Que bella historia Rudy, son afortunados de haber tenido padres tan valientes que sacrificaron cosas en busca del anhelado “Sueño Americano” y triunfaron! Dios bendiga a tus hermanos, a ti y a tu apreciable familia. Felicidades!
Uncle Rudy, you did an excellent job on this! It is such a great insight for all our family to see how many challenges our family has overcome. It is great that this family history is preserved for generations to come. So many can learn from this. Thank you for all that helped out. Bravo!
Tio Rudy, muchisimas gracias for this amazing gift of stories and pictures of Grandpa and Grandma and our family. It’s so great that you put this together. Thanks also to Tio Beto, my mom Betty, and brother Brian for their contributions. It makes me miss everyone and long for another Villasenor family reunion. In fact I wish we got together every year or more frequently for reunions. Let’s make it happen! Miss and love you all!!!
I feel privileged to have read the VILLASEÑOR’s history of trials and success.
The strong and relentless perseverance of the immigrant spirit comes through.
I am the keeper of the stories in our family, and before we lose all of our elders (and their anecdotes) I too hope to find a way to write our story for the benefit of the newer generations that, through assimilation, are missing out on the richness of our cultura.
Thank you for the inspiration.
What a beautiful, beautiful job you did on your family story. This is proof that all can document their heritage without going into a big book, like Rain of Gold, the story of my Villasenor family. I’m going to tell everyone and give everyone your url so please be sure to keep it going!
I remember the whole family in the 60s with these great pictures. I loved Joe Villasenor very much and wish he were still here so I could say hi to him once again. I was devastated to find out that he past in 1997. I didn’t know until about 2012. He will always have a special place in my heart. Thanks so much Rudy for sharing your family’s memories with me. Deanna
Incredibly inspiring. I have often thought over the years what would have happened to us if your Dad and mine had not taken the leap of faith in themselves to move on for a better life they were convinced they could have. My Dad sold the bakery business that he had because he had the sense of knowing that nothing comes along without risk. I believe that in some mysterious way they have given all of us this true grit way of challenging ourselves and our children to aspire for a better way. This the most beautiful legacy that any person can ever leave his family. I pray and hope that our children and grand children can continue to carry this fortitude to dream and “never be with those timid and cold souls who know neither victory nor defeat”. This is taken from one of your Dad’s caligraphy that I keep on my wall to remind me what it means to be a Villasenor.
“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust, and sweat, and blood; who strives valliantly; who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and short comings; but who actually strives to do the deed, who knows that great devotion; who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the high achievement of triumph and who at worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows his place shall NEVER be with those timid and cold souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
I feel like I want more! More details, more stories. But it was a great sum up of how you all got here. It’s important for me to know this. I hope you and family will continue to add photos to this. It is so nice to have access to this site for pictures “on demand” to share with my Friends and new Family, and amongst the Villasenors. We always have face book, but this is specific to our family and it would be cool to add to it over time.
Rudy – Wow you did a great job! It brings back memories of the stories that were told by Ma and Pa. Although some I do not remember because of the age difference but I do recall some of them.
Thank you for sending and I will make sure that Lisa and Bill Jr. see and read this about their Grandma and Grandpa that loved them very much. Thank You Again, Rudy, Al and Betty!
This insightful and well written memoir of the Villasenor-Saenz family has now been perpetuated in writing. We ought to grant merit to Mr. Albert Villasenor Sr’s vision and discipline which changed many lives in his pursuit of happiness and of the American dream.
Let’s never forget what a great deal of achievement coming to the United States was by this man who had a keen perception of an outcome that may never be allowed to be overlooked by Villasenor’s third generation, and the next, and the next, and the next. Thank you to my husband Rudy, for his work on this project.
Rudy,
Even though I have some of these photos and can recall some of the stories…seeing it in print was something else. I can’t stop the tears and only wish that I could have spent more time with them when they were alive. This was a big job and I thank you for doing this; I had no idea you were compiling this. It’s so important to come together as a family and to record events for future generations.
Rudy, we finally got it out! Me and Al inundated you with e-mails, notes, dates, pictures, etc. And you had even more memories from when Father opened up to you on your trips with him to Mexico. I know you worked many hours on this and stayed up many nights. We were just a small part of it.
Thanks for putting this together. You did a great job on the website, everything’s put together perfectly. Sis, Betty.
Rudy, this is wonderful! You have triggered so many memories in me, and filled me in on stories of your family that, of course, I didn’t know. Your gracious and wonderful parents have completely “come to life” for me, once again. Thank you for sharing this wonderful gift with me.
