{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/mg7fq9rj8s/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Interview with Elizabeth Ruiz"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/173/original/Logo_CL_ColorReversed.png?1773939905","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Preferred Citation"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eInterview with Elizabeth Ruiz. TU Treasures Oral History Collection. UAOH003-014. Coates Library Special Collections and Archives. Trinity University (San Antonio, Tex.).\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Publisher"]},"value":{"en":["Trinity University Special Collections and Archives"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThe materials in this collection may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). The materials are available for personal, educational, and scholarly use. 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Today is July 6, 2023.  I am Lee Denney, a student at Trinity University and today I am interviewing Elizabeth Ruiz. Ruiz is an alumna of Trinity University and was here from 1971 to 1975. I am also joined by Seb Mora who will be monitoring the recording equipment.  The interview today will mainly focus on Latinx experiences at Trinity as well as her post-grad life.  This interview is being recorded for the Conmemorando a la Comunidad: Latinx Experiences at Trinity University and archived with the University Archives, part of the Trinity University’s Special Collections and Archives in Coates Library.\n\nAlright.  So what was it like for you growing up?  Tell me about some of your earliest childhood memories of family, friends, and community.\n\nRUIZ: Oh my gosh. Well, I was born in the South side of San Antonio, and we lived there for five years and then moved to the West side by Las Palmas. We lived on Las Palmas Drive near Las Palmas Shopping Center. I went to school in the Edgewood Independent School District the entire time, except for kindergarten. When we were living in the Harlandale School District on the South Side, I attended a kindergarten run by a church.  Then we moved to the West Side and I went to school in the Edgewood Independent School District for the rest of my time --Las Palmas Elementary and then Edgewood Junior High, which is no longer there. They turned it into something else a long time ago. And then John F. Kennedy High School. \n\nDENNEY: What was your experience like in high school? \n\nRUIZ: I was very popular. I was in the band. I was a twirler, a football sweetheart, you name it. But when senior year came, I was very torn about what I was going to do because my mother kept saying, “I can't afford to pay bills” and “Why don't you just get a job at Kelly Air Force Base?” I was stunned because, you know, people ask me, well, what was it in you that made you want to go to college? I hung around with friends who were planning to go to college. One of my friend's mothers was a nurse, and so I thought, well, okay, I can be a nurse. I didn't have any role models because nobody in my family went to college. My mother graduated from high school, but my father dropped out when he was in the 8th grade and helped my grandmother and his siblings work in the fields.  My parents divorced when I was five years old and my mother was a single parent most of my childhood, however, my father remained part of my life and paid child support. And my mom always said, “You don't have to go to college, just get through high school.” She never pushed me. She said, “You know, if you just graduate with C's, I'll be, I'll be happy.” But no, I was always striving for more. And so I was an A and B student. And then when she told me, “Oh, just get a job at Kelly,” I thought, Okay, I never went against my mom, but I said, This is one time I will. If I have to move out, I'm going to do it. And I didn't know where I would go or what I was going to do, but I thank God for our school librarian at John F. Kennedy High School. Her name was Stella Villarreal. And so a few of us would hang out at the library and talk to her and she asked me what I planned to do.  I said, “I don't know. I guess I'm going to go to SAC [San Antonio College] and work and, you know, see if I can make enough money to go.” She recommended me to some people at Trinity University and I ended up getting scholarships, grants and loans.  It was just wonderful. I couldn't believe it. And I didn't even know what Trinity University was. I didn't know that it was this, you know, prestigious university for rich kids. I didn't know. I had no idea. And I lived in San Antonio, but I hardly ever got out of my neighborhood. I mean, I didn't have a car. Mom worked two jobs, or three jobs, so I didn't get out much and I didn't know what Trinity was, but I was happy to be going to a university. I didn't realize until I got here what a great thing it was. I knew it was expensive because it was taking a lot of scholarships and grants and loans to pay for it. I knew I was going to have student debt, but that's how I ended up here at Trinity University. \n\nDENNEY: And the librarian told you about the Ford Foundation Scholarship? \n\nRUIZ: You know, you told me that. I had so many. I didn't remember that. That’s terrible. (laughter)\n\nDENNEY: It's okay. \n\nRUIZ: But, you know, keep in mind, I just turned 70. But, yeah, I mean, I'm just grateful to everybody who helped me. \n\nAnd that first year here was a real culture shock. I didn't know if you wanted me to talk about that. \n\nDENNEY: Yes, in a litte bit. (laughter) So once you became settled into the routine of semester schedules, what did a typical day as a student at Trinity look like for you? \n\nRUIZ: Okay. Well, I ended up majoring in music. I didn't know, you know what I was going to major in. I wasn't sure. First, I was going to be a nurse just because I had seen my friend’s","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882#t=0.0,300.0"},{"id":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882/transcript/72017/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"mother, who was a nurse.  