Transcript of interview with Liliam Lujan Hickey by Layne Karafantis, March 18, 2010, & March 25, 2010

An Interview with Liliam Lujan Hickey An Oral History Conducted by Layne Karafantis ______________________________________________ Las Vegas Women Oral History Project University of Nevada, Las Vegas 2010 2 ? NSHE, Women?s Research Institute of Nevada, 2010 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Quotation from this oral history shall follow appropriate academic citation standards: “Liliam Lujan Hickey,” interview by Layne Karafantis, 18 March 2010 and 25 March 2010, edited transcript, page numbers cited, Las Vegas Women Oral History Project, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV. Produced by: Las Vegas Women Oral History Project Women?s Research Institute of Nevada, UNLV Dr. Joanne L. Goodwin, Director Layne Karafantis, Interviewer Annette Amdal, Transcription 3 4 This interview and transcript have been made possible through the generosity of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Foundation. The College of Liberal Arts provides a home for the Women?s Research Institute of Nevada as well as a wide variety of in-kind services. The History Department provided necessary reassignment for the director as well as graduate assistants for the project. The department, as well as the college and university administration, enabled students and faculty to work together with community members to generate this selection of first-person narratives. The participants in this project thank the university for its support that gave an idea the chance to flourish. The following interview is part of a series of interviews conducted under the auspices of the Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Additional transcripts may be found under that series title. Joanne Goodwin, Project Director Associate Professor, Department of History University of Nevada, Las Vegas 5 Liliam Lujan Hickey 6 Preface Liliam Lujan Hickey is best known in the state of Nevada for being the first Hispanic woman elected to the State Board of Education as well as for the enormous contributions she made while serving from 1998 to 2000. For this, an elementary school in Clark County bears her name. Despite many obstacles, Liliam has continually dedicated herself to standing up for the causes she believes in, such as providing preschool education to the underprivileged, preparing youth to enter the workforce, helping other Hispanics run for office, and proving that with enough courage anyone can accomplish their dreams. Born in Havana, Cuba in 1932, Liliam led a sheltered life that revolved mostly around her studies at a French Dominican school. She met her first husband, Enrique Lujan, when she was only sixteen and they wed soon after. Enrique was twelve years her senior, owned many casinos on the island, and provided a luxurious existence for Liliam and their three children. However, this lifestyle abruptly changed when Castro assumed power in 1959 and Liliam and her family were compelled to relocate to the United States. In Miami, Enrique assisted other refugees financially, hoping that his wealth would remain secure in Cuba. He was wrong. This left the family destitute. In addition to casinos, Enrique had been Cuba?s coach for the Olympics. He moved the family to York, Pennsylvania, where he hoped to find work at the York Barbell Company. Liliam, who had been accustomed to having maids and nannies in Cuba, found herself doing all the housework while she also worked in a factory. The change could not have been more dramatic and the living conditions became unbearable. The family chose to move to San Diego in a Volkswagen Minivan with the hope for a better life. 7 The next few years brought many transitions. Things did turn around in San Diego, and Liliam she recalls her years in southern California as some of the happiest of her life. Liliam found a job working at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla. After a few years, Enrique found a job in Las Vegas and the family moved again. In Las Vegas, Liliam gave birth to her fourth child, Mary, and life once again became financially difficult for the family. In 1972, the situation grew worse with Enrique?s untimely death. Liliam was a widow at forty years of age. She had to teach herself how to drive a car, write checks, and perform financial tasks that Enrique had insisted on managing while he was alive. Determined not to give up, however, she worked tirelessly to keep the family together. Amidst all this, a friend introduced Liliam to Tom Hickey, and after a brief courtship they were married in 1981. Within a few years, Liliam became active in politics, running for the State Board of Education. Her campaign manager advised her that voters would not be receptive to photos of a Hispanic woman on billboards, and to capitalize on the name “Hickey,” which was a recognizable name because her husband was an assemblyman. She took the manager?s advice and was elected in that campaign and for two more terms, the maximum limit for the office. After the first race, she proudly displayed her face on billboards across the state. During her time at the State Board of Education, Liliam dedicated herself to helping all children receive a better education in Nevada, not only Hispanics. She co-founded the Classroom on Wheels [COW] program, which brought buses to poor neighborhoods to provide