Grace Hernandez, Elena Hernandez Melendez, and Rafael Hernandez

[00:04] ELENA HERNANDEZ MELENDEZ: Good afternoon. My name is Elena Hernandez Melendez, and it is February 4, 2023, and we are in El Paso, Texas. I'm here with Grace and Rafael. Grace is my aunt and Rafael is my cousin. Good afternoon. My name is Grace Hernandez. We're here in El Paso, Texas. Today is February 4 of 2023. I'm here with my wonderful niece Elena, and my wonderful nephew, Rafael.

[00:37] GRACE HERNANDEZ: Hello, everybody. Rafael Hernandez speaking. Here I am, 35 years old. Today is February 4, 2023, and we are here in El Paso, Texas, at the Lafay clinic, and I'm here with my lovely aunt and my lovely cousin, Elena. And Grace.

[00:56] ELENA HERNANDEZ MELENDEZ: All right. So, Grace, quick question. How long have you been working at Bowie High School here in El Paso? Oh, my goodness gracious. It's been a long time. First of all, I am a graduate of Bowie high school. I graduated in 1977. I'm very proud to be a Bowie High School graduate. After graduation, I started working right away. I came back to Bowie to work as a principal secretary in 1984, and I'm still working there almost 40 years, 45 years with the El Paso Independent School District. And during these years I've known wonderful people, I've met wonderful students. I am just in love with my job. And that's how it came about. My family started growing. My family, of course, the most important thing in my life. These two little ones that are with me, they're not very little anymore, but they decided to come to Bowie Rafael graduate of 2006 and Elena graduate of 2008. But back in the eighties, Mister Paul Strelzen was a principal at Bowie High School. One of the best principals we've ever had. Wonderful person who took care of our students there at Bowie as if he were the father to all those kids. He really loved Bowie High School. He has passed away. Sad to say this, but I remember back then, Russ Bradbird, Steve Yellen and other people came to visit Mister Strelzen and started a basketball camp, which I thought was wonderful because a lot of our students in this part of town don't have a lot of activities. They just don't have many places to go due to the social economic barrier in this part of town. It was wonderful to hear that people like them decided to come to the south side of El Paso and start a program like that. So it's been in existence for many years. And that's when I first heard about basketball in the barrio. Ralph, my nephew, as a little boy, came to basketball in the barrio. Elena came to basketball in Barrio and they're going to tell you a little bit about it.

[03:26] GRACE HERNANDEZ: So, yes, I first remember going to basketball in the barrio when I was, I want to say, six or seven years old. My dad was in love with basketball. So as a child, I always remember attending his games in the city leagues, also going to play with him Sunday mornings over at Houston Elementary School. He'd get together with some friends. So I always remember that I was always surrounded by Besco in my life. And when this opportunity came up, I really didn't know what it was going to be. And as I was growing older through the years, I realized how amazing the camp was, really, and how experienced the basketball knowledge was. The people that came in and helped the children out, they were really hands on, and you could tell that they really cared. They took their time with the children. And as Grace was saying, the children in the Sugun Barrio they don't always get that type of love in that way. So it was really awesome to see that. It started off at Bowie high school, I remember, and then the camp slowly transitioned over to Armijo. And just every year, I know now the camp, the focus is also on art, so we have music along with basketball, and that's awesome to see, because now I've passed that along to my son. So now my son Micah, he attends the camp as well, and he loves the camp. Every year in the summer, when he comes to visit in El Paso, he asked to go to the camp. So I really love that I'm able to pass that on. So basketball, Barrio has been with this family for many generations now, and I love that I can share the knowledge of basketball with my son. It's a connection that we share, and so I find that I'm very grateful for that. And how about you, Elena? What are some of your experiences?