As I said, I didn't have many female role models with professional careers. So it was either a teacher or a nurse, but I realized I didn't like the sight of blood.  I said, I don't think I'm going to be a nurse. So I decided to be a music teacher because I had been in band and that was something that I could relate to. I knew I could make money. I needed a job. I mean, I could get a job and make money. That was very, very important. So I thought, well, I'll be a teacher. I decided to major in music education. I don't know if you still have counselors who deal with you one on one, but the counselor I was assigned to was a music genius. I mean, we ended up, you know, hitting it off afterwards. But at first, he got me in there to talk about what classes I was going to take. and I wasn't sure. I didn't know if this was the way you're supposed to do things in college. I took his advice, but one thing struck me. When we were having our conversation, he had reviewed my records and he said, “Well, you're going to make it, but I think you're going to be a C student.” Yeah. but see, he was such a musical genius. He wasn’t really a people person, but I didn’t know why he said that. I was shocked and I said, “But I was an A and B student, top ten percent of my class at Kennedy.” And he said, “Well, your SAT scores were not great.” And I said, “Well, yeah, they were bad.” My SAT scores were. We didn't have tutors or anybody to help us. I didn't know what the SAT was. We just sat there and took it, you know. No preparation, nothing like that. And so he said because of the SAT scores and the school I came from, college would be difficult.  I thought, well, what does that mean? I really didn't know that there were some schools that were considered better than others. I did know that some of my friends in the neighborhood, their parents would send them to other schools, even enrolling them in the San Antonio   District. And, you know, I talked to my mother about that one time and she told me, “Don't worry about it, you're going to be successful wherever you are.” So, you know, that stayed with me, and I said, well, okay. But when he (my counselor) told me that, I could have gone either way. I could have gotten really mad, you know, which I did. I just decided to go for it and prove him wrong.  Had I been somebody else, I might have just cowered and said, really? Is that the best I can do? But when he told me that, oh my gosh, it really affected me. And like I've told some of my friends, the West Side came out in me. \n\nDENNEY: Yeah.\n\nRUIZ: The fighting spirit. And so, I said, “No way! I'm going to be an A student.” And it was so difficult in music. You know, I didn't think it would be that hard. But, I mean, my classmates had grown up going to symphony concerts. They knew about the composers and all of that theory and I didn't. My mom did give me, well, she gave me piano lessons. I mean, she didn't teach me, but she hired a teacher in the neighborhood to give me piano lessons. But what I knew was just playing notes. I didn't know anything about being musical or phrasing or anything like that. I didn't know about symphony and opera and everything else. But here I was. And I had to learn it. So I worked really hard. And my friends wouldn't understand. Or my relatives. “Well, you're majoring in music, that's easy.”. But, oh, I had to study so hard. And, you know, I had to work to keep up with them., but I did it.  I kept up my grades. My first year, I would wait for the bus on Cupples Road. And I don't know if you're familiar with that neighborhood, but I would be out there at like six in the morning in order to go downtown, take a transfer, and come to Trinity. But I had to. I mean, my mom was busy getting ready to work and that was the only way I could come to college. I was not going to complain because I know she would say, “Well, don't worry about college, just go get a job at Kelly.” I never complained to her about anything, but after my freshman year, you know, I said, Oh, gosh, this isn't going to work.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882#t=300.0,600.0"},{"id":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882/transcript/72017/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"So I bought a car for like $400 or $500. It was a Delta 88 and it was lopsided. (laughter) My mom was really worried about me driving across town, but I did it. And then one night, I said, “Mom, we're going to study.” It was a music theory test. And I said, “One of my friends got keys to the music library.” We had to listen to these musical pieces, these works over and over and over and analyze them and everything else. And so that was going to be part of our test the next day. So I said, “He got the keys and we're going to study all night.” And she said, “What? No, you're not.” And so, oh, my gosh. Well, I made it through the test. But I didn't get to study with my friends. Looking back, I guess, if I had an 18-year-old daughter who was in college, I might not believe her if she said they were going to study all night. So after that, I decided I am going to move to the dorms because I had to practice, you know, at weird hours. It was difficult to get a practice room here. And my piano was a clunky, clunky, clunk old, thing--old and out of tune. I went and got a loan from the Minnie Piper Stevens Scholarship Foundation and that paid for my dorm, so I lived here. My first dorm was Myrtle. And I was practicing at one or two in the morning, walking across campus. And I thought, Oh, if my mother knew this, she'd be having a fit. But she felt better about me, you know, living on campus. And like I said, she didn't know about college either. Because it’s like crazy. And in those days, oh, my gosh, flashing was a big thing, you know. \n\nDENNEY: What!