We Were Spaniards In Northcentral West Virginia

[Ron Gonzalez]

This is about my grandmother (Aurora Arrojo Vasquez), and my first two weeks of grade school. When I was 6 years old and started school at Ziesing grade school I did not like it at all, so I told my grandmother. She told me "honey, you don't go to school, you come to my house." Now I must explain she lived across the street from the school, is that great or what? So I would go to her house in the morning, at noon she would send me home for lunch, when school let out for the day she would send me home. This worked fine for about two weeks, until my teacher (Madge McDaniel) got inquisitive as to my whereabouts, mom knew where I was: grandmother. All good things must end and that was my experience the first two weeks of school grade 1. Thank you grandmother!

[Terechu]

Ron, that was a typical, indulgent Asturian granny. My own paternal grandmother was very much like that. She shielded her children from the evils of the outside world. I remember hearing my aunts say that if she had been a little tougher on them they would have been Nobel Prize Winners, because they didn't have to go to school when it rained hard (they only had "alpargatas", rope-soled canvas shoes) or when it was too cold, and yet they did very well in school and were a happy bunch. My grandfather was too busy with the construction of the port of Llanes and later the road to Cabrales to know about this and straighten them all out.
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Ron, la tuya era la típica güela asturiana indulgente. Mi güela paterna era muy parecida. Protegía a sus niños de los peligros del mundo exterior. Recuerdo oir a mis tías decir que si hubiera sido un poco más exigente con ellos, habrían sido todos premios Nobel, porque a pesar de no tener que ir a la escuela cuando llovía (sólo tenían alpargatas) ni cuando estaba muy frío, les fue muy bien con los estudios y eran una pandilla feliz.
Mi abuelo estaba demasiado ocupado con la construcción del espigón del puerto de Llanes o la carretera de Cabrales para saber lo que pasaba y ponerles a todos al hilo.

[Art]

Ron, you had good company: Picasso had a relative do the same thing for him!

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Ron, tuviste compañía muy buena: Picasso tenía un familiar quien hizo lo mismo.

[Bob]

Ron,

Your post certainly brings back memories for me. I started kindergarten and was transferred to first grade a few weeks later (I told them I could already count the bunnies and knew the alphabet--in fact I could already read a little). I found first grade boring because we were all supposed to read in unison, so we were all held back to the speed of the slowest reader.

That was probably the foundation of my lifelong habit of complaining loudly whenever I don't like something. To this day, it has had a lifelong effect on me. I teach biology courses (genetics, evolution and bioethics) at Quinnipiac University. I try very hard not to bore anyone. This means that I never recite what is in the textbook, and that I never even work from notes.

I just talked with my father, who was born in Ziezing and started school there. McDaniel was after his time, although he remembers his first teachers and the school principal very clearly. One was known to the kids as "Holy" Haley, another as "Horseface."

Bob Martínez

[Ron Gonzalez]

Hi Bob
What year was it your father went to school at Ziesing?,that was the only teaching job she ever had.She never had a car she would ride with her brother(Carl McDaniel) who work at the plant.In the past few month Madge McDaniel has past away,she was 101 years old.When I went to school at Ziesing Columbus Lincoln Ash was principal.

[pblanco]

I enjoy reading the immigrant stories posted lately. I would love to hear any from the Clarksburg area where my relatives settled for a time till their final move to Illinois.

[Bob]

Hi Ron,

My dad was born in 1917, so he would have started school in 1922 or 1923. He doesn't remember a teacher named McDaniel.

Bob Martinez

[Ron Gonzalez]

Do we know what it was like to come to a country that they knew little to nothing about? Would we have the courage to do the same thing ? In my case my grandfather (Diego Vasquez) came first, got a job, saved his money, then sent for my grandmother and the kids. They came to a land understanding little if anything. They came from a land where they were familiar with everything, understood everyone. I looked up the word courage in the dictionary. Courage implies firmness of mind and will in the face of danger or extreme difficulty. And we all know of the courage of all of our families.

In this season of giving thanks I would like to thank my grandparents for having the courage to come to this wonderful country, and for giving me a wonderful heritage.

[pblanco]

Thanks for your story, Ron. I enjoyed reading of the sacrifices families made to come to the U.S. My great grandparents never once regretted coming here.
My great grandpfather sent his older children over to U.S. looking for jobs. They went to Virginia because they were familiar with the zinc industry.They sent for the rest of the family 3 years later. In 1910 at 42 years of age, My great grandfather left Spain behind and brought his wife and remaining children to Virginia. When the zinc plant opened in Illinois, they relocated to Illinois where he and his sons worked till retirement.
Let's hear more stories.

PBlanco