Fernando Rodríguez

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Fernando Rodriguez was born in El Paso, Texas, on January 22, 1937; upon graduating from high school in 1954, he went into the United States Navy; when he left the Navy in 1959, he began working as a clerk and typist for Rio Vista, a processing center for braceros in Socorro, Texas.

Summary of Interview: Mr. Rodriguez recalls that as a teenager, he worked at a grocery store near a ranch that employed braceros; because the braceros were not allowed to leave the ranch, he would often go and collect a list of groceries from them in order to bring them what they needed; later, in 1954, when he graduated from high school, he went into the Navy; when his tour of duty was over in 1959, he began working as a clerk and typist for Rio Vista, a processing center for the bracero program in Socorro, Texas; his work there was temporary and coincided with the cotton seasons in 1959 and 1960; he describes the facilities and the various procedures that braceros went through while at the center and what his various responsibilities entailed; in addition, he mentions several interesting anecdotes about his different experiences with braceros.

Carrillo, Fernanda

Rodríguez, Fernando

2003-03-05

Carrillo, Fernanda, "Fernando Rodríguez." Bracero History Archive, Item #51 (accessed January 07 2009, 2:39 pm)