pre-school education. She established Career Day, which pairs high schools students with business professionals in an effort to help them make the transition into the workforce. While the COW program is no longer running, 8 Career Day still operates and awards scholarships in Liliam?s name annually, which helps youth receive the educational opportunities they need to succeed. And she involved Hispanic youth in Boy Scouts by bringing ScoutReach to the Las Vegas valley. Lujan Hickey worked in a wide array of other community organizations. In the 1970s, she began to work with Circulo Cubano, which later became the Latin Chamber of Commerce, and she would later belong to the National Chamber of Commerce. A longstanding member of the League of Women Voters, Liliam saw the need to get Hispanics more involved in politics in the state. Her story is one of great inspiration, and when asked why she does it, she simply replies with a smile, “I love life.” Hickey?s narrative offers the reader a glimpse of the experiences of the Cuban refugee experience in the U.S. in general. Specific to Las Vegas, it provides a rare story of the experiences of early Latinas in the political and economic development of Las Vegas in the last half of the twentieth century.9 An Interview with Liliam Lujan Hickey An Oral History Conducted by Layne Karafantis March 18, 2010 & March 25, 2010 10 Hello, this is Layne Karafantis. I am here with Liliam Lujan Hickey in her home on March 18th, 2010. Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Liliam. Oh, I?m delighted that you are coming to my house and I feel more comfortable here than any other place to tell you a little bit about my life. You have a lot of years to count. I’m anxious to hear about your story, and I was hoping that we could start by talking about where you were born, and your parents, and what your life was like growing up. Okay. My life was very exceptional. I live with my mother. I was born in Cuba. My mother divorced my father when I was one year old, and I was raised by a stepfather, which was one of the best persons in the world. But my brother stayed with my father and I came with my mother. Was it unusual for people to be getting divorces in the 1930’s? Yes. In the 30?s. That was very unusual to get a divorce, [but] for me it wasn?t unusual because my mother remarry, and she remarry one of the most wonderful gentlemans in the world. In fact, he?s the one that gave me a lot of insight of my life and how to look at life with a pink glass. What was your stepfather’s name? Manuel Companioni. That?s my brother?s name is Fernandez Camejo. Camejo is a name that most of the family has, because it was a very known, and my brother wants to be known better. Fernandez is like a “Smith” in the United States. Well, what did your stepfather do for a living? He was in the railroad business. And I like, I used to go and sit down and watch it, the, the railroad and the track coming in. He?s the one that managed of the lines for the railroad. It was very exciting for me, and he was, like I said, I spent a lot of time with him 11 and he was very important in my life. And then I used to see my brother, you know, when he come and visited my mother, but I was closer to, I was closer to my stepfather. I went to a private school. Do you just have the one brother? One brother only. And that was Fernandez? Jorge Fernandez Camejo. That?s my brother. Only one brother. Fernandez Camejo. What did your mother do for a living? My mother was a teacher, a music teacher. Music teacher. For young children? Yes. Elementary. Did she play a lot of instruments? She played the piano. Mmmm. And so you grew up with your mother and your stepfather in Havana? In Havana. Vedado. It?s like a suburb part of Havana. You were gonna tell me about your school experiences. Well, I went to the French Dominics, which is a nun school. I went there and then I like it because you go the whole day. You don?t go back home. You go on the bus. Mmmm hmmm. You wear a uniform. And then you go to the school. You have lunch there. And I finished there. You go there all elementary, preschool, you know, all the things you go together. And it was an exciting life because I like the nuns. So you said, so you went to this school through high school, or…? 12 Well, that?s just one of the things you have to learn. I have a Bachelor?s of Science and Letters from Havana, Cuba, which it doesn?t count here as Science and Letter, because you go there from the first grade to thirteenth, and that?s you finish your bachirato. And when you finish your bachirato, then you decided what you want to do. In America, you don?t do that. The education is a big conflict, but my education was excellent. And it was very complete. I have a, Spanish in the morning, and the afternoon was languages. Manners, language, you know, I have French, I have Italian, I have Portuguese, I have Latin, which you learn. Then I learn English. I have six languages and I don?t know. French, Spanish, Italian, French, Latin, English, and Portuguese. Okay? Wow. I got it. Six. And those languages were done in the afternoon. You could not speak any other language. No Spanish or anything. It was all languages and classes. It was a, very intense because, you know, when you spend the whole day in the school, that?s a better education. I had lunch there, and the school, you go to the whole thing until the thirteenth grade. And that?s what I did. They went… Was it coeducational? