Beltrán, Stella; Beltrán, Steven; Beltrán, Mary (grandmother/son/granddaughter). East L.A. Public Library, 2010-02-13T11:30:00

File — Interview-ID: MBY006187

Interview Description

Stella Beltrán, 85, tells her son Steven Beltrán, 61, and her granddaughter Mary Beltrán, 21, about her memories growing up - which include moments lived during the Great Depression, World War II, and the Los Angeles of the 1960s and 1970s - as well as her commitment to good citizenship.

Facilitator Subject Log

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1:10 Stella talks about move to El Paso, discusses lessons learned from father through anecdote (father made her return a watermelon she had taken from the fields).

5:20 Stella shares some of her memories from the Depression. Family took donations from churches, couldn't tell father.

9:50 Stella discusses her civic values and commitment to serve other people.

10:30 Stella's first job: working at a hospital during World War II.

16:00 Stella recounts the time she found out she was not a U.S. citizen (she had assumed she had gained citizenship when she was little).

19:15 Stella talks about being anglocized in school - students with Spanish first names received new names.

24:15 Stella remembers hearing Franklin Delano Roosevelt declare war on Japan.

32:30 Stella talks about her short-lived singing career with her brother's band.

35:00 Stella remembers her late husband and talks about their engagement.

37:20 Stella discusses the value of obtaining U.S. citizenship for her, shares anecdote of catching a ball at a baseball game.