\n\nRUIZ: Did you ever hear about that? Oh, my gosh. Well, that's not part of the Latino experience. (laughter) So I don't know why I got off on that. But, I mean, these guys, these frat guys would just strip and run across campus. And everybody would be, “Ahh!”, screaming and stuff. But anyway, all right. You can erase that. (laughter) \n\nDENNEY: It’s okay.\n\nRUIZ: I hung around with the townies. We were called the townies. We'd hang out at the SUB, The student Union Building. [Coates Student Center] Is it still called the Student Union Building? No. Well, it was the SUB. And that was our hangout, you know, my freshman year before I moved to the dorm. And even after I moved here, I still hung out there. Because, you know, a lot of my friends, Hispanic friends. And we could relate and talk and everything else. And I, forgot to tell you, I didn't know anything about sororities or fraternities. Except that my friends who went to St. Mary's [University] were in sororities and fraternities. And they were having a blast. So, I said, “Okay, I want to be in one.” So I get an invitation from the Spurs. Do you know that sorority? \n\nDENNEY: Yeah. It’s still around.\n\nRUIZ: Okay. And so, my friend and I said, “Well, let's go.” And we didn't know because when we had parties, you know, kids, teenagers, whatever, it was just come as you are. And we go to this party. And we're like all sweaty, in shorts and, you know, just t-shirts. And we show up at the door. Ding dong. “Hello!” (laughter) And they’re all looking man, it’s like, you know, they're all dressed nice. And it's this food I hadn't seen before. The finger foods. Well, needless to say, I didn't get invited to be in the sorority. But I said, well, you know, I said, “Okay. I'm just going to join the sororities where I can do it based on my academic skills or my music skills.” And I got in Mu Phi Epsilon. And I joined the education sorority. And we weren't party, party sororities like I had wanted to be.in But then I understood, Ah, that's how it works. Anyway, when I moved to the dorm in Myrtle, my roommate was Paula. She seemed very nice. And she introduced herself to me. And then she moved, she moved out. She moved to her boyfriend's dorm. So I don't know if she moved because she wanted to be with her boyfriend or because she didn't want to live with me. So, but anyway, I thought, Well, that's okay. I've got the dorm to myself, I've got the room to myself. You know, I still had to share with some","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882#t=600.0,900.0"},{"id":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882/transcript/72017/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"girls, you know. We had to share the restrooms and showers and all that. Yeah, so, that was one of my first experiences where I hadn't really encountered––like I said, I stayed in my neighborhood a lot. And so I hadn't encountered that kind of experience. And so then I thought things were just going peachy keen. And I had friends in Mu Phi Epsilon. And like I said, we would practice together and everything. And then it was parents’ weekend. And so they'd been talking and talking about, you know, the girls in the dorm had been talking about their parents coming in and everything. And it was pretty exciting. And so one of my friends, one of my closest friends from the music department had her parents come. And she didn't even introduce me to them. And I thought, I thought we were best friends. And I was very disappointed in that, you know, but okay. I mean, it was all a learning experience, you know. But I am so grateful to this university for the chances that I did have. The man who told me I was going to be a C student, Dr. [Gerald] Benjamin, he ended up really being one of my mentors. He said, “I think you should play harpsichord.” And I said, “Well, what is it?” (laughter) So he told me what it was. And there was one in the Chapman [Graduate] Library. And I would have to practice in there while students were studying, which I didn't understand why they put it there. But anyway, so, you know, that was an experience. And then he selected me to be in this group, singing in a vocal group, Collegium Musicum. And we did some songs from, say, the Renaissance, Medieval times and I loved it. Gregorian Chant, you know. And maybe I was becoming a musical snob, but I loved it. (laughter) \n\nAnd––but my choir director, see, I had always been in band, but I thought, What? The band doesn’t play at the football games? They don't do parades? And I thought, Oh, I don't want to be in that kind of band. So, they said, “Well, you have to be in a music ensemble of some sort.” So then I said, “Okay, well, I'll be in the choir.” And I had never sung in the choir before. I'd sung at church, but I hadn't sung in the choir. And so, but Claude Zetty was the choir director. And he saw something in me. The first year, every--all the freshman choir members had to sing at the chapel on Sundays. But that was fine. We would wear robes, and we could just roll out of bed, roll up the jeans, and put on our robes (laughter) and we’d be out of here. So that was nice, you know, but then he was taking some choir members to Yugoslavia. Yeah. Yeah. Well, the former Yugoslavia, which is now like Bosnia-Herzegovina. But anyway, I thought, Well, that's pretty cool. I mean, I would get to ride an airplane, which I hadn't done before. And so he had tryouts. And so I told my mother about it. And again, there was the money problem. Even though they were going to pay for everything, we had to pay a nominal fee of like maybe $200 or something. And I had been saving up to help my mom because we needed a new fridge.  