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. All girls. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Only woman. French Dominics is only a woman. I’m sorry. I just remembered that you said it was a school run by nuns, so that makes sense. 13 And we used to flirt with the La Salle School kids when they come with the buses. You know, we have a, those big, long pants to do exercise and we used to make it a short. You know, to make it fun, to flirt with the kids at the La Salle School. The school was run by all nuns. And I was one of the favored one because I talked too much. And the, the reason for it that is they [pause] when we pray the rosary in the church, I learn all the mysteries because I have to keep my mouth shut. That way I be on alert when they play the rosary, that I can make sure that I don?t talk again, you know. And I have to do the mystery. I don?t know if you are Catholic, but you pray a rosary, and then, in between the twelve prayers that you do, you have a mystery of a life of the church. And I used to do that just to keep my mouth shut. Mmmm hmmm. So what do you remember about growing up, and what did you want to do when you got older? Let me tell you. I don?t have too much of what growing up because I finish high school. I tried to go to, you know, to the [pause] with the Science and Letter and graduated, and I never [pause] my thought was being an interpreter for the United Nations. You need three, two languages complete, and do that. But then I got married. I met my husband, my late husband, and I got married at seventeen. I didn?t have too much time to say what I?m gonna do, you know? I got married and it was very interesting. I marry a very, a man older than me, twelve years old. And he very educated. He was owner of five casinos in Cuba and he was also Olympic coach of Cuba. Oh, what was his name? Enrique Lujan. And he was twelve years older than me. How did you meet? 14 I have a, friends and sisters that we used to go to the racetrack and they [pause] I used to go there, you know, you use chaperone to go anyplace, and I used to be the chaperone of my cousins, and they were dating and I met this older guy at the [racetrack], after that, we just marry, and we were married for twenty-three years until he passed away. Had you dated much before you met him? Nothing. Nothing. Nothing, he was my first love, my first kiss, my first everything. I never met anybody else because my mother was very controlling, you know. I could not do too many things. And in fact, when I was dating him, my mother used to sit in the, in the living room reading magazines and I have to talk to him in front of my mother. That?s the culture. Wow. Very special culture, you know. The parents have to sit down and, and listen to your conversation, and he used to kiss me in front of her just to spoil her. And bah!! “Don?t worry about it. I?m gonna ignore that she?s there,” because he was a rebel, very rebel. What did your mother and stepfather think, or…? Nothing, they, my stepfather, they don?t care. They thought it was good, but my mother used to sit there and that?s the way she was. Sitting and adopted and you know, seventeen years old, I didn?t have too much [pause] in fact, I was gonna, sixteen years old is, you have to ask authorization. I turned seventeen after I married because I was sixteen and a half in school, and I had to ask permission from my father, my blood father to get married because you cannot get married at the age of seventeen without the consent of your father. From your blood father. 15 Yeah. From my real father. That was enforced by the marriage license department, or…? For everything. You know, you couldn?t, you are a minor. In Cuba, you are a minor, I think, until, yeah. I just didn’t know if your blood father still had legal custody over you? Oh yeah, it does, because he used to pay a, you know, money for me. And I had to call him, and he said are you sure, you know, that you want to get married? I say, well, yes, in a way it was a nice way to get away from the environment that I was in. And I marry and it was very nice. It was a very unique life. How long had you been dating before you married? Not too long. Not too long. We marry, you know, I marry at almost seventeen, we just was a very short time. So did you move in with him or did you…? Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, that doesn?t exist. In fact, I marry by the civil, you know, court with him, and my youngest daughter, you know, was born [pause] the oldest one, was born nine months and fifteen days. At that time, it counts, you know, the old ladies used to count, the family used to count. And I say fifteen days after the marry, I was saved by the bell [laugh]. She was born in [pause] I was married in April and she was born in January. It was nine months and fifteen days, you know, that way, the old ladies in the neighborhood knew that I was not doing something. That it was proper. It was a lot proper at that time. Mmmm hmmm. 16 But very interesting. What year was that that you got married? 19, uh, God. 1950? Yep. You were born in ’32. Yeah. 1950. Seventeen. 