The Americanization of my family down here in Nueces County has aspects which I still cannot fully explain. There is a definite difference between my Grandparents (settlers/farmers) and my parents (community members/ employees). At this point, all I can do is call it as I see it.

Robstown came into existence in 1907 when a new land developer took over. The German Land Company has sold some land to the South of the Railroad line between Corpus Christi and Laredo. For the most part, German settlers would continue to buy to the South of the line. When the Czechs came, they (generally) bought to the north of the railway. The town was peopled mostly by Anglos and Germans who were the shop keepers and businessmen. My Grandfather Mrazek also set up in town as a black smith a wagonwright. At this time, Czech was spoken at home and English around the Americans.

As my father tells it, the Czech, Germany, and Hispanic children were not
allowed to go to school in Robstown. County Schools were built for them. He went to Ward One (in around 1920) with all the other Czech kids from this area. The teacher was an Anglo and the speaking of Czech was prohibited at school. My Dad still remembers that if certain Czech girls heard the boys speaking Czech...even outside the school...they would run to tattle to the teacher yelling out, "The boys are speaking Bohemian again."

By the time my eldest Uncle was high school age. The Rektoriks had moved closer to town and the boys went to high school and played on the football team there.

So okay, at this point, it seems that there seems to be a good co-mingling of Ethnic backgrounds down here. My grandfather spoke Czech, English, and Spanish. My grandmother spoke Czech, Germany, Spanish, and English; and, my Dad spoke Czech, English, and Spanish.

Also from this time period forward, my Grandfather was very active in the community. In the newspaper article about his death, it lists his contributions and activities as: charter and founding member of the Farm Bureau and charter member of the Moravian Gin Co-op, the frozen food locker plant, Nueces Electric Co-op, and the original community hall. He also served on the school board (and did not miss a football game for 15 years, home or away.) Some of these organizations were peopled all by Czech settlers while others were as
mixed as the community.

Then, my father goes to college at Texas A&M and soon after graduating from college meets, falls in love, with a young Czech School teacher who attended the University of Texas and Texas A & I. Both of them  eventually would teach school in Robstown. They both would be very active in the Catholic Church and my father was the boy scouts troop leader (for the Catholic troop) for many years.

At this point, we see employment within the town but no civic activity except through the Czech Catholic Parish and what my father did through teaching Vocational Agriculture and being an Future Farmers of America (FFA) sponsor...this actually had a big impact on all the ethnic groups in Robstown.

My siblings and I went though the parochial school system while our parents taught at the Public Schools. English was always spoken in our house and our nuns who were the Sisters of Providence from Indiana made sure we all spoke without an accent.

Somehow, the local structure had developed into parallel systems for the
Czech, Hispanics, and Anglos...but the Czech kids have lost their Czech language. There was interaction when conducting business but that was about it. Also, as the children of the Czech farmers left the rural area for jobs, the Czech parochial and Church systems collapsed from the lack of resources... both people and money.

So, we went from the Czechs help creating the community structure while being farmers to Czechs being employed in the community. During this
process we lost our language and then the newer forums of ethnic culture (school system and Church). I am still not sure we were ever more fully integrated into the society than we were at the time of my Grandfather. Of course, personalities play a big part in this too...but is sure makes me wonder.

Susan Rektorik Henley