londay, October 31,1988
The Battalion
Page 5
[Oca-Cola delivery man has
pecial ties to A&M campus
By Lesa Y Smith
Reporter
Just off Martin Luther King Jr. Boule-
rd in Bryan an old gravel twists and
ms past an old army-green two-room
Ihanty. Dust settles around an old couch
Icing the open front door. A sign with
large fluorescent orange letters is nailed
tithe front wall: “Beware of dog.” Ly-
|ig in the dirt is a large red dog.
J Among other houses on that twisting
Aad, one’s bright yellow sidings shine
like the sun through the mass of hanging
plants that adorn the front porch. Grass
etches to the sides of the house as if to
;h for the warmth of the sun. An
Inpty bird cage, an old red lantern, a
gword and an old Coca-Cola barometer
corate the back porch.
Many years ago, no grass grew in that
lyard and the house’s foundation was
weak.
■ Today, due to hard work, family
unity, love for each other and love for a
untry, the house no longer is decaying.
| has renewed life and its life represents
: life of Antonio Mosqueda.
You may not be familiar with the
})use, but you are familar with the man.
That is if you’re an Aggie — a thirsty
■ggie.
1 You’ve seen him many times on the
Texas A&M campus. He’s the guy who
Bives the big red truck you see every
Pay You know, the one with the big
phite swoosh on the side with “Coke”
Slashed across it in fancy white letters.
Hie truck that reminds you that you’re
Hirsty and have to have a drink or re-
Hinds you of that extra dose of caffeine
||ou need to stay awake through that bor-
Hg history class you have in five min-
Hes.
■ Antonio Mosqueda is the “Coca-Cola
Jjan.”
He delivers Coca-Cola products to 72
ke machines on campus.
“I refill the machines every day,” he
id. “They may not be empty but they
iways need refilling.”
I Classic Coke is the best seller, he said,
Diet Coke second and Dr Pepper third.
( ■"My favorite is Coke,” he said.
■ Antonio has been delivering Coca-
| Cola products to campus for 12 years but
bis previous job was vastly different.
He worked in Irapuato, Mexico, as a
ffic officer for six years and was pro-
,oted to a state detective in the Mexican
police force where he worked for five
gars.
The job was very dangerous, he said,
id he wanted a change.
have many cousins who live in
"^pBryan, and they told me to come here
•' %n>i they would get me a job,” he said.
■ They told him his life could be better
in the United States and he would have
ioreopportunties.
Six of his 14 children died in Mexico
cause of illness and poor medical care.
Four died before reaching the age of one,
d two were miscarried.
“1 have seen the University grow just
as 1 have seen my children grow,” he
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Antonio Mosqueda
Today the University is big, he said.
The number of dormitories has increased
and they have become more modern.
The buildings are progressive and
there’re more of them. Now, there are
more cars and students. There are people
from countries.
In 1971, Antonio took his government
l.D. card to the border officials and they
gave him permission to enter the United
States. He lived with his cousins and
worked in the main Coca-Cola plant for a
year before he went back to get his fam
ily.
“1 suffered a lot during that year,” he
said. “1 couldn’t sleep many nights be-
I have seen the Univer
sity grow just as I have
seen my children grow.”
— Antonio Mosqueda
cause I missed my family very much.
The temperature is hotter in Texas, and I
had no air conditioning.”
In Irapuato, the temperature may rise
to 90 degrees during the day but at night,
the temperature is very cold, he said.
In 1972, Antonio returned to Irapuato
to bring his family to Bryan.
“I hoped Bryan would offer my family
and me a better life,” he said.
They moved into a run-down, three-
room house in Bryan, and later moved
into another tiny, badly constructed
three-room house and decided to rebuild
it.
“When we moved into the house nine
years ago, it was very small and had no
air conditioning,” he said. “It took my
sons and me three years to finish repairs
and remodel the house. We worked after
I returned from my job and late into the
night.
“My sons installed central air condi
tioning and heating and repaired the
plumbing.”
Now, there are eight rooms.
Photo by Fred D. Joe
Photographs of his family cover the
walls like wallpaper. A long hallway
leads to the large kitchen that contains a
large variety of appliances. A lithograph
of Christ hangs on one of the. walls in the
living room, and another wall is deco
rated with two brilliantly-colored som
breros.
His 17-year-old daughter, the baby of
the family, has her own room with the
typical decor of a teen-ager — posters of
rock-and-roll stars on the walls, a day
bed and clothes on the floor.
“It’s fun to be the youngest,” Linda
said. “My dad treats me to all sorts of
things. He has always brought me food
after school and gives me money when
ever I ask for it. He works very hard and
is always there when I need him.”
Antonio said that during the summer,
when they first lived in Bryan, the whole
family worked in the cotton fields pick
ing cotton.
“We picked cotton for four summers,
and the money we made from picking
cotton was used to buy the children
clothes and school supplies for the new
school year,” he said.
In 1975, the U.S. government ap
proved his family’s citizenship papers,
and they received nine green cards.
Linda was born in the United States, so
she is a citizen and doesn’t need one.
All of my children have good jobs, he
said, and they go to good schools.
In addition to his eight children, Anto
nio has eight grandchildren.
Today, Antonio has many reasons to
smile. His life and that of his family is
healthy and happy. His,home is a happy
home, and his country is a beloved coun
try.
When he sits on his front porch and
gazes at the old, two-room, army-green
shanty, he knows no longer is he forced
to live that way. And as he turns and
glances at the tombstones scattered in the
cemetery next door, he looks back at the
flowers hanging from his porch, touches
them and smiles.
❖
$1255
* Students, staff,
faculty, Depts.
Texas A&M
retail over $2000
• Monitor-512k Memory DOS computer
• Letter Quality Printer
• 2 Disk Drives
• Word Processor
(monitor arm not included)
The supply Store
“Everything for the Office” j
123.E; 25fH, William J. Bryan Parkway, Bryan A.B.E. Office Systems 779-0057
n!"':I
or'I
.«rl
What's missing
from this picture?
YOU!
Last chance for juniors,
seniors, vet, med and
grad students to get
their yearbook
pictures taken for the
1989 Aggieland
The deadline has been
extended one week until
FRIDAY NOV 4
GET IN THE BOOK!
Yearbook Associates
401 C University
Above Campus Photo
on Northgate
846 - 8856
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
TIME:
DATE:
PLACE:
8 =00 P.M.
TUESDAY, NOV. 1
110 HECC
PROGRAM: DR. ZENAIDO CAMACHO
BAYLOR COLLEGE OF
MEDICINE
CD
MSC GREAT ISSUES
presents adman CR0NAUER
*»!!!: AT
asm
SUNDAY NOV 6 4:00pm
$2 ADMISSION RUDDER AUDITORIUM
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW AT THE MSC BOX OFFICE
o
MSC
Pottttcal
Forum
Election *88 Series:
presents
ELECTION AWARENESS DAY
1988
Come get information about the candidates and
vote in our mock election.
Wednesday, November 2
10-4 p.m.
MSC Hallway
This program is presented for educational purposes, and does not constitute an
endorsement for any candidate.
^Tr