And anyway, I was out there talking to my next-door neighbor, who was a teacher. Her name was Gloria. And she said, well, I was telling her, I said, “Gosh, you know, they're going to have tryouts. I want to go so bad.” But, you know, I told her, “Our fridge is going out. I've been saving this money.” And she said, “You're never going to get this opportunity again. You're never going to do it. Just do it. Talk to your mom. If you need me to, I'll talk to her, too.” So, I went and told my mom. She goes, “Oh, try out. You probably won't get it anyway.” So, I said, “Well, okay.” (laughter) So I tried out. And I did make it! And the director told me that it was, I mean, he was very honest. He said, “I selected you because you smile when you sing.” (laughter) Okay. Wow. That made me happy. So, yeah, I was an alto. And so, I went. And what an experience that was. Oh, my gosh. Our choir director ended up getting arrested. \n\nDENNEY: Oh, my gosh. \n\nRUIZ: Yeah. I don't know if you want to hear about that. No, she does [referring to Schnur] Yeah? Okay.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882#t=900.0,1200.0"},{"id":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882/transcript/72017/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"kle\n\n \n\nWe were talking about it at the recent reunion. Well, I say recent, but I think it was in 2019, when some of our choir members came to sing with the current choir and Dr. [Gary] Seighman. Oh, I love him. And so, we were reminiscing about this. But when we were in Yugoslavia, it was part of an exchange, a cultural exchange program. And so, we would go sing. We had a, like a Pops concert where we'd do contemporary things. We had drums and bass and everything else. So, we would dance and sing. And, but that's for the scheduled concerts in special venues. And then if we were driving around in the bus and running around, and if we saw a neat little place, we'd get off and sing a cappella. And so, it was always working great. And people––I could hear some of the, some of my classmates, choir mates say, well, gee, the socialism thing isn't that bad. So, yeah. So we go, “Oh, not bad, not bad.” We were getting the red-carpet treatment, nice dinners. Until this one night, it was a beautiful park and our choir director said, “Let's get off and sing.” And we would sing some songs in Latin that were religious. And we would sing some gospel music and anything we could do a cappella. And so, we started to sing and then everything was going well. And the crowd, you know, we started gathering a crowd at the park and then the police came and they had these batons. And so, they tapped the choir director on the shoulder. And he was looking at us and, you know, of course, directing us. And he turned around and went, “Hi, hi.” You know, he kept smiling. They just tapped him on the shoulder, and he didn't know, and so he kept directing us. We kept singing. And then all of a sudden, they started yelling, these officers, you know. And so, we didn't know what was going on and then the crowd started jeering and saying stuff to them, shouting at them, at the officers, because they wanted to hear us. And they were angry at them. Well, they ended up taking our choir director. We’re just left standing there. So, the leader of our group, one of the senior members, you know, he said, “Everybody on the bus.” So we all got on the bus. Our tour guide, where was he at the time? Nowhere to be found. I don't know where he had gone. And I guess he figured everything's fine. You know, they're singing. And he took off. He was not there when all this happened, so we were on the bus and some of the girls were crying and screaming. I said, I've lived through gang fights and stuff. (laughter) Okay. I mean, it was scary, but I've seen a lot, you know, growing up in my neighborhood. They were all scared and everything and so, finally, our tour guide comes and says, “What happened?” And so we told him and then he had to go and get our director out. We went back to the hotel and then he went and sorted everything out. But it was just a very scary experience. It really was, you know, because we were in a different country. But it still was pretty scary. So, after that, apparently what we found out was that the city officials in this particular city had not gotten word about what was going on, that we were coming. And so, we had broken the law by assembling a group, and also by singing religious music in public. So, yeah. So that was a very educational experience, but I am so grateful to Mr. Zetty. Because I got to go to Yugoslavia. It was my first time in an airplane. My first time overseas. You know, it's just great. So, I'm grateful to this university for a lot of things. That being one of them and I ended up graduating cum laude. \n\nDENNEY: Really?\n\nRUIZ: So, yeah, I showed you [in reference to Dr. Benjamin] (laughter). But, yeah. We had to concentrate on an instrument and mine was piano. And so I, Dr. Andy Mihalso, was supposed to be one of the strictest teachers. And I'm thinking, Why did I get assigned to him? And, yeah, some of the other students were saying, “Why did she get assigned to him?” You know, because they wanted him.