Manuel H. Rodriguez family papers, 1930-2016

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Summary

Creators:
Rodriguez, Manuel H.
Abstract:
The Manuel H. Rodriguez papers consist of correspondence, reminiscences, photographs, slides, and ephemera related to Rodriguez and his family living in Los Angeles, California.
Extent:
15 boxes and 1 oversize folder
Language:
The records are in English and Spanish .

Background

Scope and content:

The core of the Manuel H. Rodriguez papers are his thoughtful and informative reminiscences. There are over 20 narrations of his past experiences. They cover his service in the United States Army to his years as a student at the University of California, Los Angeles. He wrote about the economic effects of the Great Depression in Los Angeles, where an overwhelming amount of men worked as an itinerant salesman to ordinary activities such as playing marbles. Rodriguez wrote, "I have enjoyed reminiscing about those years and the exercise of my memory has had therapeutic effects," Box 9 (16). Many of Rodriguez's reminiscences could be accessed on his son's website: Zòcalo.

The correspondence also constitutes a good portion of the papers. There are letters from Manuel H. Rodriguez to his mother, Enriqueta Guillén Rodriguez, from the 1950s. During this period, Rodriguez was a Private First Class and later, a Corporal, in the United States Army headed towards Seattle, Washington and Anchorage, Alaska. There are also letters from Raul A. Rodriguez writing from Guam to his mother in the 1950s. He described daily activities, weather, and counted the number of days left before heading home.

The majority of the later letters are from Manuel H. Rodriguez's sons: Phillip M. Rodriguez and Gregory R. Rodriguez with a few letters from Eugene J. Rodriguez. Most of Phillip's letters were written during the late 1970s, while he was studying at Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain. Gregory wrote most of his letters from New York where he worked at Chelsea House Publishers. The letters reveal a proud and loving relationship between a father and his son. In response to one letter, Gregory replied, "…this one was charming, funny and made me feel, not only happy, but loved…People are always impressed when I tell them about my dad" (July 11, 1989). Also included are letters from Manuel H. Rodriguez's former students.

Other family related material includes photographs. The photographs document Manuel H. Rodriguez's early life in Los Angeles in the 1930s, through his years as a soldier in the early 1950s, and finally, as a father, teacher, and globetrotter in the second half of the 20th century. Rodriguez also spent some time researching the maternal branch of the family, both in the United States and Mexico. The culmination of his research is in Box 14 (Album 1).

The military records and school records of Raul A. Rodriguez and Manuel H. Rodriguez are also included in this collection. There are also numerous printouts of articles written by Manuel H. Rodriguez and Gregory R. Rodriguez. The color slides in Box 14, mostly appears to be taken from Manuel H. Rodriguez's travels in Europe.

Arranged by genre.

Biographical / historical:

Manuel Henry Rodriguez was born in Los Angeles, California, on June 14, 1930. He was the son of Manuel N. Rodriguez and Enriqueta (Henrietta) Guillén.

Rodriguez received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1957 and 1961. He served in the United States Army from 1951 through 1953. In 1965, he entered law school and earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School (Loyola Marymount University). Rodriguez was a teacher for over four decades. He spent 35 years at Los Angeles Valley College, where he taught Spanish.

Rodriguez was previously married to Emilie Cacho. The couple had three sons: Eugene John Rodriguez, Gregory Raul Rodriguez, and Phillip Mark Rodriguez.

Raul Armando Rodriguez was born on March 28, 1932. He served in the United States Air Force as a crypto operator from 1951 through 1955. He married Ophelia M. Torres in April 1958. He passed away in 1964.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Gregory Rodriguez and Annette Kleiser, June 2018.
Rules or conventions:
Finding Aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Website