[05:26] ELENA HERNANDEZ MELENDEZ: Well, like you have mentioned, basketball was always a big thing in our family. Uncles and grandmas and grandpas had played. And for myself, my two older brothers also played basketball, would go watch them play at the city leagues at delta center, or play with them out at the basketball courts in any park. So I didn't start going to the camp until it was at Armijo. I was a camper for many, many years, and all of the coaches were great, great people, not just the basketball side of things, but they honestly cared to build a relationship with everybody. And I honestly still talk to some of these coaches. I know Ralph and I played high school basketball at Bowie. And the great thing about our coaches at that time, they would ask us to volunteer. And this was one of those things we would volunteer with. We actually were junior coaches for many years at basketball in the barrio while we were in high school, and then we were just coaches. I know Ralph now brings his son. I myself have stayed within the camp. I was a performer since we also do arts, like Ralph mentioned, and music. So I performed for many years for the campers at basketball and the barrio, and I still do. On top of that now, I help out with all of the educational little presentations that we have for the kids, whether it's music, dance, growing crops. It's just a variety. So it's not just surrounded around basketball, but it's a great variety of teaching these kids a little of everything and exposing them to a little bit of everything. I don't know. What was your experience as a coach those years in high school, Ralph?

[07:33] GRACE HERNANDEZ: Well, as a coach, I think it made me gain a lot more respect for the coaches I had because, as I was saying, just the time and effort. I remember one conversation with a coach. I asked him one time, like, why do you always keep yelling at me, you know? And he told me if I didn't care, then I would stop yelling, you know what I mean? And it really, like, I realized, I'm like, that's true. It's hard to give that effort constantly, every day, you know what I mean? Even though it's yelling, it really is like love in a way, you know what I mean? Because they're trying to correct you. They don't want to see you fail, you know? So I kind of like, there was a point where I would get frustrated with the kids, and then I was like, wow, you know, like, I need to kind of take a step back and realize, like, that they're still little children. And I gain respect from my coach that he had to deal with all the, you know, whether it's the attitudes or the different scheduling of other people just to keep that, whether it's a other players together, you know, in that sense. So that's really what I gained from the coaching and also being grateful for everything that I grew up with because a lot of the kids that would come in through the camp, I realized, like, how good I had it in that sense, you know, and the children coming in from the Siglino barrio don't always, always have it that good. And so that was something that was really important to me.

[09:00] ELENA HERNANDEZ MELENDEZ: Going back to Bowie high school. Ralph, I know you came from the west side of town. Let them know why you came to Bowie why you decided to come to Bowie why did you want to come to a school on the south side?

[09:12] GRACE HERNANDEZ: So. Very good question, Grace. Actually, one of the big reasons is going back also to Mister Strelzen. When I finally went to Bowie he wasn't the principal at the time. I would always go visit Bowie because my aunt Grace worked there, you know, so I was. I was always at the events, whether it was the basketball games or the football games or other things that were going on around Bowie. And Mister Strelzen was, aside from being a principal, he was just an awesome person and the energy he brought. And as Grace was saying, and so I always wanted, like, he made Bowie look like not school. I don't know, you know, I wasn't the biggest fan of school, so I was like, oh, my. Like, if this guy's the principal of this school, like, it's gonna be, you know, awesome, you know, in that sense. But also it's just the tradition. Like, you know, my dad went there and he always said, also meeting the basketball coach at the time was, which was Mister Cordova at the time, it was. There was just like this feel of community that I just didn't get living on the west side and there it's just different demographics from the south side in West El Paso is a lot different financially, economically. The status of the west side is, you know, as I would say, I guess better. But there's just like. I don't know how to explain. It's just like this community thing that you get here with Bowie and the segue. No barrio.

[10:35] ELENA HERNANDEZ MELENDEZ: And so familiar.

[10:37] GRACE HERNANDEZ: Yeah, familiar. That's true, you know, and that's a big part of why I came to Bowie And I have absolutely no regrets. I'm extremely proud to be.