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882#t=1200.0,1500.0"},{"id":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882/transcript/72017/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"And I think, I don't know. And so he, he was, he would treat me like a, like this project. Like a little protégé or something. Like this little girl from the West side. “I'm going to teach her to play Mozart. I'm going to teach her, you know, “Beethoven.” So, he, when I finally got what he was trying to tell me and I played a few phrases that were musical, and not just clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk. Like I had learned. He was ecstatic. So then he was telling other students, “Oh, you need to hear her.” Believe me, I was not talented. He just felt like, look what I've done. You know, she came here knowing nothing. And now she's able to play musically. And so, anyway, one of the times that I was in there, he was yelling and yelling. And he always had a box of Kleenex there. [00And then he looked at me and said, “Why don't you cry?” And I thought, What? But he would make the girls cry. You know, because he yelled and all that, but I just, you know, took it with a grain of salt; Hey, I'm passing. I'm getting a good grade, you know, and that's what's important. So that didn't bother me. But he did. And I'm sure he was curious. You know, “All the other girls cry when I’m mean to them.” You know. That's okay. But, yeah. \n\nAnd then just recently–– oh, my gosh. You know, I say how wonderful this university was to me. Dr. Seighman invited alumni [choir members]to go to Carnegie Hall with his choir group. And so, I'm sure the reason he did it was because of COVID and because that class [in 2020] had not [gone], They were supposed to go to Carnegie Hall, but they didn't get to. I'm sure when he put out the call for alumni to join them if they wanted to, I'm sure he was envisioning that class. But me and a couple of other friends from the ‘70s signed up and we went. (laughter) And during one of the rehearsals, one of the current choir members said, “Do you mind if I ask who's the oldest?” And, of course, my friends pointed at me. I was the oldest. But it was such a wonderful experience, so great. And I thought if I hadn't come to Trinity, that would have never happened. Singing at Carnegie Hall, even though it was with, like, two-hundred-and-forty people. Because there were, you know, choir members from all across [the country] and we sang Mozart's Requiem. And, oh, my gosh. It was a dream. It was a dream I didn't even have. You know, it was so out of the realm of possibility that I would never even think of it. But when the opportunity arose, yeah––And Dr. Seighman was so, so kind to us “oldies.” But he was familiar with Claude Zetty's students, and many of us had sung with the choir during an alumni deal, so it was just wonderful. \n\nAnd I've gone on and on, do you have any questions? \n\nDENNEY: No, no. You're good. By any chance, do you remember the Ford Foundation [Trinity Association of Chicano Students/ Trinity Educational Services Program] house? It was on Shook Avenue. \n\nRUIZ: I do remember that. The hangout. That, I do remember. I guess because it was a hangout. Yeah. Yeah. \n\nDENNEY: What do you remember about it? \n\nRUIZ: I just, well, I just remember hanging out with friends. Friends like me who were on, you know, a scholarship. And, yeah. I think that's it. \n\nDENNEY: Okay. So, do you remember having any Latino or Latina professors or instructors?\n\nRUIZ: Gosh. I don't think there was one. Oh, I can't. No. \n\nDENNEY: How did you feel about that at the time? \n\nRUIZ: To me, it was the norm. Unfortunately, it was the norm. Yeah. I had Latina teachers in high school, but you know, everybody around me looked like me. But here, yeah, I didn't think it was unusual. As a matter of fact, I'm trying to think if I had any female teachers here. Because, you know, the ones I've mentioned; Dr. Zetty, Dr. Benjamin, Dr. Mihalso. I don't know.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882#t=1500.0,1800.0"},{"id":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882/transcript/72017/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"There was a female vocal teacher. But, when I finally decided I kind of wanted to sing, I wanted to sing arias and that sort of thing, she only worked with the crème de la crème. So, I didn't get to work with her. But yeah. Hmm. Huh. That's an interesting question. I hadn't thought of that. \n\nDENNEY: Thank you. Okay. So, you told me a little bit about the sororities or fraternities that you were a part of. But were there any other student organizations that you participated in? \n\nRUIZ: Well, I was selected to be in the Mortar Board. I don't know if y'all still have that, but it was called the Mortar Board. Dean [Coleen] Grissom called me in one time and d it's like she selected these female students from different areas and put us together. We didn't do much, but sit there and kind of exchange ideas. And I think we did some fundraisers or something. But it was called Mortar Board. And it was supposed to be kind of prestigious. And the Spurs gave me an award. \n\nDENNEY: Oh, wow! (laughter) \n\nRUIZ: I was not a member, but I know there was a plaque. And it used to hang in the financial offices or something. You know, there were some plaques there. And my nickname was “Bitsy.” And I went by Bitsy until I took journalism classes and he [my professor] said, “You’re not going to use Bitsy [in your byline].” \n\nBut after Trinity, I, well, go ahead with your questions. \n\nDENNEY: