Eulogio Inocencio Jr.

Eulogio Inocencio Jr. before his wedding in Key West, Florida (1979)

Lytle, Texas

March 11, 2009

Alyssa Ann Inocencio

Palo Alto College

History 1302 - Spring 2009

 

INTRODUCTION
TRANSCRIPTION
ANALYSIS
TIMELINE
BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

INTRODUCTION

Eulogio Inocencio Jr was born on October 30, 1950. He was born in
Lytle, Texas to Eulogio Inocencio Sr. and Natividad Flores Inocencio. He still currently resides in Lytle but has lived in Keywest, Florida, and Amber, Germany. He has 16 siblings, in which 12 are still alive. Eulogio graduated from Lytle High School in May 1970. Eulogio married Henrietta Bentley on October 31, 1978. Thirty years later, on January 16, 2008, Eulogio and Henrietta divorced. In order to earn his income, Eulogio works at the San Antonio Water System as a mechanic. Eulogio would consider himself as middle class. He has a total of 4 daughters and 1 son (28,26,24,19,13). He is Catholic and tries to attend mass as much as possible. He is Democratic and can proudly say he voted for Obama. He retired from the military in May 1991. In his spare time, Eulogio likes to work on vehicles, watch football, and work outside. He is my wonderful father.

 

 

TRANSCRIPTION

Were you born in a hospital, if not where were you born?
No, I wasn't born in a hospital; I was born at my parent's house, a 21 acre, about five miles out of Lytle.

Why were you born in the house?
My parents had a lady that delivered a natural birth and they weren't financially capable of having someone born in a hospital.

What was it like growing up with such a large family?
It was totally different, everybody picked on you [Laughs], and ugh, you got, you always, well I was the youngest in the family so I had fifty-fifty attention

November 1969 Homecoming Court - Football Beau

What did you do in order to help out with the farm?
We always did chores as far as feeding the hogs, cattle, planting some crops, helping in the house cleaning, and planted grass for the lawn

How did you get to and from school every day?
Sometimes our dad would take us to school, but most of the time we walked three miles to school and three miles back to the house

Even if it was raining or really cold?
When it came to the rain, one of our brother in laws would pick us up and bring us home

How many students were in your graduating class?
When I graduated from high school there was about thirty two or thirty five in the class

Describe your education. Did you have to drop out and work for your family?
No, I got to graduate from high school. Once I graduated from high school I took a technical college air-conditioning and refrigerating school in San Antonio

When did you get your first vehicle?
My first vehicle was when we were a Junior in high school, my dad bought the car for us

What kind of vehicle was it?
It was a Chevy 1958 Bel Air

Where did you buy your clothes, shoes, and groceries, and all the necessities, since Lytle was such a small town?
Our groceries were bought in a Mexican store named La Saldana, that's where my parents, it was off of old high way 81. As far as clothes when were kids my mom bough them all. As teenagers we bought them, in Sears.

First Tour in Germany (1974) Hanging out in the barracks

You got drafted after high school when you were eighteen, when you came back to Lytle what was the biggest change you had seen in Lytle, if any?
[pause] Ummm, just, ummm....There was a western store named George Harris, it moved from one side of the railroad tracks closer to IH 35 South, which is a big western store; George Harris. Some developments off that same area, subdivisions, and, and...the Pyrant's Store used to be on the main street and that changed to the Super S, and that was basically it

Considering you traveled to so many places being in the military, why did you choose to live in Lytle?
Ughh, just growing into Lytle. Being in a small town, I got used to small places, so I loved the small towns and my thinking for better for my kids to go to school than bigger schools or bigger cities

Would you say there was any racism or discrimination growing up?
Maybe I was a person that was naive but I was never into the racial, didn't notice anything, even in my twenty years in the military as for me, I mean in the military of course you've seen it but I was never the person to be involved in racial

Pie eating contest in Germany- 1974

What was your first job and how much did you earn?
My first job before I got drafted was working in a refinery five miles from Lytle, the town named La Coste, I was working in the oil refinery making almost $8.50 or $9 dollars an hour which was not bad in those years which in the mid 1970s

Do you remember the name of the refinery?
No.

Where did you meet your wife?
I met my wife at Key West Florida through her sister

How did you know her sister?
I knew her sister from a military friend of mine and found out that's how I got to know her; my friend's wife's sister

Eulogio on the right and brother, Julio on the left. May 1966 before Eighth grade graduation at Granberg's house

And ya'll got married in Florida and moved back to Lytle?
No, we got married in Key west, Florida, and then from there I got stationed to El Paso

How did ya'll end up back in Lytle?
I wanted to come back to Lytle to start a new life with the family here in Lytle, like I said before, because it was a better place in my opinion for growing up kids in a small town

What changes have occurred for the better or worst in Lytle, in your opinion?
New developments, which brought HEB, Sonic, Mcdonalds, Bill Millers, which that brought jobs to people here in Lytle, and it is still growing a little bit, but hopefully it doesn't grow like a big city

What do you see as Lytle's future? Do you think it will get bigger?
No, I don't think the town will get bigger but I believe the people from the city will be coming and living out in the country in subdivisions

Do you remember Lytle's population when you were younger compared to now?
Lytle's population during the time I was in high school was 650

And now?
Now it's 2000, 2200 something

Did you cause a lot of trouble, or were you more conservative and innocent?
I was never much of a trouble maker. I enjoyed living on the farm and I always adventured out in the pastures; never was much for going out. My enjoyment was on the farm

Is there anything else you would like to add to this interview?
Just that I'm going on another twenty years as a retirement and I guess life has got me good so far, nothing, no regrets. that's it. that's it...I think. [Laughs]

 

 

My dad and I. Taken in Downtown San Antonio October 2008. 'I love you'

ANALYSIS

My dad has always loved to tell his stories as long as we were willing to listen. When he recalls all the memories, he always shines his big nice smile. Unfortunately, I didn't clear my memory card to my camera before recording; we kept getting interrupted by the FULL MEMORY sign. My dad said he chose to live in Lytle because he wanted his family to be raised in a small environment; I'd like to thank him for that. I love Lytle. I learned that my dad has worked for everything he has earned and has never given up. He is a man that lives life to the fullest, and appreciates everything that has come his way. I think oral history is effective because it gives everyone a chance to tell their story; otherwise, we'd never have any contradictions because all the stories would be the same!

 

 

TIMELINE

 

 

 

 

 

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

 

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