[10:45] ELENA HERNANDEZ MELENDEZ: And also Helena, well, kind of like Ralph, Mister Strelzen or as I like to refer to him, uncle Pavlito. He was. He was awesome. He cared so much. And growing up, he was family. Bowie has always been family, like the teachers or the nurse or the clerks. They've always been part of our family. And we grew up with them. I mean, they saw us since we were babies all the way through the time we graduated. And I love that because I should have gone to a high school in the northeast of El Paso, but I came to Bowie for their magnet program at the time. And I just loved that sense of family, that community. And that's the reason when I started working for the El Paso district, that I wanted to go back to Bowie I started at Bowie working as a math tutor for some years then I would sub and any sub position that was available at Bowie, I made sure I was there. And then for a couple of years I worked as a speaker, fed, paraprofessional. But I always wanted to be at Bowie because Bowie was family and I loved all the kids that we had there. They're all our kids and all the teachers and counselors and everybody that works there, like, really care for the kids. And it's just different than some of the other high schools that you see here in El Paso. So my question is in my mind, back in the eighties when Mister Strelzen was there and all these people that he knew, he knew so many people, everybody in El Paso knew who Mister Strelzen was. But when they came to Bowie with the idea of this camp, in my mind, I would say, like, why are these people interested? Why are they wanting to come to the south side? And in my heart, after meeting the people and knowing what they were doing for our kids, I absolutely loved them. I love anybody who comes back to the Segundo barrio and tries to do for our kids. I just, at first I didn't understand why. And now there has been so many people, so many people that are so good to our kiddos, that are so good to Bowie high school. We have alumni groups. We have, I know of Martha and Carlos Gutierrez. Their child Charlie came to Bowie high school and graduated from there. They have come back, I've been at Bowie almost 40 years. They have come back almost every year. And they have brought our kids at Bowie High school, hundreds of turkeys and stuffing. They bring us coats for the kids during the winter. They have done this every single year. And we just have so many people that help out at Bouy high school. And in my heart, it's love for them. Every time I see misses Gutierrez and she brings me more coats for the kids or she brings us the turkeys for Thanksgiving for our kids, I don't know what to say to her. I just look at her and say, like, how do you thank somebody like that? How do you, how do you, how can I tell you how much it means for you to come back and do this for our kids? And that's the way I see basketball in Barrio because they come back every single year for so many years and do for our kids. And I think that's wonderful. Yeah, I agree. Both Russ and Steve have been amazing people to organize this year after year, bringing in some amazing coaches throughout the years. I mean, even at some point, I believe Nolan Richardson, which was Nolan Richardson had also begun a camp at Bowie High School. He had lost his little daughter, Yvonne, and it was called the Yvonne Richardson camp at that time. It was more or less the same years, and he had the camp for a few years there. Nolan Richardson, the great Nolan Richardson, graduate of Bowie High School, also who I speak to every now and then, and he's also, also always helping bouy high school. And I love him to pieces if he's hearing, if he's hearing this, Nolan, we love you. Our entire family does. But he also had a camp, and he's always been very involved, too, and we appreciate these people so, so very much. How we thank you, I don't know, but in my heart, you know that it's there, and we just don't know how to say thank you enough for what you do for our kids. Yeah, I think my way of thanking the people that have been with basketball in the barrio is coming back and doing my part in the barrio, whether it's a simple performance, whether it's helping organize. But some of the coaches that I had many, many years ago are still very much involved, and they come from different parts of the United States, and they come to this little town, this little corner town in Texas, and they do this year after year. One of my best memories is with coach Bud. He's great. I remember him as a kid, and he would give me a hard time. A lot of my basketball skills that I had through high school started in basketball in the barrio because of coaches like him that cared so much. I also always loved watching the mini dribblers. That was always a highlight of the camp for me. I don't know about you, though, Ralph, what was your favorite memory of the camp?

