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BASQUE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT INTERVIEW TAPE INDEX
NAME:
Gloria Goitiandia Gamboa (Gabina Mingo, sister, also present) TAPE MINUTE SUMMARY OF CONTENTS Tape 1, side 1 0-6:30 Gloria was born in Mountain Home, Idaho on 6 May 1921. Her father was Juan Bautista Goitiandia, her mother was Juana Echebarrieta. Her parents were from Aulestia. They were married in San Francisco, California in 1907, but knew each other from Aulestia. When Gloria was 3 years old, her family moved to Rupert, Idaho. Her father worked as a sheepherder in Mountain Home. He eventually became a sheep owner, and bought more sheep when they moved to Rupert. He owned a sheep company from around 1917 until 1929, and helped many Basques immigrate to the United States. His nickname was “Big John.” Gloria’s siblings are: Cayetano, Gabina, Eugenia “Jenny”, Emmett, Roman “Ray”, and Alejandro “Alex.” Gloria is the youngest child. 6:30-15:00 Since Gloria was the youngest child, most of her siblings had moved away from home by the time she started school. Gloria’s parents could not help her much with her schoolwork because they did not speak much English. She learned a little English before she started school because her siblings taught her. The family spoke Basque at home. Caitano and Gabina did not speak any English when they started school. The two oldest children learned the language quickly, which allowed them to pass through school without being held back. The family moved quite a bit, and Gloria ended up going to school in Rupert, Castleford, Twin Falls, and Shoshone, Idaho. She graduated from Shoshone High School. Her family moved to Castleford when Gloria was in the 4th grade. (Gloria asks Gabina where she went to school – see Gabina Goitiandia Mingo’s interview summary for more information). Gloria explains that she lived in Castleford for 2 years, then attended a couple of years of junior high school and a year of high school in Twin Falls, and went to Shoshone for the rest of high school (see minute 18). Her father had been cheated by one of his cousins, who took all of his lambs and young ewes, leaving Juan Bautista with the old ewes. As a result, her father went out of business in 1929 and had to move from town to town looking for work to support his family. Gloria got a chance to meet her father’s cousin, and explains that he had a reputation for cheating people. 15:00-18:30 Gloria’s father found work in Castleford as a camp tender. He worked for another sheep company in Twin Falls. Gloria moved to Shoshone to live with her sister, Eugenia, who had moved to Shoshone with her husband, who was a foreman for Ed Gooding. Her mother was living with her oldest brother in another town. In Shoshone, Gloria helped her sister with the children and finished her last 3 years of high school. Her favorite subjects were English, Spanish, and History. She really enjoyed school, prompting her decision to become a teacher. 18:30-23:15 Gloria graduated from high school in 1938. From 1938 to 1939, she worked in a drugstore, called J. Paul Auxier (sp.) Drugstore, in Ketchum, Idaho. Eugenia and her husband spent their summers in Ketchum. She saved money to go to St. Mary’s of the Wasatch in Salt Lake City, Utah, to earn her teaching degree. She worked in the school dining room to pay for her room and board at St. Mary’s. Gabina helped pay for Gloria’s tuition, adding to the money that she had saved from her year in Ketchum. After a year at St. Mary’s, Gloria went to school at Albion State Normal, a teachers’ college outside of Burley, Idaho, for 2 years and finished her degree with a summer semester in Lewiston, Idaho. She studied Gregorian chant and Religion in Lewiston. 23:15-28:45 After she finished her studies in Lewiston, Gloria found a teaching position in Shoshone. She taught 1st grade, and remembers having many Basque children in her classes. She shows the interviewer a picture of Josephine Miller, one of her students. Gloria taught in Shoshone for 2 years. She remembers the children being very well behaved, and says that children nowadays are different from those she taught. 28:45-30:00 Gloria’s family was well received by each of the communities in which they lived. There was a large Basque population in Shoshone, but not so in Twin Falls. Tape 1, side 2 0-4:00 She names some of the Basque families in Twin Falls. She never felt any discrimination for being Basque, but her husband’s father experienced some discrimination in Glenns Ferry. When he refused, repeatedly, to join the Mormon church in Glenns Ferry, his life became a little more difficult. Gloria’s experienced, however, has been very positive, and she has several Mormon friends. From her teaching experience, she noticed that her students, both Basques and non-Basques, got along very well. She remembers one outstanding student, Carmen Garmendia, who was one of Gloria’s most enthusiastic students. 