Okay. Would you say most student organizations were welcoming of Latina students? \n\nRUIZ: No. No. I think we talked about that. But no, like I said, Mu Phi Epsilon was fine because I was majoring in music and I was a good student. Education. The education sorority, yes. But the others, no. Oh, yeah and I tried out for cheerleader because I thought, well, I was a cheerleader in junior high. I was a twirler in high school. \n\nDENNEY: How did that go? \n\nRUIZ: Not well. (laughter) Because it was student, you know, the students voted. So, yeah. Okay. \n\nDENNEY: So, what was your general sense of belonging on campus at Trinity? \n\nRUIZ: I guess I found places where I belonged. And for the purpose I was here for, and that was to get an education, to get a degree, and then to get a job. So, you know, for that purpose, like I said, we would hang out at the SUB and that's where I would see my friends who were from the South side and my [West] side of San Antonio or even from other parts of town, but they couldn't afford to live here. They were on grants and scholarships and loans, too.  And then in the music department, well, I would get to, like say, usher at programs. I would get to go to concerts. I would get to do those things with those friends. As a matter of fact, Dean Grissom, when she called me in to talk to me about Mortar Board, she said, you know, “I see you at the SUB with your friends. And I see you at the concerts with your other friends.” She said, “Did you ever stop to think what would happen if they would all get together?” And I said, “Well, no, I hadn't thought of that.” (laughter) And I think she used the word “motley crew.” The phrase “motley crew.” What a motley crew. Because really, they were different. And I go, Well, oh, yeah, I guess so. Well, I guess my friends weren't interested in classical music anyway. So, yeah. It's not— they didn't want to hang out with a Mu Phi Epsilon crowd. \n\nDENNEY:  So, were there a lot of people who looked like you when you attended Trinity or? \n\nRUIZ:  No, but I found them. Yeah. We kind of found each other. And there was a group of artists called Con Safo. Do you know what, do you know what Con Safo means? \n\nDENNEY:  Can you explain it? \n\nRUIZ:  Well, well, it's just, you know, people would write things and they would say Con Safo. Like that's it. Nobody can undo it. You know that. So, they called themselves the Con Safo artists. And they were part of the group that would hang out at the SUB too. So, it was really interesting. Yeah. One of my friends, I remember Santos Martinez. I don't know. Have you all ever talked to him? \n\nSCHNUR: We have sent an invitation but haven’t heard back from him. \n\nRUIZ: Okay. \n\nDENNEY:  We want to talk to him.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882#t=1800.0,2100.0"},{"id":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882/transcript/72017/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Were you involved in any way with the Con Safo group? \n\nRUIZ:  No. No. Because I wasn't in art. But I was in the Trinity University— Trinity Association of Chicano Students. Oh, and we had a, Andy might have touched on this about the boycott, the lettuce boycott, the iceberg lettuce boycott and grapes. Yeah. So, we had one of those and it scared people on campus. It was harmless. We just were out there with signs and stuff. But it attracted some attention.\n\nMORA: I had a follow-up about the Chicano student group. I’m—the exhibit I'm focusing on so we can present our findings at the end of the summer is on student organizations. And can you just share anything, share your experiences and like share what it was like to be part of the Trinity Association for Chicano Students? \n\nRUIZ:  Yeah. Well, you know, we, like I said, we would have things like the, [boycott].  We were involved in social issues, things like that. And one of the things we did, we were very involved in boycotting iceberg lettuce and, you know, the César Chávez movement. So, yeah, we did things like that. But then it was also socializing because we were like each other. So, yeah, that was a big part of it too. And then we would team up sometimes with MEChA [Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán]. There was some other organization at other campuses, MEChA. But here it was the Trinity Association of Chicano Students, TACS. \n\nMORA: Yes. (laughter) It changed names to Trinity Association for Hispanic Students once you left.  \n\nRUIZ:  Yeah. Yeah, there's always been that thing. Are you Chicano? Are you Mexican? Are you, Mexican-American? Those labels. \n\nABREU-TORRES: I have a follow-up on the Con Safo group. How were you involved with the Con Safo Group? Just friends. Okay. \n\nRUIZ:  Just friends. Friends. Yeah, we would hang out at the SUB. \n\nSCHNUR: Do you remember attending any of the art exhibits that they held on campus? Because we found evidence that they would have—host exhibits on campus. \n\nRUIZ:  Yes. Yeah. Yeah, I do remember. Because I, it was, you know, I wanted to see what they were doing and what they were up to. And sure, yeah, I would go. \n\nABREU-TORRES: Thank you. \n\nRUIZ: Sure. \n\nDENNEY:  Okay. Did you notice any change in your feelings, or understanding regarding Trinity and academia from the point when you started education to when you finished at Trinity? I know you have been to a lot of institutions. \n\nRUIZ:  Yeah. Did I change my feelings? Yeah. Yeah. Because at first, you know, like I said, when I was told, “Well, you're going to be a C student.” You know, he became one of my mentors. And so I did appreciate the faculty. Yeah. I did. know Like I said, I didn't think about what color they