[16:55] GRACE HERNANDEZ: Actually, it's funny you say that, because I remember specifically when I'm probably like my second year, when I was there, they had one, a performer, and there was this move that I could never do, and I. Well, I always thought about it, like, as this impossible thing I can never do. It was called the spider, and they had this gentleman come in, and he would do the spider, and then he would do blindfolded, and then he would also do it walking, you know? And if you've ever seen this movie, it's quite difficult to do just when you're standing alone. And when I saw that, to me, it was like, oh, my gosh, it was amazing. You know, it was like this Harlem Globe shotter move, you know, I was like, wow. And I never thought in my head that I would be able to do that, you know? And I remember when we were practicing with mini dribblers, actually, at Cathedral, Russ Bradbird, he saw that I was struggling with this, and we would come in and practice, I don't know, was it Tuesdays? But, like, maybe for an hour. And I was horrible at the spider. And he said, you know, you're not even gonna do it with the basketball. Whenever you're gonna practice doing the spider, you're just gonna sit up on the wall like you're sitting in a chair and you're just gonna do that for as long as you can. And whenever you get tired, you just go. And then you get up and you sit on again. And in my head, I was, like, mad. But I was, you know, at that age, I wasn't gonna tell a coach no. You know what I mean? Or are you kidding me? Like, this isn't gonna make me do the spider better. And I remember maybe for it was maybe like a month, and we did that, and I was just on the wall and sitting there and I was like, I'm not even dribbling the basketball. How is this going to help me? You know? And then I finally got the ball back, and it just became so much like I was able to do the move, like, right then and there just because of that, because I got so used to being in that chair position, you know, because I wasn't spreading my legs. And this whole time, I was thinking it was more to do with the dribbling, you know? And it's something that, like, Russ Bradbird just, I don't know how to say, like, the meticulous of it. I just, I thought everything was with the basketball, and, and that was just the first time that I kind of, like, I don't want to say manifestation, but it's like this metaphysics of, like, you think about something and then you work at it, you know? And then it's like, oh, my gosh, like, I did it, you know? And in my head as a child, I thought I would never do that, you know, and I saw, like, the power, and then I was like, oh, whole, like, taking time and working on a craft in that sense. So that that was awesome, you know, now I could still do it blindfolded and walking, you know, so I'm extremely proud of that. Even though I'm an adult now. I'll have that for life. I'll have that for life. So I'll always thank Mister Bradbird for that, you know, because my emotions are like, no, you know, that was pretty.

[19:31] ELENA HERNANDEZ MELENDEZ: I agree. Russ Bradbird and Steve Yellen, they. They have a gift. They have a gift with working with kids because they're very patient, but they know how to really push you for what you are capable of doing. And throughout the camp, and I think especially when we were coaches, there was always, like, after the camp was over and all the kids were gone, there was always that sense of wanting to stay and still practice or still play a game, maybe with all the other coaches. And they would always stay and kind of observe and individually, on many cases, they're like, hey, you should work on this or you need to do this. And I would love to hear that feedback from them. Because the way they would say it or the way they would go about just coaching you, they just cared so much. And they wanted to see you succeeded and become a better player and become a better person in other aspects as well. So if you can give us a little more information, Elena, on basketball and Barrio Like, it's held in the month of June for usually three days. It's usually the weekend. We've done it in June. Sometimes it might be in May. We're still working on dates for this year, but it is a weekend event. The kids, five and up, can come, I think. I believe it's five to eleven. It's only a dollar, which is great. As we've talked about the Segundo barrio and how there's an economical difference compared to other areas in El Paso. A lot of times we have Bowie alumni come in and donate an x amount of money. So that if a kid comes without the dollar, they can still participate, which is that familia mentality of Bowie high school. It's held at Armijo, in the gym. And we do music in the other areas of Armijo and different activities as well. So, yes, we have kids not only from the Segundo barrio, there's kids from all over El Paso that come to the camp. But last year, Elena and I came over to the actual barrio because we wanted more of our Segundo barrio kids to participate. So we went knocking on doors, right? Passing out flyers so we could get some of the kids to come. And we even went to the parks where the kids were. And they were super excited. But most important of all, one of the kids was super excited because they were getting free ice cream. Believe it or not, their question was not about basketball, was, how often are we going to get the ice cream? That's how beautiful these kids are in this neighborhood. And one thing I did want to mention. I don't know if anybody from the city of El Paso is listening, but last summer, they closed the Armijo swimming pool. And why, I have no idea, but if somebody can help us with that, and we want the armijo swimming pool open during the summer, because these kids don't have another swimming pool to go to. These kids sometimes don't have parents or families that can drive them to a swimming pool. We really need the armijo swimming pool open for our kids, because this is one of the only places where they can actually walk and enjoy a swimming pool. Please keep Armijo open the swimming pool for the summer, for arma, for our kids. Please. And I think it's more than just the pool, but there's a lot of families here that struggle with AC. I mean, if you haven't visited El Paso, it is a desert. It is hot, and summer days can get really hot. So these centers, like Armijo rec center, are really important for these families, because it's a safe place where the kids can participate in activities, stay off the streets, and families can be cool during these. These rough summer days. Ralph?

