| Description | Businessman, musician. His recollections concerning the development of the Northside (Fort Worth, Texas) Hispanic community, his music career, and the evolution of his family’s Mexican foods business. Immigration of his parents and grandparents from Mexico, 1919; employment of his father with Swift & Co., Fort Worth; opening of the family grocery store, 1941; economic importance of Swift & Co. and Armour to the Northside; his youth and growing up on the Northside; maintenance of Mexican customs; his family’s rapid assimilation, patriotism, and pursuit of the American Dream; founding of the family’s tortilla factory, 1965, and creation of Rodriguez Festive Foods, Inc., the Northside’s largest employer; evolution and growth of the family business; sale of the business to Harvest States Foods, 2000; his career as a musician; comments about various Hispanic musicians and musical groups; comments about the state of the Hispanic music business; graduation from the University of Texas, Arlington with a degree in music education, 1976; his marriage and family |
