1951 Flood

Interview with Rita Botello, former director of the Guadalupe Parish Cente, and born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1951. Botello spent most of her childhood near 21st and Jefferson until moving to Westport in 1951. Botello talks about her parent's struggle in buying a home until her uncle was killed in the Korean War, and his military service insurance which allowed them to make that purchase. As a child and teenager, Botello loved going to the library and reading and participating in summer reading programs. She graduated high school from St. Teresa's Academy in 1969, and went on to college at the University of Missouri-Kansas City where she joined the United Mexican American Students (UMAS) student group and became the executive vice president of the student council. After working various clerical and administrative jobs, Botello remained in the community by working at the Guadalupe Parish Center and other community-led initiatives.

Interview with Josefa Parra about her life She recalls her early life in Mexico, her immigration to the United States in 1925, working at beet farms in California and Colorado, and settling in Kansas City. She discusses her history with area churches and community activities, memories of World War II and the 1951 Flood, working as a babysitter and nanny while raising her own family, and varying ability and interest in speaking family with her family, neighbors, and in schools. She shares other stories about her neighbors, her family, and Mexican history.

Interview with retired newspaper proofreader and typesetter Agustin Rocha about his life. Born in 1912, Rocha recalls his early life in Texas and Illinois, his father's railroad work, moving to Iowa to work beet harvests, his education, and working for the Belmond (Iowa) Independent newspaper setting linotype. He also discusses moving to Kansas City circa 1940, working as a linotype operator as a drafted soldier in World War II, suffering a concussion at D-Day, and returning home to work for the Kansas City Star and Kansas City Kansan. He also shares memories of the 1951 Flood, participating in organizations including the American Legion, and his marriage and family.

Interview with Dolores Rodriquez, born in 1935, about her life in Kansas City's Westside neighborhood. She recalls the neighborhood of her childhood, attending Adams and Switzer schools, attending the Guadalupe Church, and big fiestas put on by the Guadalupe Center. She also discusses Westside businesses and people, her memories of World War II and the 1951 flood, having to leave jobs due to pregnancy, and later opening a restaurant with her husband Gilbert. She also recalls participating in the annual fiesta at Crown Center, and shares stories of her father's work as a healer.

Interview with Magdalena Rodriguez about her life in Kansas City's Mexican-American community. Born in 1933, she recalls her parents' immigration to the United States during the Mexican Revolution, working beet harvests until settling in Kansas City, Kansas. She discusses the shops, neighbors, and schools of the Armourdale and Rosedale neighborhoods, attending segregated schools, and facing discrimination and racism. She also discusses her parents' experience learning English, the family's experience in the Depression and World War II, her work with the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, investigating cases of child abuse and neglect, her involvement in church, school, and civic organizations, and balancing that work with being a wife and mother.

Interview with Manuela "Nellie" Cruz Lozano about her life in Kansas City's Westside neighborhood. She recalls people and businesses that populated the neighborhood during her youth, her parents' immigration to Kansas City from Mexico, and the stress of attending English language school after being raised in a Spanish-speaking home. She also shares memories of the 1951 flood, raising her family, furthering her education, working at an area daycare, and dancing at local fiestas.

Interview with Missouri state representative Paul Rojas about his life in Kansas City's Westside neighborhood. Born in 1934, he recalls a church-centered neighborhood that hadn't changed much since his childhood, with most people employed by packinghouses and railroads, and the origins of the Guadalupe Parish Center. He also discusses his memories his father, of World War II, serving in the Navy in the early 1950s, working for Wishbone restaurant, and the start of his interest in politics.

Interview with West High and Switzer Elementary schools building manager Salvador Gutierrez about his life. Born in 1911, he recalls his family immigrating from Mexico to Kansas City's Westside neighborhood in 1920, his father and neighbors working for packinghouses and railroads, and remembers unpaved roads and wooden sidewalks in the neighborhood. He discusses his involvement in organizations and activities affiliated with the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, playing baseball with the Azteca Club, memories of the Great Depression, the origins of the Guadalupe Center, enlisting in the army during World War II, and the influx of families from Kansas City, Kansas, during the 1951 Flood. He also shares memories of meeting his wife at a Union Cultural Mexicana fiesta and his involvement in numerous organizations including the Boy Scouts, Guadalupe Center, and the American Legion.

Interview with Maria Mora about her family and life in the Kansas City area. Born in 1936, she recalls her childhood in the Argentine neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas, and attending Clara Barton School, where she says students were reprimanded for not speaking English and had their first names Americanized (e.g. Mary instead of Maria). She discusses her variety of work experiences, marriage and children, continuing her education, and working on-air and as a translator for KCKN radio station. She also discusses her involvement with United Mexican American Students (UMAS) and working for the Social Security Administration.

Interview with Josephine Lopez about her life in the Kansas City area. Born in 1915, she recounts her immigration from Mexico to the United States on foot as a toddler with her family, her father's work for the railroad, leaving school to work around the age of 12 after her father's death, and her social life in the local Mexican American community. She discusses working at the Hotel Baltimore where she met her husband, staying home with their baby during her husband's army service in World War II, moving to the Armourdale neighborhood in Kansas City, Kansas in the late 1930s, and returning to Kansas City, Missouri, after the 1951 Flood. She also shares stories about going to work at Parkview Drugstore, her husband attending school and becoming a chiropractor, his work with the Department of Labor, moving to Lee's Summit, Missouri, and her and her husband's social, civic, and family activities.