were. I just wanted to learn. But now that you mention it. (laughter) No. No. But back then, I mean, we did start becoming aware. At the time, that was the norm. \n\nDENNEY:  Looking back on your time there, what was it like for you to be a student at Trinity in the 1970s? \n\nRUIZ:  Well, that was fun. That was the hippie movement. We didn't have to worry about how to dress for class. My grandmother was appalled because she said, you know, the people she had seen from a distance, of course, (laughter) who went to college, well, they would wear a coat and tie and they would dress up. No. But they were— my grandmother, my father's mother, they were sharecroppers. So, she didn't know about college either. She was just appalled that I would come in with these torn jeans and, you know, faded jeans and I would buy my clothes at Goodwill. And really not because I couldn't afford it, but, oh, that was a big reason, but because that's the way we dressed. You know hippies dressed like that. So, yeah, long stringy hair, no makeup. Look at me now. I can't be without my false eyelashes. (laughter)\n\nDENNEY: That's cool. Okay, so what do you think are some of the differences between the experience of a Latina student at Trinity and a non-Latina student? If there are any.\n\nRUIZ:  Like today? \n\nDENNEY: Or when you attended.\n\nRUIZ: Or when I attended? I just always felt like, well, I knew I had to work harder. I had to work harder because I didn't have the,","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882#t=2100.0,2400.0"},{"id":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882/transcript/72017/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"the background that the others did. And I’m sure my friends had to work harder too. I mean, later on, my roommate was Hispanic from Del Rio. When we moved to Lightner, excuse me. She was an art major, so it was different for her too, because I was in music. Here we are in music. And then imagine being in art when they study, you know, Monet and Picasso and everybody else but we're doing our own thing. So that was great. \n\nDENNEY:  Thank you. And would you consider Trinity an institution that supports its Latina, Latino students when you attended? \n\nRUIZ:  Well, yeah. I mean, I got scholarships and grants. At that time, they were trying, they were trying to diversify, which is one of the big reasons I was here. You know, so I did get, like I said, loans, scholarships, grants. I'm grateful for all of that. But yeah. There weren't very many of us, but they, they were trying. At least some of them were. \n\nDENNEY:  And do you have any advice for current Latina students at Trinity? \n\nRUIZ:  Same advice as I would give Latino students anywhere. Just work your tail off, you know. And, and strive to be the best in your area. Whatever that may be. \n\nDENNEY:  Thank you. Our next series of questions are going to be about your post-grad life. So why did you decide to attend San Antonio College? \n\nRUIZ:  Oh, my gosh. Okay. Well, I was teaching at Burbank High School. I was the choir director and assistant band director and I was lucky to get that job out of college, really. But maybe being from Trinity University had something to do with it. Anyway, during the summer, I would try something different every summer. You know, one summer I said, oh, I'm going to run. So that was my thing. I've got to run. One summer I was making quilts. And then another summer it was belly dancing. (laughter). I took belly dance lessons from the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department and [it’s a] good thing that didn't turn into a career. (laughter) But, but there was one summer, one of my friends at Burbank, she had been a counselor and she left to go to St. Mary’s [University]. And she said, “Oh, I'm going to study law.” She was real smart, but she was just everywhere. So I ran into her and she said, “Oh, you should come to SAC. I'm taking RTF, radio, TV, and film.” And I said, “What are you doing there? I thought you were going to be a law student.” She says, “Oh, they make you read too much.” (laughter) That was Eloise. So, she said, “But there's a speech teacher at SAC I think you would really, really like.” And she said, “He's wonderful.” So that's how, I ended up trying it. And I said, Well, hey, that was my summer project. So, I ended up doing that. But then I got hooked on journalism. And see, of course, that was something that I never thought of. At Kennedy High School, we had a TV studio. And I would just walk past it because I thought that's playtime. That's not for real. They're not going to be on TV, you know? To me, that wasn't a job. I wouldn't be able to get paid for something like that. I wouldn't even be hired. You know, I never thought of that. But I had every opportunity in high school. And I just passed by and I said, “Well, y'all have fun.” But when I took journalism at SAC, I said, “Oh, gosh, I like this.” So, I got hooked. And then I said goodbye to Burbank. And I said, “Well, how am I going to make a living now,” because I wasn't getting that income. So, I worked part-time at Lackland. It was Lackland Air Force Base. Now it's Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. But back then, they had Chapel 8, which was a huge chapel. And they would do music that was contemporary, but spiritual in a way. They just couldn't get too heavy because they were dealing with basic trainees coming from all parts of the country, all walks of life. Some of them had been to church every Sunday, you know, religiously, and others had not been to church. They found church when they got into basic training and were going through that. So, a friend of mine was the contractor who hired musicians. I did that for about 10 years--three services on Sundays. And then I also sang with a disco band,","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882#t=2400.0,2700.0"},{"id":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882/transcript/72017/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"and an orchestra. So, I remember the chaplain at Lackland telling me one morning, because I had to be there by 7:15.  