Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church

Interview with Department of Housing and Urban Development neighborhood affairs representative Ricardo Parra about his life. Born in 1946, he recalls his family moving from Kansas City, Kansas to Kansas City, Missouri's Westside neighborhood after the 1951 Flood, being called Richard instead of Ricardo in school, and shares memories of neighborhood businesses and neighbors. He also discusses other memories of his school years, his work for the Guadalupe Center and Midwest Council of La Raza, and his involvement with other organizations.

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 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 Tomas Angel Prospero about his life in Mexico and Texas, and later move to Kansas City. Born in 1922, he moved to Kansas City in October of 1980, and recalls his life in Mexico, his father's role in the Mexican Revolution, flooding in 1938, and moving to El Paso, Texas. He discusses working in construction, his family, and moving in with family members Kansas City during an illness.

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 Reverend Ramon Gaitan about his life and experience as a Catholic priest and prior of the St. Augustine monastery in Kansas City, Kansas. He discusses his family and childhood in Texas, his recollections of his siblings' service in World War II, participating in the Boy Scouts, and his path to the priesthood. He recounts his religious education, his experiences with church communities in Kansas City and Topeka, and ultimately becoming the prior of the monastery.

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 Ruth Lopez about her experience growing up in a Mexican immigrant family in Kansas City's Westside neighborhood. She recalls the businesses and people of the neighborhood during her youth in the 1920s and '30s, local churches and fiestas, and meeting her husband at the Union Cultural Mexicana. She also discusses raising her family, difficulties she and her husband faced for not having American citizenship, her children's education and career paths, and her hopes for the neighborhood at the time of the interview.

Interview with Julio Cortez, Jr. about his life and family. He discusses his early childhood in Chicago, his family's return to Mexico during the Great Depression, and his and his siblings' return to the United States, moving to Kansas City in the early 1950s. He recalls working for the Armour packinghouse for 16 years, life in the Westside neighborhood, his family connection to the Mexican synarchist movement. He also discusses attending medical school, playing soccer in Guadalajara and Kansas City, his family life, working at Sam Miller Coach, and his involvement in area churches and organizations such as Union Cultural Mexicana.

Interview with Louis Soltero about his life and working at the Muehlebach Hotel. Born in 1903, he recounts his early life in Tenamaxtlan, Mexico, immigrating to Kansas City around the age of 18, and briefly working at the Cudahy packinghouse before moving on to work as a bus boy and later a waiter for the Muehlebach Hotel. He recalls his forty-five years at the Muehlebach, meeting famous guests, including actor Clark Gable, American president Harry Truman, and Mexican president Miguel Aleman, and retiring in 1967. He also discusses being a member of and serving as president of the Union Cultural Mexicana, his children, and President Truman's daughter Margaret, a well-regarded singer, performing "Cielito Lindo" for him.