[23:58] GRACE HERNANDEZ: Yes, I agree. We should open up the armyjo. I honestly had no clue that it was even closed until, you know, you brought it up. Grayson. And like you said, that's the. The area that. That's the pool that should be open. Out of all the rec centers in El Paso and pools, that's the one that's most vital to the community. So, you know, hopefully that summer, it'll be opened up.

[24:21] ELENA HERNANDEZ MELENDEZ: Yeah. And it's a great facility. Year after year. The staff there has been absolutely amazing in hosting basketball and la barrio. They participate in every way possible. When. When something comes up, they are there to help in any way, because they care about these kids just as much as the next person. I feel like you guys have talked a lot about how important the familia element of Boi and basketball and Abario is to you. Can you talk a little bit about who taught you the importance of familiar? Who was the first person that, like, really introduced that as being an important part of your life? Well, this, my nephew and niece, we are part of a family who understand that family is very, very important. Came down to my grandparents who grew. They were in Mexico, living in Juarez, and we used to visit them all the time, loved them to pieces. My mother, who struggled by herself, we were four siblings. She worked in a factory garment, making garments every day, sewing and sewing and sewing every day. So we lived in the Segundo barrio. We grew up in the Segundo barrio. We attended Bowie High school, and it was hard. It was hard on my mom. And I think that's where the values begin, and I think that's where the traditions begin, because you see somebody who is struggling so much to, to do for their family, you know, four kids and a single mom, that's hard. But you know what? My mom struggled and her children, now myself and my three brothers, I think we are very good people. Our faith in God, my faith in God is most important. And I think that's just where the values, the traditions actually came from for my family. And then we grew up. My brothers got married and started having their children who are sitting here now and then. Now they have their own children. And it's just, that's the way it is at Bowie It's all these families, but we're very united. We are like our own family. It's like we know each other so well. And I think in our hearts we are at Bowie High School because we care for those kids. We want to do for those kids because we were those kids. And it was, it was hard. But for me, when I was in high school, that high school is probably my second home. I spent a lot of time there. I was because I only had my mom at home. I wanted to make my mom proud of me, like, all the time. I didn't want to give her any problems. I wanted to do really good in school. I did. I was a good student. But that's what it came down to, just wanted to do good, just wanted to be the best person. And then, of course, as soon as I graduated, I worked at some other campuses. But when I had the opportunity to come back to Bowie I wanted to come back so bad. And thank God he allowed me to be there, as I say now, for almost 40 years. And I am just so grateful for that opportunity because now we want to do for the kids because we had the same struggles. We know what they're going through and we want to help out. And I've always been the kind of person to think, like, even if you give a child a smile that's having a bad day, I think that'll make a difference. I remember when I was growing up, there was Father Thomas, who was one of the leaders in the churches here, and he spent a lot of time at Buhi High School in the Barrio And I saw him and I saw my family members that were good. And I said, like, I want to be like them. I want to be a good person. I want to do good. I want to help. And I think that's been my goal in life, is to help people. And I guess that's why God blessed me at Bowie High School for so long, because I want to do for the kids, I want to do for our familia, because that's what I consider the familia of Bowie high school. Yeah, I agree with grace. Obviously, I didn't grow up with my great, great great grandparents, but I did have the pleasure to spend some time with my great grandma, and that's. You would see it. Even though I was at a young age when she was still with us. I remember Sundays were family day. We would go to my great grandma's house, and everybody was there. Cousins, everybody. And we would have lunch together. We'd play football. But it was always in family. And my set of family with my parents and my brothers, my mom and my dad have always taught us that to value our family, and that family is everything. I have two older brothers that I know I can count on for absolutely anything, and that comes down to those values of having family, and I think it's very important. And that was part of the reason that I loved Bouilli. I felt, yeah, at home, I was in sports, I was in the fine arts, so I was on campus quite a bit, and that was my family. That was my second home as well. As Grace had mentioned during her time at Bowie I don't know about you, though.

