Fred Bourland

John Gray
description: Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: John G. Gray was raised in Monette, Arkansas; his father owned a grocery store in town and eventually started farming as well; John later married in 1954 and left home; two years later, his father passed away, and he came back home to help take over the farm; in 1957, he hired braceros to help pick cotton; he also served as a secretary for the local association and helped coordinate which braceros went where. Summary of Interview: Mr. Gray briefly talks about his father who passed away in 1956 and how he went back home afterward to help take over the farm; although his father had mechanical pickers, it was too wet to use them in 1957, and John had to employ the help of braceros; he explains that at the time, farmers were financed through cotton gins, which is how they were able to hire braceros; they were transported to the gins in trailer trucks with open backs, where they all stood to accommodate greater numbers; John spoke a little bit of Spanish and served as a secretary for the local association to help coordinate which braceros went where; he kept groups of braceros together as often as he could; the farmers were responsible for providing housing, bedding, stoves, pots, pans and two burners for every three men; in addition, each bracero was given $5.00 and taken to the store to buy groceries; he also explains that the town of Caraway, Arkansas had a population of one thousand people, and the five thousand men that the bracero program brought provided a huge boost in the economy; most braceros were particularly drawn to buying pocket knives; John relates a humorous incident in which his men tried to cook soybeans to eat, but they became very ill due to the excessive oil; he even tried to take them into town for a drink once, but he lost too many of them in the whore house and decided not to do that again; even so, he remembers thinking of himself as pretty tough, but the braceros even outworked him; until then he had never …
creator: Mike Bowman
date: 2008-09-24
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: English

James Collins
creator: Mireya Loza
date: 2008-09-22
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: English

Wayne Nichols
subject: Memories of braceros working on farm
creator: Loza, Mireya
date: 2008-09-22
rights: The Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: Eng

Bruce Murphey
subject: farmer
creator: Loza, Mireya
date: 2008-09-25
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: ENG

Trinidad Guzmán García
creator: Mireya Loza y Julie Weisner
date: 2008-09-23
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: SP

Calvin King
creator: Julie Weise and Nicole Smith-Neal
date: 2008-09-24
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Sam McNeill
subject: Farmer
creator: Mike Bowman
date: 2008-09-25
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Locke Harrison
creator: Nicole Smith
date: 2008-09-24
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Frances & Max Smallwood
creator: Melany Bowman
date: 2008-09-25
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

John Collier
creator: Mireya Loza
date: 2008-09-25
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Bernard Lipsey
description: Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Bernard Lipsey was born in October of 1945; he was born in a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, but he was raised in Lepanto, Arkansas; his parents opened a grocery store in 1948; during the fifties, eighty percent of their business came from braceros; all the stores in town began expanding so much that by the time the bracero program ended, they had already lost too much money; his parents’ store eventually closed in 1963. Summary of Interview: Mr. Lipsey talks about his parents and what the small town of Lepanto, Arkansas was like while he was growing up; he came from an agricultural community that was predominately white and adhered to segregation practices; in 1948, his parents opened a grocery store; they had an agreement with people bringing braceros into town and would open the store at whatever time the men were transferred; each bracero received $5.00 to buy groceries; sometimes, they would get into small groups of five to make their money stretch further; Bernard’s parents even gave the men sandwiches and a drink to ensure they would keep returning; their supplies were delivered to the camp sites; oftentimes, they went into town on Saturdays, after getting paid; even so, interactions were kept separate, and they only socialized among themselves; in addition, they were only there for three months, and as a result no one knew them; Bernard speculates that some of the men surely disappeared for speaking to the wrong person or saying the wrong thing, and no one ever noticed; even so, during the fifties, eighty percent of their business came from braceros; they inevitably changed the entire economy of the town; store owners became more market conscious and adapted their products to their consumers; they began selling boots, jeans, radios and luggage; Bernard even mentions that part of the family store was converted into a small department store, and they even sold jewelry; all the stores in town began expanding so much that as…
creator: Julie Weise
date: 2008-09-22
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Max Render
creator: Brady Banta
date: 2008-09-22
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Jim Stotts
creator: Melany Bowman
date: 2008-09-25
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Barbara Lancaster
creator: Melany Bowman
date: 2008-09-26
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Bob Huckaby
creator: Simon Hasken
date: 2008-09-24
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Marion Haynes
creator: Brady Banta
date: 2008-09-24
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Wonda Lou Wonicar
creator: Sam Haskin
date: 2008-09-25
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Armando F. Salinas
creator: Simon Hosken
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Joe Garcia
creator: Mireya Loza
date: 2008-09-23
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: SP

Pat Cobb
creator: Melany Bowman
date: 2008-09-26
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Bill Stone
creator: Brady Banta
date: 2008-09-26
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Max Smallwood
creator: Melany Bowman
date: 2008-09-25
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: EN

Fernando Gonzalez
creator: Brenda Garcia & Eduardo Reyes Jr.
date: 2008-05-09
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: SP

Guadalupe Durán
creator: Danielle Healey
date: 2008-11-18
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: SP