1950. April ?49. Yeah. So probably April of ’49? Yeah. And had your first daughter nine months and fifteen days later? Nine months, fifteen days, very important. The fifteen day counts for the old lady. And I move with my parent, his parents, at his house. He used to own a gym, Gimnasio Lujan, that was very [pause] he built this gym for his parents. And it?s the Lujan Gym and I have some pictures. I don?t know where I have the pictures. And he build it, that way his father [pause] his father was a lawyer, but he never liked to practice as a lawyer. He only practiced to be a lawyer with the family. You know, his wife have money and he was the lawyer for the family. But he, he was uh, very good in gymnastics and he did open and built up a gym. He build up a house for the two of us. You know, we live with his parents in the room, that?s where Lili and Sylvia were born. Then we moved to [pause] he built a house, a two-level house in back of the gym and in that little house that?s, then later on it came Rick, you know, five years later on. But we have a house, and he can walk from the men?s gym to the house, and I could walk to the woman?s gym, which I used to help my sister-in-law in the woman?s gym, which was very luxurious, very nice. What he wants to 17 do is build more floors in the building, and then in the top of the building have a house for us with a swimming pool and the kids and everything. But… How many kids do you have? I have four. And the first three are with Enrique or all… All of them are with Enrique. Yeah. Okay. So it was, you said it was Lili… Liliam, like me. Sylvia… Mmmm hmmm. …Rick, and Mary was born here at the Sunrise Hospital. She was born here in Las Vegas. In Las Vegas. Right. All the other ones were born in Cuba. So you had these plans to build up this gym and build a house with a pool? Yeah. Then Castro came over. He [husband Enrique] used to own the casinos there. And he was a very wealthy, and his family was wealthy, too, to the point that I was very innocent when I marry him. I had to go to a lawyer and sign the paper, paper that says that only childrens born from that marriage would be entitled to the money. Not me, the children. You know, that?s a premarital. Why was that? Because he was very wealthy. His family, he was wealthy on his side of the house of his mother side, but in that they have a lot of properties and a lot of money, and they have a, 18 a cayo1 and everything. But I have to sign the paper, that way, the childrens would be the only beneficiaries on the time if anything happened. And you did? Yeah. And I was very innocent at that time. I don?t think, I was as most naïve, silly person in the world. And I don?t want you to laugh too hard, but I was to the point that I thought “French kiss” was having sex [laugh]. Hmmm. Because the nuns, the nuns gave you, at that time, you know, the nuns give you a feeling that everything is a very sin and if you breathe too hard, it?s sin, too, you know, and I learn everything from my late husband, like I said. And he was twelve years older than me. And I, like I said, I?m going back to the gym. He build a gym we have in the back and now it comes the story, you know, when, for several months when the Castro took over, we have to run around the island with the kids because, you know, he owns casino and they took over the casino. The revolution came to Cuba, I think it was in 1960, ?59 or ?60. Yeah. It was in December of ?59, and I think it, I, I hope I give you the right date but you can check.2 I can check. Then, at that time, with the, let me go back. ?59, it was a revolution, and what we did because they want, they could take him to jail because we have put some money in the house for the Americans that we have business in the gambling casino. We have two bodyguards sleeping in the downstairs, and then me and the kids and my husband in the 1 A cayo is a private island, like a key. 2 Quoted from Wikipedia, “The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt that led to the overthrow of dictator Fulgencio Batista of Cuba on January 1, 1959 by the 26th of July Movement led by Fidel Castro.” 19 top of the house. And we used to leave the house and come back. Then we decided to leave. We were gonna leave immediately but we have to leave in 1960, in December of 1960, January the, no [pause] December the 20 in 1960 we left Cuba. And we didn?t left early because the kids have the mumps and we have to wait. But in the meantime, we were sending our employees from the different casinos to Miami with money. We were able to send five hundred for each member of the family, and we were putting some money, which at that time was a lot of money, you know. Yes. We were able to put some money in Miami that the employees. We pay for the trip going to Miami, then come back to Cuba. We did it for several times. And that?s how we got some money in Miami. After you had established finances. You have to know when we packed. When we packed, we didn?t tell my mother. This is my house, this is my mother house, this is my gym, and then this here is an apartment building. My mother, my brother [pause] Let?s see. But I didn?t tell anybody that I was leaving. Why not? Oh, because they will stop us. My mother, at that time, liked Castro. My brother, too. My mother-in-law did not care for, and my father-in-law did not care for it. Did it have to do with your husband’s family being well-to-do? Probably, because they took over everything we owned. We owned a cayo, you know, Cayo Sabinal, is all, was my husband and you know, we have my house, the gym and we 20 were pretty well off. Let?s put it this way. I have a chauffeur, I