[30:18] GRACE HERNANDEZ: Yes. Going back to familia, as you were saying, from Bowie it felt like home because our just. Our immediate family was also close in that sense. I just always felt love coming, whether it was from Tia Grace or Tio Mario, which is Elena's dad, her mother, you know, my dad, Mahalita Lena, Mahalita Chatta as well. Those Sunday mornings, as Elena was referring to, are memories that are just, like, really instilled in my head. Like, I don't know how to explain it, but, you know, all our tias would go there, tios, and it was just. They would bring food. I remember my Lita Chata love McDonald's, so they'd always bring her McDonald's, which, you know. You know, she was older, and I was bad, but, you know, those are the memories, you know, the thing of familia and going back to Bowie, like Gracie was saying, like, sometimes you see, like, those children, like that. That's your deal, you know, like, you see in. In the children in the segun, no barrio, like, that's your tio or tia, that's your grandma and your grandpa, you know? So it's a chance to help them out, as you were saying, when they needed help, like when my grandmother was single, you know, raising four children and. And it's just it, I guess, like, I feel like my soul feels right. Like when you're with family and you're having those moments, like everything else, like life throws at you, it's just like, not there, you know? It's just like that moment feels right. So. And that's. That's something you get here in the Segun Novario and just in enfmijo, really. And you only think you could get that from family. But, you know, when strangers come and give you this, you're like, wow, you know, like, you know, there's love out there, so it's awesome.

[32:06] ELENA HERNANDEZ MELENDEZ: So we're also very happy this year because our new principal at Bowie High School, Mesros Candaria, is a graduate of, I believe, from the class of 1994. She's making a difference. She wants to be like Mister Strelzen They interviewed her for the paper and that's exactly what she said. Mister Strelzen was her principal and she wants to do the same. She wants to be there at all the activities, and she's doing a great job. She's really caring for our students, she's really loving on our kids and listening to our parents and our community. So that's what we need here. And just want to say again, thank you to all those that come back and do for the students at Buhi High School and do for the students of the Segundovaru. There is no way that we can appreciate everything you do and everything you've done all these years. And it's just wonderful that you all remember and come back, and we hope you continue to do it for many more years. And as long as God gives me life, I will be around trying to help as much as I can or as little as I can, but I will be here to help Elena. Ralph. Elena is a wonderful dancer. She has her for Cole, I go group, which she brings every year. And that's fantastic for the barrier, too. We have to give out, keep up all the traditions and everything that has been taught. I agree, and I think that's another aspect of familia, those traditions, the culture that we've grown up with. At least my mom, even though I did not want to dance at a very young age, I was five when I started and I did not want to go, but now dance is life, and everything I do revolves around dance and continuing that culture, whether it's our mexican heritage or any other culture. Dance is my way of sharing with the community, those other cultures and taking people to different places without having to travel and just gain that knowledge. And the kids in the barrio, I get some of the best, best drawings when they have their art station that they'll put. My favorite part of basketball in the barrio this year were the Fokorico dancers, and they'll draw my dancers. And those are the best, best things that, I mean, I don't have kids yet, but I have those on my fridge year after year that I've received from all of these Segundo barrio campers, basketball and the barrio campers over the years.

[34:54] GRACE HERNANDEZ: I mean, ultimately, I mean, I just want to give a big thank you, you know, in the end to basketball and Barrio or really anybody that comes in and helps Bowie high school or the Segun Barrio or any children that need the help, really, you know, as I said, that help the people that were helping help my family. So as long as, you know, we continue to just pay it forward and continue giving back to those that have less than us, I mean, I think it's just a good cycle that just will continually help the world. So thank you. And Elena thank you for sharing your thoughts and grace. Thank you for sharing everything that you have today.

[35:34] ELENA HERNANDEZ MELENDEZ: I am super blessed. I have my wonderful nephew and my niece with me, a wonderful family, a wonderful neighborhood. I've had a very blessed life, and I thank God for each and every moment. Thank you all. Thank you both for joining me today for this chat about basketball and the barrio and the Hernandez family. I really enjoyed this time with y'all. Like every other moment we have, it's definitely gonna be one for the books. Thank you. Love you all. Love you too.