4:00-10:45 After 2 years in Shoshone, in 1941 and 1943, Gloria decided to try life in another town. She found a teaching position in Pocatello, Idaho and moved there in 1943-44. She taught for 1 ½ years, leaving her job to get married. She explains how she met her husband, Frank Gamboa: she wrote letters in English from his parents to him and his brothers while they were away fighting in World War II. His parents could not write in English, so she would write for them and translate their sons’ letters back to them. Frank was a B-17 pilot during the war. When he came back from the war on leave, he wanted to take her out to thank her. They did not date very long before marrying, and were married for 54 years before he passed away. They were married in Salt Lake City in 1944. They were separated for about a year after they married, because Frank had to return to his bomber squadron. He few 15 missions, was shot down on the last one, and returned home. 10:45-13:00 When Frank returned, he and Gloria moved to Boise, Idaho. Gloria found a job with Sears as division manager of handbags, hosiery, gloves, and other women’s apparel. Frank worked as an office manager for the Harbor Electric Company, later for the Veterans Administration (VA), and finally settled in a 35-year career with Morrison Knudsen (MK) in 1950. Gloria worked as Sears until her oldest son, George, was born in 1946. She substitute taught at St. Joseph’s School for a year after her son was born. Her second son, Angelo, was born in 1952 and John was born in 1956. The family moved 18 times while Frank worked for MK. They lived in Idaho, California, Connecticut, Missouri, and Honduras. They were in Honduras from 1962 to 1964. All three of her sons were born in different states: George in Boise, Idaho, Angelo in Eugene, Oregon, and John in Branson, Missouri. 13:00-17:30 Gloria and Frank did not speak Basque to their children, because there were no Basques in most of the places they lived. It was difficult to teach them Basque in so many different environments. Frank did a great deal to teach the children about the Basque country and culture. George did his schoolwork by correspondence when they lived in Honduras. She explains the years during which they lived in each state (and country). They moved to Boise permanently in 1984, and Frank retired in 1985. 17:30-24:30 Her first trip to the Basque country was in 1971. She went with her husband and children, and stayed with their relatives (both her relatives and Frank’s). The relatives were surprised to hear how well Gloria and Frank spoke Basque, especially since they had been raised in the United States. Gloria had only a bit of an idea of what the country would be like before she went, but felt comfortable there when she arrived. Speaking the language made her more comfortable, and she was able to communicate easily. During her first trip and subsequent trips, she noticed how hard the women in rural areas worked. Gloria was surprised that her relatives did not ask many questions about what her life was like in the United States. She expected them to ask more about her life and family in the US. Her second and final trip was in 1985. She and her husband wanted to make yet another trip, but his illness prevented them from doing so. Frank passed away on 14 March 1998 of cancer. She mentions some of the progress of his illness. 24:30-26:00 From her trips to the Basque country, Gloria has learned about the ways in which life there is different from life in the United States. Specifically, she knows more about where her parents came from and what their lives were like before they immigrated to the United States. She still keeps in touch with her cousins there. 26:00-27:00 Gloria and Frank used to attend reunions for Frank’s WWII bomber squadron. They looked forward to the reunions. 27:00-30:00 Gloria and Frank spoke a little bit of Basque to their children. She is a member of the Basque Center, as was her husband, and served on the board of directors when Ron Sabala and Don Dick were presidents. The fact that Frank traveled so much with MK made it difficult for him to participate in Basque Center events as much as he would have liked. Tape 2, side 1 0-3:30 Angelo and John, who both live in Boise, are also members of the Basque Center. Gloria decided to become a member because she was proud of her heritage and wanted to take part in the Basque community. She feels that the purpose of the Center and Museum is to teach the younger generations about what it means to be Basque (language, culture, customs, etc.). One of her granddaughters dances with the Oinkari Basque Dancers. Gloria feels that it is important to be involved in the Basque community, and her involvement allows her to see people she would not otherwise see. The Basque Center is more than a social club for her; it also serves as a way for the Basque community to stay in touch. 3:30-8:00 Of Gloria’s siblings, only she and Gabina are left. She mentions how two of her brothers died. She mentions her and her husband’s friendship with Velma Morrison and her family. 8:00-10:30 Gloria considers herself to be more Basque at times, and combination of Basque and American at other times. Her heritage is important to her, and she feels the need to express it from time to time. She describes one instance in particular.
NAMES AND PLACES
NAMES:
Goitiandia, Juan Bautista “Big John” – Gloria’s father. PLACES: Mountain
Home, Idaho – Gloria’s birthplace. THEMES: Language |
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