My father was Arturo Marroquin Alvarez of Kingsville, Texas and my mother was Guadalupe Caballero Longoria Alvarez of La Grulla, Texas.

My father was born on  the King Ranch in 1900.  He would talk to us about life on the King Ranch and how his father had been a foreman for the King Ranch. He told us of his father's death when he was fourteen years old and how all his brothers united to support their mother, Josefa M. Alvarez. He used to play the drums for the Mexican Missouri Pacific Railroad band.  He told me the story of how my mother Lupita had started Texas A&I college (at the time) and how because of her hispanic surname was not allowed to live in a dorm. She  was forced to find a home else where.  Tomasita Cavazos, mother of Lauro Cavazos, lived on the King Ranch and offered my mother a place to rent and it was there that their romance started....(We would always take weekend excursions through the King Ranch and dad would always point out this is the house of Tomasita Cavazos, this is where I met your mother; this is the Casa Grande, so and so cooked here and he would take us in to talk to the cooks; there is a tree close to the stables that my dad would always point out to us--this is the tree where I broke my arm when I was a child) I guess the thing that amazes me the most is that through all the adversities they had to face, the spirit of Panchita Alvarez was always there to keep them moving forward, i.e., don't allow any negative forces to influence you from getting ahead or speaking up.  My father was a lover of life and my mother was a studious, hard-working, by the book,  no nonsense kind of person;  their personalities were as different as night and day - that,  even in that way, they were able to raise five successful children.

My brothers, Arturo M. Alvarez, Jr., Humberto H. Alvarez, Arnoldo Alvarez, and Gerardo Alvarez and I, Edna Nora Alvarez have been truly blessed but only because of the drive and constant reminding of our parents that education was very important.  There wasn't anywhere in Kingsville that you would go that there wasn't an Alvarez reminding you to work hard, go to college.  I guess the greatest example for us was our mother who with a husband who loved life so much and she with five children to raise found a way to continue her education.  After getting married and bearing two boys, my mother had to put her education on hold and it wasn't until my baby brother, Jerry was born, (FIVE kids later); she returned to college; she continued to go to Saturday classes and summer school AND teach with an emergency certificate in Robstown, TX. At 45 years of age she received her B.S. degree from Texas A&I.  What an unbelievable accomplishment for a woman who didn't even know how to drive a car!...we took turns driving her to college or places to visit. My parents instilled in us the importance of visiting our relatives and respecting our relatives; consequently our weekends were spent visiting, with Tio Ernesto Alvarez, Tia Rebecca Ramirez, my father's only sister, Tio Lupe Alvarez, Tio Rodolfo, who lived next to us, and Tio Lalo who lived in Corpus Christi.

I guess the greatest evidence of our Angel's love of her fellow man was what my father and Tio Jose Ramirez (Rebecca's father) would do for the hispanic community during Christmas. and that was to share love and help those who were in need...I remember going to Tia Rebecca's house and Becky and I would fill up sacks full of ribbon Christmas candy--- one apple, one orange, pecans and almonds and don't forget the Brazilian nut!  We would gather at the Booster Hall and sing Christmas Carols and Tio Jose or my father would dress up as Santa Claus and present the kids with the sacks....we were so appreciative then!!  We didn't have much growing up materialistically but my father's love and mother who taught us to work hard and not give up gave us the energy to push ourselves to the best!

My father was called "preacher" because he always had a kind way about him and he always related stories of the past and the future.  My father was very loving and a lover of life!  His beginnings were poor monetarily but his heart was rich with love for  his family and neighbors.   As was the way of the brotherhood of the railroad, it was very common to celebrate every payday with friends at Richard Street because it was the entertainment street for latino men to relieve their stress of hard work.

Yes, my father was called a Preacher man, and I guess it is only fitting that a preacher man and the spirit of the angel of Goliad still continue to speak to us and encourage us to continue the repeating  the Alvarez- Angel  story, because history shows us that from that moment of valor and courage; that moment when the angel spoke for the freedom of those men, the legend was cast that all those who followed her were to continue doing so in her honor and all those who came after her....I am proud and honored to be a descendant of Panchita Alvarez, the Angel of Goliad.