Rosa "Rosie" Williams (nee Ramos)
Rosa Maria Ramos-Williams was born in San Antonio , Texas on April 22, 1948. Her parents Julia and Felipe Ramos raised her and her siblings Chico , Janie, Luisa and Laurie. She was raised in San Antonio in what is now referred to as the “South Side.” Rosa attended school and graduated from McCullom High School in 1966; she decided to continue college when she moved to Alaska. She liked it at first but moved with her husband who got stationed at Fort Knox in Kentucky. SHe left school and when she got to kentucky she got a job as a civilian on base and the thought of going back to school was not in her mind anymore.However she mentioned that school wasn't her favorite thing in the world.
She was married to a man in the army whose name was Joe Florez and she gave birth to three children. Their names are Jose, Ramon, and Julia Christina or as everyone just calls her Tina. She left this man and started a relationship with who is now my great uncle, Thomas L. Williams Jr. However no kids were born from this couple, after many years of living together they married in January 1998 in her hometown of San Antonio . Although she has no military status her husband has military affiliation.
Up till this point in her life she has held occupations such as a: childcare provider, a waitress, a library supervisor, personnel, and currently she is a librarian in the Randolph Military Base. Some of Rosa ’s favorite hobbies include: Reading, dancing, traveling, listening to music and around this time of year she loves watching the San Antonio Spurs basketball games on television.
That I remember, it was on Commercial Street. We were real poor, but I remember that we had a lot of beans and tortillas. My dad died before I was born and Chico, your grandpa, quit school to help my momma out. He was always a half-brother but he did that. He started work with Zachary, he was very young I don’t know what he did but he helped my momma. I had an older sister too. So one of each would take a girl to buy her clothes or whatever. Chico would take Laurie, mom would take Louisa and Janie would take me. That’s how it was growing up but we had each other. Cause we used to tomato sauce for out French fries and whatever else. Your grandpa would buy a little bit of groceries and we’d have tortillas. I would eat bologna with tortillas, jelly with tortillas, peanut butter with tortillas, you know because we didn’t have very much bread.You know that welfare stuff, well my mom would go and buy a 5 or 10 pound bag of flour but in those days they’d pack it in like a material bag and that’s how I’d get my everyday dresses but I always had a dress for a for certain occasion. Like I said we were poor but you know everybody was always full of love. And your grandpa he married very young, he married when I was about seven years old.
What was your first job?
I was a waitress at the courthouse on De la Rosa. I don’t remember which courthouse but it was a summer job, I loved it , because I met so
many good-looking guys because there was a barbershop, a school barbershop nearby.
What did you do in the summer when you were younger?
We used to play in the ditches, go pick berries and didn’t know if they were poisonous or not but we’d pick berries.
The first time I went out of San Antonio, I was a teenager and I went to Corpus.
Who was your first husband?
Joe Flores
What was he like?
A macho Mexican, he used to…he was very mean to me; he hit me mentally and physically. We had a very unhealthy marriage but you know he gave me
three wonderful children and we stayed together for 21 years for the kids. Sometimes I had to grovel for food because beer came before food. But I was
glad I left him. It was the best thing I did. But the boys don’t really talk to him, only Tina…once in while.
What High School did you go to?
McCollum High School, we were the second class to graduate
How many graduates were there?
There were probably about 200
Did you go to college?
yes
Where did you attend college?
In Alaska
Why didn’t you stay?
Because we moved from Alaska. I was going to college in Alaska and then we came back to Fort Knox and I didn’t think of returning.
I got a job at the youth center at Fort Knox. I’ve never was too…how you say it…Gung-ho about school. But I think in those days it’s not
so much a must as it is now.
What was most memorable experience?
My kids alone have been an experience. But my most probably memorable was If
I have to say the country I liked the most was Italy…would be it. It’s more beautiful than here.
What did you do there?
The first time we went there we almost got lost, we went on this very, very narrow road that when you look down and all you can
see was a overlook of the cliff. It looked like a cliff. But anyways then we went a second time with friends and we got to go there.
