Project of the Skyline College/North San Mateo County Oral History Archives, Skyline College Library
Student project for LSCI 110 – Digital Oral Research Project, Skyline College

 My Abuelito- Adan C. Pérez

Click here to read to read the research essay, “My Abuelo, Adan Pérez, a true Tejano”, by Ana-Maria Pérez

Click on the links below to hear audio segments from an April 2005 interview by Ana-Maria Pérez with Adan C. Pérez , who is my grandpa. Born April 2nd, 1925 in Palito Blanco Ranch, Texas, Adan is a man proud to be where he is, and through hard work and the support of a loving family led a life with much happiness. He lives on a hillside home in South San Francisco, with his wife, mi abuelita, Jacoba Pérez. They had four children together Felix, George, Linda, and Rene. In this website you will get to know story behind the young man in this picture. 

Adan and Jacoba Perez, recently married, 1947

 

Table of Contents:
1. Segment 1-Living in Palito Blanco
2. Segment 2-School Segregation

3. Segment 3-The Great Depression

4. Segment 4-Hard Times

5. Segment 5-Learning to Drive

6. Segment 6-Civilian Conservation Corps

7. Segment 7-Comin’ to San Francisco, California

8. Segment 8-Meeting his future wife

9. Segment 9-Arriving to South San Francisco

 

Segment 1
Living in Palito Blanco Ranch
Adan describes how it use to be living in the ranch in Texas.

Texas cousins at the ranch, this picture was taken early ‘60’s, part of the family.

 

Back to Table of Contents

 

 

Segment 2
School Segregation
Adan speaking about how school was in Texas when he was a child. He worked with his dad most of the time because school was only once a week and half a day.

Picture of the schools in Texas, 1920’s. Top is the “American” and bottom is the “Mexican” schools.

 

 

 

Back to Table of Contents

 

Segment 3
The Great Depression
Adan recalls the hard work they did for so little when the whole nation was suffering economically, early1930’s.

 

Segment 4
Hard times
Adan describes the how the situation was when my great grandfather passed away. 

 

          

(left)Civilian Conservation Corps advertising to recruit young men. (Right) 1938 cc camp group photo, my abuelito is on the bottom row, center.

 

Segment 5
Learning to Drive
Adan tells about the side jobs he did, he was about 13 years old and he had to do hard work to provide support for the family.

 

Segment 6
Civilian Conservation Corps
My Abuelito describing how it was, and how much he earned in the Civilian Conservation Corps part of the New Deal made by President Roosevelt.

 

Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni webpage

Back to Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

   

(Left) Identification badge1942 working in the Marin County Sausalito shipyards. (Right) Iron workers welding a ship, this was the exact thing Adan did working in the ship yards.


 Segment 7
Coming To San Francisco, California
Adan describes how he arrived to San Francisco, and where he began working. 

 

 

Back to Table of Contents

 

 

              

(left) A group of friends riding the San Francisco cable car, my Abuelito and Abuelita are the second couple on left side. (right) Picture of my grandpa about 20 years old in front of the San Francisco apartment he lived in.

 
Segment 8
Meeting his future wife
Adan tells about how he and his friends loved to go dancing to the clubs where he met his future wife Jacoba.

 

 

Back to Table of Contents

 

 

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(left) Adan’s wife and his four children in Texas, left to right, George, Linda, his wife Jacoba, Felix, and Rene.
(right) the picture that came out in the newspaper celebrating their 25th anniversary.

 

Segment 9
Arriving to South San Francisco

Why Adan and his wife decided to move to South San Francisco.

 

 

Back to Table of Contents

 

 

 

Recent picture of my grandparents.

 

            

Adan Pérez in his early twenties (left) and recently (right), receiving an award for his help in St. Vincent DePaul.

 

 

 

Back to Table of Contents

  

 

 

*These audio files may be played with Windows Media Player or Real Player.
To download a free copy of Windows Media Player, click here.
To download a free copy of Real Player, click here.

last revised: 5-11-05
by Eric Brenner, Skyline College, San Bruno, CA
These materials may be used for educational purposes if you inform and credit the author and cite the source as: North San Mateo County Oral History Archives, Skyline College Library. All commercial rights are reserved. To contact the author, or send comments or suggestions, email Eric Brenner at: brenner@smccd.net