have a maid, I have a lady that do my clothes, I have a cook, and for each child, I have a nana. Really? Yeah. So you had a lot to lose. I lost everything. You know, when I have my dresses made, because he [husband Enrique] was a little bit jealous, you know, I have to go, I called the, the store that was very famous, El Encanto, and the story, the story there, I used to tell them what I want for a party or for something I was gonna go. They have my clothes in linen, you know. And they, I say the material, what it was it for, for instance a party, and they bring the dress and I wear it and go. That was the story of my life, you know. My problem was to keep the uniform, you know. The kitchen and the other help use a striped uniform with green, and the other one was a little bit of a stripe uniform with white, that they keep the uniform. Then the nanas use a white uniform. And I have for the nanas, big dresses, you know, big fancy uniforms when we go out to parties and things like that. Approximately how old were your children when you left Havana? Well, my, my young child, which was Ricky, was five. So five, and probably ten? Then the other ones, and then, ten, the other one is ten then, and Lili. Lili?s the one that remembers the most. She remembers all the dates better than me, and she?s very, she remember more than I do. So you and your husband and three relatively young children… Right. 21 …are making the move to the U.S.? Yes. Do you go to Miami? I, yeah, Miami. And when we moved to, we went in a plane. I have to tell you the story of the plane. When we went in the plane, they, they were militiamen, and a friend of ours helping us. I pack my things in the luggage, that way my mother-in-law did not know that I was leaving. My mother did not know that I was leaving. It was only my sister-in-law that went to the airport with me. Really? And my orders were that way because he [husband Enrique], see, he was twelve years older, he treated me also like a child, you know, I have a whistle, you know [unclear] I have a whistle for me, each one of the kids, very strict guy, very husky and strict guy. He used to have a whistle for each one of us, but let?s don?t go out of the system. When we get in the plane, he said to me, “I have a toledana.” A toledana is a knife with a zing, like a switchblade. “If they pull me out of the plane for any reason, you stay in the plane...” Mmmm hmmm. “And you don?t go, you go to the United States. You…” That’s what your husband said? Says, because he said, “I?m gonna take care of them. But you stay in the plane and you go to the United States.” And that?s what I did. I have a, stay quiet in the plane, nothing happened, and we end up in Miami. In Miami, we rented an apartment and everybody that was recently come from Cuba came over to visit, and they were asking for money 22 and did he have any money [pause] and we stay in Miami a month and a half and we lost a lot of money. Was that… Yeah, because he likes, he, he thought that, you know, when you come as an exile, you think that you?re coming back. You know? And we have the money in the bank there and he helped some of his friends, some of his employee that were having, and we decided, at that time, you know, I don?t have no voice with him. He?s the one that will said we gonna move out of Miami. And then we bought a car, which it was a very, my daughter could give you all the names and everything of the car, “Miami Special,” that?s what we call it. And we moved with the three of us all the way to York, Pennsylvania. Where is that in Pennsylvania? It?s where the York Barbell Company is. It?s in Pennsylvania. What was the reason? Because he was an Olympic coach of Cuba of weight lifting and that is where the people train at the York Barbell Company. You know, when you see those weight, that?s a joke, but, the family was very nice there. They got us an old, old apartment on top of a bar, you know, and then he [Enrique] was training. He was coaching some people and doing what he likes to do and we were just living there. I used to send the kids to school. At that time, the snow was coming, and we didn?t know how to keep up the car. You know, we put loads of sand in the car, that way they don?t go with the snow. I’m sure coming from Cuba and then Miami, I’m sure you were not used to snow. With Miami especially. Yeah, it was very interesting because if you have to pay a bill and there?s no way, finally end up leaving the car there. We don?t ever move it. And we used 23 to lose all the antenna, we knew there was a car. My kids used to walk to school a lot of time, they just teaching English and French in Pennsylvania. And my kids used to run to the school, and when they come out, crying, you know, frozen in this [pause] it was a complete different life. But he [Enrique] likes it there and we stay there for awhile. Were you working at all or just taking care of the kids? No, I start working there because I have to clean the apartment which I never done in my life. And you know, in America, this is things that people don?t use. I never change a diaper because I never babysit my kids, you know. I never did anything like that. You don?t do babysitting in Cuba, you know, you just have somebody that do it for you. Then I came to America and I have to do everything. I used to clean the apartment, you know, the stairs and the apartment to earn the apartment. Then I asked them if