He said, “You know, one of these days you're going to forget what dress to wear.” Because I would wear these sequin dresses (laughter) you know, when I was singing. (laughter) or the spandex for my Donna Summer songs.. And then I'd go there all churchy. So, yeah. \n\nAnd then at SAC, while I was there, I got a stipend for being editor of the Ranger and things like that. So, yeah. It was rough. And then I got a part-time job at KKYX, but it was from 5 to 8:30 in the morning. Yeah. And so–– to help with morning drive. And I wasn't on the air. I just had to be his “gopher”, like download whatever news stories he needed and put things on carts. Do you know that is? (laughter) And so, the announcer would play the carts and he was very good. But I remember telling my teacher at SAC. I said–– because she recommended me. She said, “You know, this job has come open. And I think you'd be good for it.” And I said, “But they play country-western music.” She flew off the handle. “You're not going there to listen to music. You're going there to learn because they have a good news department.” So, I said, “Well, okay.” But then I had classes at SAC, and anybody who's been to SAC knows about the parking problems. There was never any parking, so, what I would do is, I would get off work at like 8, 8.30 I think it was. And then I would drive to SAC. And I'd have an alarm clock with me and a blanket, whenever it was cold. And I would take a nap in the car and then wake up for my 10 o'clock class. So, yeah. I got through it. \n\nDENNEY:  Wow. Okay. So, how would you compare your experience as a Latino student at Trinity versus at SAC? \n\nRUIZ:  Oh, gosh. (laughter) A lot of Hispanics at SAC. So, yeah. No problem there. And I did have a female, a woman who was in charge. Well, there's a building named after her. Jean Longwith. Yeah. So, she was in charge of the Radio, TV, and Film Department back then. Just a wonderful woman. \n\nDENNEY:  Did you feel more comfortable at one campus than the other? \n\nRUIZ:  Yeah. At SAC. Yeah, I guess it's always easier when you have people with your similar backgrounds. Yeah. But then again, I was an older student, well, compared to everybody else. Because I had already been teaching. I already had my degree. I did things kind of backwards. Because I got a degree. and then I taught and then I came back to learn something else. So, when you come back, you really think, “I don't have time to play around,” you know? You're serious. You want to work and do your stuff and get out of there and get a job. So, yeah. \n\nDENNEY:  Do you think your time at Trinity influenced your career in journalism at all? \n\nRUIZ:  Yeah. A lot of people think that I came to Trinity to study journalism now. I mean, because I was a news reporter for so long and everything and they knew I came to Trinity. But, yeah. I don't know. I never thought about being a journalist when I was here, though, so I wouldn't say it influenced me or persuaded me in that direction. But I did look back and think, why didn't I go into journalism at Trinity because they had a good department here, too. And one of my friends, Michael Quintanilla, came here. And he was one of the people I would hang out with. He was younger. He is younger. A little. (laughter) A little. \n\nDENNEY: Is there anything else you want to talk about? \n\nRUIZ: I think I've talked a lot. \n\nSCHNUR: I had a quick follow-up question, before we cut off. When you were hearing about the scholarships and grants to attend Trinity, do you remember having any interviews with anyone? \n\nRUIZ: Yeah. \n\nSCHNUR: And if you could share what you remember about that.\n\nRUIZ:   I don't remember a lot. I know that I did have interviews with people. And––\n\nSCHNUR: Because what we've learned is that they were actually students who were from TACS, from the Chicano Student Association. \n\nRUIZ: I remember Alonso Villarreal. Yes. \n\nSCHNUR: Okay. \n\nRUIZ:","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882#t=2700.0,3000.0"},{"id":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882/transcript/72017/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alonso Villarreal. And I think he went on to be an attorney. Or he might have been in law school at that time. But, yeah, he was one of them, because it was his aunt who recommended me. \n\nSCHNUR: Oh, okay. \n\nRUIZ:  Yeah. And so, yeah. But he did. And there were some other people. But they didn't ask. They really didn't ask about, you know, like, “What do you think about coming to Trinity?” You know. Or, “And are you going to be true to your heritage or anything like that? Yeah. They didn't ask anything like that. \n\nDENNEY: Okay. Ms. Ruiz, thank you so much for your time to do this interview. Our recording is stopping here. This is the end of the recording.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882#t=3000.0,3294.0"},{"id":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882/transcript/72017/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"[END OF INTERVIEW]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://trinityuniversity.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2313/collection_resources/98826/file/222882#t=3294.0,3054.34133"}]}]}]}