Alicia Marquez

Partial Transcript: I am Stephanie Shugert and I am interviewing Ms. Marquez to talk about her life as part of the Latino Lorain Veteran Historical Project. Thank you Ms. Marquez for agreeing to be interviewed today. Can you please state your name and birthday?

Segment Synopsis: Shugert introduces Alicia Marquez who is being interviewed for the Latino Lorain Veteran History Project, which is a collaboration between the Lorain Historical Society and Oberlin College. The interview takes place in the Lorain Historical Society.

Partial Transcript: Can you tell me a little bit about where you were born and where you grew up?

Segment Synopsis: Marquez discusses where she grew up in Lorain. She talks about her parent's background and how they moved to Lorain from Puerto Rico when her father was recruited to work for the steel mills in 1948. Her mother was a seamstress and worked in a factory in Cleveland. Marquez shares that she has four siblings and reflects on how she is the only surviving member of her family, and how diabetes played a role in her family's health.

Keywords: Puerto Rico; diabetes; family; seamstress; steel mill

Partial Transcript: Can you talk a little bit about, well you already talked about how you can't complain about your childhood. Did you have any mentors or friends or role models that stand out to you in your childhood or throughout your life?

Segment Synopsis: Marquez talks about growing up in the projects and how she became close with her neighbors. She discusses how the racial diversity of the projects made the projects a multicultural space where food, recipes, and music were shared. She describes Lorain at the time as a "hustle and bustle" city that was very vibrant. Marquez also explains the importance of Sacred Heart Chapel for the Puerto Rican community as it was a space where people bonded and culture was preserved.

Keywords: Charleston School; Ford; Sacred Heart Chapel; community; culture; projects; racial diversity; steel mills

Partial Transcript: Can you talk a little bit about what you would consider your proudest moment or maybe a fond memory you have from growing up in Lorain?

Segment Synopsis: Marquez shares how her brothers started learning to play instruments, ultimately leading her two older brothers to start a band. They would practice on their front lawn in the projects, and the lawn turned into a dance floor as people from the neighborhood joined in and would dance along to the music. Marquez's brother Willie wrote the lyrics for the song "Lady Lorain," and she considers this one of her proudest moments.

Keywords: Lady Lorain; Los Nombres; bass guitar; dance; music; musicians; pride; projects

Partial Transcript: Kinda going in the opposite direction here, but were there any challenges....you faced, either personally or your family, or just in your community in general, while growing up in Lorain?

Segment Synopsis: Marquez discusses how she would be a translator for her parents as a young child when they would have doctor visits and other important appointments. She expresses how this was challenging for her and her siblings as they feared they would not properly translate the documents for her parents.

Keywords: Puerto Rico; Spanish; challenge; doctor's office; education; interpreter; legal documents; paperwork

Partial Transcript: I kinda want to get into your brother's experiences, specifically those who were army veterans. So can you tell me a little bit about them, and I know you mentioned some of your brother's names, but who are the ones who ended up going?

Segment Synopsis: Marquez shares how her oldest brother Johnny struggled with school and decided to drop out when he was 16 years old. He decided to join the army and lied about his age to enlist. He ended up doing two tours in Vietnam and caught malaria during his service. Marquez also discusses how her family would try to keep in touch with him while he was away and also when he returned. She describes how her brother never talked about the difficulties he was experiencing, and she says he returned as a different person. His drug addiction heavily impacted Marquez and their family, and she reflects on how she wished she could have supported him more.

Her other brother Willie joined the army when he graduated high school, but he only worked as a recruiter and never saw any action. She shares how he followed in Johnny's footsteps and also how becoming a young father and husband influenced his decision to enlist. She also discusses how Willie was a bright person and how her family had high hopes for him in terms of pursuing a successful career.

Keywords: Cleveland; Oberlin College; PTSD; Vietnam War; addiction; army; family; recruiting; substances; youth program

Partial Transcript: Do you remember your family's or parent's reactions were to (I think especially your brother Johnny) when he decided to go?

Segment Synopsis: Marquez discusses how shocked her parents were when Johnny joined the army as her father wanted him to pursue an education. She remembers how emotional and upset her family was initially. Once he was serving in the Vietnam War, Marquez's family would often put out a rosary for him and prayed for him often to come home. This was exacerbated by the fact that Lorain lost many young Latinos in the war, some of which were close friends and neighbors. Marquez says that her family was proud of Johnny, but also they were nervous about how controversial the Vietnam War was.

Keywords: Vietnam War; fear; loss; praying; pride; rosary; shock

Partial Transcript: You already talked a bit about how he was...when he did come home. You talked a bit earlier about the role of the Sacred Heart Chapel and religion in your family's lives. Do you think your brother Johnny, do you think religion played an influence in his service or how close was he to the church and that religious aspect?

Segment Synopsis: Marquez discusses how the church played a crucial in all of her family's lives. Her brother Johnny followed the church's guidance and strongly believed in his Catholic faith.

Keywords: Catholicism; Sacred Heart Chapel; U.S. Army; religion; service; survival

Partial Transcript: I want to transition into talking a little bit about your brother who was a musician. Can you remind which brother that was again?

Segment Synopsis: Marquez shares how her three brothers formed the band Los Nombres. Johnny played the bass guitar, Willie was the singer, and her younger brother Nelson was the drummer. They taught themselves how to play and piano and other instruments. They composed songs and were mostly self-taught overall. Their band was usually hired to perform for the Southerner's Club, a group of guys who would get together and host parties. The band would also perform in churches and host dances to raise money. This was an integral part of Lorain's social scene.

Keywords: Southerner's Club; music; parties; performances; projects; raising money; self-taught; singing; social life

Partial Transcript: I want to go back to when you talked about how your brother wrote the lyrics for "Lady Lorain." Do you remember when he did that and the reactions from the community, or when did the song become popular?

Segment Synopsis: Marquez remembers how the Lorain International Festival was looking for a song to be featured during the pageant portion of the event. Willie was very excited and proud that he was asked to work on the song, and his parents also were very proud as it revealed their family's contributions to the community.

Keywords: Los Nombres; city council; international; pageant; pride; vocals

Partial Transcript: So to reflect on what we talked about, how would you say your experiences growing up in Lorain influence who you are today and your memories of your family?

Segment Synopsis: Marquez shares how Lorain's diversity helped her get along with different types of people. She reflects fondly on Lorain and reiterates how safe it was for her.

Keywords: Puerto Rico; diversity; family; multi-cultural city; race; safe

Partial Transcript: Going back to your brothers, did their military service affect your feelings about war or military in general?

Segment Synopsis: Marquez discusses her personal thoughts and feelings about the Vietnam War. She shares how the neglect of veterans makes her not support the military. She believes that although the Vietnam War was controversial and many people did not believe it should have occurred, those people should have nonetheless respected the men serving in it.

Keywords: Vietnam War; addiction; lack of veteran support; malaria

Partial Transcript: What message would you like to leave for future generations who will view or hear this interview?

Segment Synopsis: Marquez discusses how people, specifically Latinos, should take pride in their culture and heritage and talk to their elders to preserve knowledge. She shares how she wishes people would get together more to keep their traditions going for future generations.

Keywords: Latin culture; elders; ghost town; home; parandas; self-pride