We had our first Italian pizza. The bread, the sauce is different, let me tell you. The n when we cam back on the train, and we were
going on a bus, and when it closes it closes exactly at that time, they’ll leave with or without you. So we had to walk an hour back
to our…hotel. And there they used to make porcelain flowers that were so beautiful, the used to cost about a dollar, and here you pay
so much for them. Bu they were beautiful material. Before we came back that weekend, we stopped in Switzerland just to say we had been
to Switzerland and uh…we ate snails. But it was wonderful.
How were the snails?
They were okay, crunchy.
What historic events have you experienced?
You know what I don’t… but when I heard about 9/11, Joey called me and said ‘Mom the planes just crashed into the Twin Towers’
and I was like Well shit I don’t know what the Twin Towers are. So I don’t know much about what‘s going on. I don’t worry much about
everything. I don’t talk to the neighbors; well I talk to her but in Germany we used to live on top of each other. We were talking about
that. We used to live by the communist borer I Germany, 20 minutes from West Germany. You could hear everything; nothing could scare you,
living on top of each other, lots of talk. But I’d rather be living in East Germany than here. But no…I didn’t pay much attention to what’s
going on
How did you meet Will?
I was in Kentucky, on base at Fort knox, I had a job at the youth center in 1988 and we were friends
before we were intimate. Will was a former volunteer parent and we started talking after that.
How long was he in the army?
He was in the army for 24 years and then He was station in Germany and he asked me to go to Germany so I went and
worked as personnel with the government. He retired there and we stayed there for three more years.
Where else have you lived or traveled to?
I lived in Germany for about 14 years of my life; Alaska and then we were in Germany, we also went to Spain, Italy,
Switzerland, France and France was like from here to New Braunfels. We would go there like nothing just to go but I’ve been
to a lot of states too.
Was your husband stationed there or you went for traveling purposes?
Traveling, we were always stationed in Alaska, Fort Hood or Fort Knox. But Germany most of our lives.
Was this with Joe or Will?
Both…most of it was with Joe but the later part when I went to Germany the third time it was with Will
What does the word family mean to you?
Family means to talk…to take up with each other, to help each other. Love, that’s basically what it is.
What are some other things you remember?
well, I don’t remember until I was
probably married that I ever remember ever tasting pizza.…and then when I went with my husband into the army, I remember tasting oriental food and I
thought that was the ugliest thing in the world but now I love it. But I remember the first time I tasted ketchup, I thought Ugh!I remember the first
time I went to California with Joey, I was so afraid cause I heard things about the earth being flat that I just got so scared.
Were you afraid of the earthquakes?
No, I was just afraid of the whole earth being flat because that’s what I heard and was told.
How did you get this picture with Malik Rose?
" It was my birthday and me and Will had gone to see my first Spurs game. The tickets were about $300 a seat so they were pretty god seats.
After the game Joey asked to meet us at Pappadeaux to get something to eat. So when we got there I saw malik staind in front of the restauraunt talking
on the phone and I looked at Will, Pointed at Malik and said 'It's him.' He heard me saying this and saw me pointing and I siad I just came form the game
and he said,'I know' and I asked if I could take a picture with him and he said 'Yes' I was so happy to see him cause I am a huge fan of the Spurs.
But about one monthe later he got traded to New York."
Is there anything else you would like to add to this interview?
But like I said before,
staying here is hard, but if I got offered a job in Kuwait, I'd leave in a aheartbeat...for the moment, for the adventure. I might be old but I'm healthy,
I'm walking, and I want to do things. But I stay here cause Will is very settled. If i could though, I'd leave in a heartbeat.
Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection. Geographical and historical maps of continents, countries, counties, cities; maps relating to history and current news events. University of Texas Libraries.
Cost-of-Living Calculator. The calculator uses the Consumer Price Index to do the conversions between 1913 and the present. The source for the data is the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Consumer Price Index reflects the cost of items relative to a specific year. The American Institute for Economic Research. P.O. Box 1000. Great Barrington, Massachusetts. 01230.
snails Thhis site provides info about snails and if your interested it tells and shows how to prepare them.
GermanyThis site shows a map of Germany separated in to East and west.
Randolph Military Base provides information for individulas interested about what the base has to offer.
San Antonio Spurs This is the official NBA site of the San Antonio Spurs.
Fort Knox military Base in Kentucky
