Little Joe, Big John

By John J. Mendez Ch.

This book is a view of the life of a little boy’s view of his life growing up in a small Barrio in Texas. His stories and recollection of events are extraordinary to read. Your attention will be captivated and amazed how this little boy has grown to be an 80 year old man and stayed motivated. From being given away as a child to finding out his real name, he managed to persevere and become a successful individual. His stick-to-intuitiveness of pushing through life’s tribulations proves no matter what life you are dealt, you can move forward to be successful. Life is what you make it to be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Jul 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781489728326

John J. Mendez Ch.

Lil’ Joe started working at the age of eleven. He was born on Magnolia Street in downtown Three Forks and raised in El Barro. He grew up poor, religious, incorrigible (was going to the be sent to Boys Town, Omaha, Nebraska), He had seven life/death cases, was in a Rock n Roll and Latin Bands, boxed in the Golden Gloves, a serviceman in the United States Navy, College Student, USPS Letter Carrier/ Station Manager. He raised three children and two step children. He remarried Alicia and he retired from USPS and traveled overseas. He is an 80 years and highly motived. He is an ordinary man, married to Alicia, an Extra Ordinary woman.

Book preview

Copyright © 2020 John J. Mendez Ch.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the author except in the case

of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of

The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

LifeRich Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.liferichpublishing.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-4897-2831-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-2832-6 (e)

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 07/21/2020

This Literary Inspiration

is dedicated to my loving mother

Vicenta Martinez Chávez

CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two: The Birth Of The Barrio

Barrio Street Talk

Favorite Sayings

Shalom Aleichem = Peace Be With You

28448.png

CHAPTER ONE

28453.png

A s warm, rays of sunshine cascading through the curtain less windows, marked the bare wooden floor like path of glistening highways. Little Joe was riding his tricycle around the naked rooms. As mounds of coal was stacked in the corner of one these rooms. Little Joe’s parents were share croppers, working in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Little Joe’s mother did not want her son to grow up a migrant share-cropper, so she insisted that her husband, Lee, drive the family back to Three Forks, Texas.

The model A Ford made the successful trip back to Texas. Little Joe and his parents settled in a barrio called - Frogtown. This barrio was adjoining downtown Three Forks. Eventually this barrio became known as Little Mexico Village. This neighborhood was originally settled by the Jewish community.

The streets were not improved, and there were no sidewalks. This barrio was a town, with in a city. This barrio had a movie theatre, a funeral home, a print shop, barber shops, a drug store, Catholic school, grocery stores, a dry cleaners, taverns, gambling speakeasies, churches, tortilla factories, restaurants, a public park called Pike’s Park, bakeries, a doctor’s office (Dr. Saldivar), public schools, gas station, ice delivery, beauty shops, a moving company, housing projects, community center, bakery shops, furniture store, record shop, shoe repair, etc.

Little Joe had a lights out, stubborn streak. He was 6 or 7 years old when a potato incident erupted. Little Joe spilled some potatoes and was told by his parents to pick ’em up. Little Joe refused. Little Joe’s hands were place atop the potatoes, and he would not grab any. Little Joe saw his father hand slam towards him Little Joe was knocked out. This was the first time Little Joe’s father hit him.

Little Joe went to kindergarten, but he didn’t stay there for long. Little Joe was promoted to the 1st grade at the local parochial school. Little Joe’s 1st spoken English words were Good Morning Sister.

Little Joe grew up on country music. Saturdays (especially in the mornings) were spent in front of the radio, listening to country music. There were no local radio stations airing Mexican music. Little Joe was about 8, 9, or ten years old when Mr. Lee would take him to bars, especially along Akard St, by downtown. There would be backrooms, in these bars, that had purple-looking lighting. In these rooms were one-arm bandits and crap games. Evidently the police were paid off for protection against being raided. Mr. Lee would sit Little Joe on top of the bar. Little Joe would sing country songs, and receive several cold drinks (sodas) while Mr. Lee would receive Pearl beers. Little Joe was a dark skin little Mexican boy, singing country music to an Anglo clientele. Some of the songs that he sang were: My Blue Heaven; I’ll Sail My Ship Alone; Honkytonk Angels; Lay Your Head Upon My Pillow, I’m Sending You A Big Bouquet Of Roses, etc. Mr. Lee also went to gamble at Negro houses of boot-leggers. Little Joe remembers this Negro area being south of McKinnie Ave, by the State & Thomas & Hall St. areas.

In 1925, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, was built; it was bordered by Harry Hines Blvd., Moodey St. N. Harwood St., and Wichita St. A two-story frame house became Our Lady of Guadalupe School, for grades of 1st thru 4th. Grades five thru eight were added later.

In 1926 a Papal delegate visited the school and the erection of a larger school came to be.

In 1946 the erection of St. Ann’s Commercial H. S. for girls and the Marillac Center were started. A donation of $15,000 from Mrs. Ann Kilgallen in Chicago, the school was named St. Ann’s, in her honor. The school was ready for use in 1927. And the old school was converted into a home for the Sisters of Charity.

Spanish speaking was not allowed at school. So, English language emersion was the catapult to rapid learning of English. The Sisters of Charity were exemplary teachers.

Little Joe was a good student, scholastically. But as far as behavior was concerned, he was a handful. Little Joe had the responsibility of being the class clown. He often paid the price for such an honor.

Little Joe did demonstrate a trait of being prone to some writing skills. Little Joe was a good marble player, and a very good top player.

There was a little girl that played marble with Little Joe. Little Joe beat her out of all of her marbles. His playmate was in the 4th grade at a public school - Cumberland. Little Joe was in the 5th grade, at a parochial school. This little girl was a tomboy. She would climb trees and play, child games with Little Joe. Little Joe made a proposition to the little girl. He propose to give back all of the little girl’s marbles, if she conceded to sex. She agreed. But Little Joe did not know what to do, so the little girl took the initiative. The little girl was an only child too, like Little Joe. She lived with her parents in a two-room home. One room was the kitchen, the other room was everything else. This little girl slept on the floor while her parents slept on