Que bella historia Rudy, son afortunados de haber tenido padres tan valientes que sacrificaron cosas en busca del anhelado “Sueño Americano” y triunfaron! Dios bendiga a tus hermanos, a ti y a tu apreciable familia. Felicidades!
Uncle Rudy, you did an excellent job on this! It is such a great insight for all our family to see how many challenges our family has overcome. It is great that this family history is preserved for generations to come. So many can learn from this. Thank you for all that helped out. Bravo!
Tio Rudy, muchisimas gracias for this amazing gift of stories and pictures of Grandpa and Grandma and our family. It’s so great that you put this together. Thanks also to Tio Beto, my mom Betty, and brother Brian for their contributions. It makes me miss everyone and long for another Villasenor family reunion. In fact I wish we got together every year or more frequently for reunions. Let’s make it happen! Miss and love you all!!!
I feel privileged to have read the VILLASEÑOR’s history of trials and success.
The strong and relentless perseverance of the immigrant spirit comes through.
I am the keeper of the stories in our family, and before we lose all of our elders (and their anecdotes) I too hope to find a way to write our story for the benefit of the newer generations that, through assimilation, are missing out on the richness of our cultura.
Thank you for the inspiration.
What a beautiful, beautiful job you did on your family story. This is proof that all can document their heritage without going into a big book, like Rain of Gold, the story of my Villasenor family. I’m going to tell everyone and give everyone your url so please be sure to keep it going!
I remember the whole family in the 60s with these great pictures. I loved Joe Villasenor very much and wish he were still here so I could say hi to him once again. I was devastated to find out that he past in 1997. I didn’t know until about 2012. He will always have a special place in my heart. Thanks so much Rudy for sharing your family’s memories with me. Deanna
Incredibly inspiring. I have often thought over the years what would have happened to us if your Dad and mine had not taken the leap of faith in themselves to move on for a better life they were convinced they could have. My Dad sold the bakery business that he had because he had the sense of knowing that nothing comes along without risk. I believe that in some mysterious way they have given all of us this true grit way of challenging ourselves and our children to aspire for a better way. This the most beautiful legacy that any person can ever leave his family. I pray and hope that our children and grand children can continue to carry this fortitude to dream and “never be with those timid and cold souls who know neither victory nor defeat”. This is taken from one of your Dad’s caligraphy that I keep on my wall to remind me what it means to be a Villasenor.
“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust, and sweat, and blood; who strives valliantly; who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and short comings; but who actually strives to do the deed, who knows that great devotion; who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the high achievement of triumph and who at worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows his place shall NEVER be with those timid and cold souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
I feel like I want more! More details, more stories. But it was a great sum up of how you all got here. It’s important for me to know this. I hope you and family will continue to add photos to this. It is so nice to have access to this site for pictures “on demand” to share with my Friends and new Family, and amongst the Villasenors. We always have face book, but this is specific to our family and it would be cool to add to it over time.
Wow! Rudy, that was a very interesting story. I also thought your folks were great people and its nice to know how it all happened. Thanks, Bill
Rudy – Wow you did a great job! It brings back memories of the stories that were told by Ma and Pa. Although some I do not remember because of the age difference but I do recall some of them.
Thank you for sending and I will make sure that Lisa and Bill Jr. see and read this about their Grandma and Grandpa that loved them very much. Thank You Again, Rudy, Al and Betty!
This insightful and well written memoir of the Villasenor-Saenz family has now been perpetuated in writing. We ought to grant merit to Mr. Albert Villasenor Sr’s vision and discipline which changed many lives in his pursuit of happiness and of the American dream.
Let’s never forget what a great deal of achievement coming to the United States was by this man who had a keen perception of an outcome that may never be allowed to be overlooked by Villasenor’s third generation, and the next, and the next, and the next. Thank you to my husband Rudy, for his work on this project.
Rudy,
Even though I have some of these photos and can recall some of the stories…seeing it in print was something else. I can’t stop the tears and only wish that I could have spent more time with them when they were alive. This was a big job and I thank you for doing this; I had no idea you were compiling this. It’s so important to come together as a family and to record events for future generations.
Love,
Toni #7
Rudy, we finally got it out! Me and Al inundated you with e-mails, notes, dates, pictures, etc. And you had even more memories from when Father opened up to you on your trips with him to Mexico. I know you worked many hours on this and stayed up many nights. We were just a small part of it.
Thanks for putting this together. You did a great job on the website, everything’s put together perfectly. Sis, Betty.
Rudy, this is wonderful! You have triggered so many memories in me, and filled me in on stories of your family that, of course, I didn’t know. Your gracious and wonderful parents have completely “come to life” for me, once again. Thank you for sharing this wonderful gift with me.
awesome job Dad!