they could, and I could not, my husband spoke English but I didn?t. And I went to work for the company filling bottles, you know, those vitamins, super vitamins and super things. I work in a factory there, and then I used to go in the front and with my broken English, used to sell vitamins, too, and… How did you teach yourself how to speak English better? Well, the speak English came over later when we moved from York, Pennsylvania. He [Enrique], there was no future for him or for me. He was in a study to be hotel manager in the thing, but you know, he was not in reality, you know [pause]. This was a guy that had been wealthy, his life, a casino owner doing, you know, interviewing cocktail waitress, all these type of things that you see here, that was his life. And his weight lifting, very pure. He couldn?t get a job, well, there. You know, the coaching doesn?t pay, 24 you just go to the gym, and we could not see ourself getting ahead. We sold the “Miami Special” and we bought a Volkswagen minivan. Volkswagen minivan? Yes. That was the rest of our money, you know. We didn?t have too much money but we bought all those in cash. I used to see things in cash because we didn?t have credit. We finally sold the car. During that time, that I was in York, Pennsylvania, my sister-in-law send me her son. The kid wants to [pause] Delfina wanted her son to be leaving Cuba, and he call, they send him to me and he came to live with us in York, Pennsylvania. And so you raised him? Yes, I raised my nephew. I used to be with him all the time, taking care of him, because his mother was in television doing show for the exercise classes, and his father, he was a dentist, but he was a bar owner. And they have a very [pause] they are club people, you know. They used to go society people. My, my late husband was not that. He was a everyday guy and he didn?t like the clubs or anything. And I raised my nephew. So you, did you keep in touch with his mother and… No, his mother died where, there. I never saw her again. What about your own mother? Did you ever talk to her? No, my mother came from Cuba to live with me when they, you know, those boats came from Miami, to Cuba, Cuban airlift? Cuban airlift. My mother came from Cuba but she didn?t get into the airlift, she came over to live with me, finally. 25 Approximately when was that, the mid-sixties? Were you still in York, Pennsylvania when she came to live with you? No, no, no, no, no. I was already in Las Vegas. Okay, so we’ll go back to… To San Diego. San Diego, you have to do, it?s a very interesting life because in San Diego, I found myself. We will. So you moved from York to San Diego in the VW minivan? Yeah. Everybody inside would sleep there too, because we didn?t have no money, and we eat chocolate barbell, you know, no money. Mmmm hmmm. We bought peanut butter, and a lot of peanut butter, that was our lunch, and once in awhile we have a meal. And most of the time we ate Chinese because you have a family style and it costs less money, because at that time we don?t have no money. The story of San Diego is very interesting. We moved to San Diego and we got an apartment, a hotel that has one bedroom. Then we have the boys living in the—my son, my husband and my nephew—living in the living room, and the girls, it was one of those utility apartment, and the girls live in the other, and the sink. During my time that I worked there, my husband got a job, even though in the apartment, and the guy of the building owned the motel, he don?t mind for us to stay, and he took good friendship with us. I used to go across the street and have my hair done because I model for the hairstyle, and I did everything for free, you know, for the modeling. But anyway, during that time, I went to work myself without no English in a department store. 26 What were you doing there? I was a saleslady. So your English had improved by that point? No. No. No, dear. It?s a survival skill in me. It was a lady came over, and you know, at the store, the first day that I was hired, one dollar an hour. I used to work for one dollar an hour and I thought it was a big thing, but my husband, my late husband, used to work as a gardener at the bishop in the church, cleaning the, you know, taking care of the football field, and that was very depressing. But anyway, I work in the department store and the lady came over and says she wants a placemat. I said, “Let me tell you one thing. I?m new. I don?t speak English that much. Why don?t we make a tour?” You know? And I was so friendly and polite and she was the sister of the owner of the store. And she liked my personality. There was no department that I didn?t work, that?s how I got pans and cooking things. You know, if you sell so many pans you get a set for you. The salesmen give you things for you. And I did sell in every department. The one that was difficult to work was the jewelry department because I could not pronounce it. But I sold a little bit in the every store. But then when I was there one of my friends came over and said, you know, in the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, they are looking for a bilingual medical secretary, and they pay good. You know? At that time, I still have my cultural-made clothes, you know. I have a head, I went to the interview and I have a little veil, you know, you used at that time, a little small veil. By the way, believe it or not, I still hav