Is there anything else you would like to add or any final comments?
I want to leave an example to my sons and my daughter that I have been a good father in the eyes of God.
From this oral history, one gains a particular aspect through the eyes of one individual. When combined with oral histories of the same topic, a picture of history can be seen. Throughout this oral history project I gained a major insight on the life of my grandfather. The particular points that I had gained much insight were ones that revolved around my grandfather's childhood. Of course that was not all that I had learned about my grandfather. Practically the whole interview with my grandfather I was gaining insight into his life from his own words. Many stories and factual info that my dad had told me were not completely correct, so to hear it from my grandfather meant a lot to my dad and me. From what my grandfather told me, my view on my oral history topic was pretty much what I had thought it would be. When the questions were asked, my grandfather had to take some time to delve back into his memories; for the most part he was calm about it but one of the questions I could tell it got his blood boiling. In order to verify what my grandfather was saying, I had my dad next to me, not only translating for me but also to confirm if what my grandfather said was true. Pretty much this is a good way to learn about history on a particular topic, as I stated above when you combine many oral histories on the same topic together one begins to get a picture about that topic.