Category Archives: Family History

Blinded by the Light by Joseph E Najera

Posted on February 26, 2017 by

I was born on November 28, 1947. I was told much later that I ruined Thanksgiving dinner that year by popping out of the oven about the same time as the turkey. There’s my parents, about the time I came … Continue reading →

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The Old Place by J. Edward Najera

Posted on January 27, 2017 by

  That picture was from my father’s high school yearbook. He was a senior in 1927. He had two names Carlos L. Nájera and Charles Olivas. Both names were legal and he was proud of both of them. After his father died, his … Continue reading →

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The Water by Joseph E. Najera

Posted on June 29, 2016 by

The 1952 polio epidemic was the worst outbreak our country has ever seen.  Nationwide, there were nearly 60,000 cases reported in that year.  Over 3,000 succumbed.  Over 20,000 individuals were disabled and limited in their ability to walk. Polio is … Continue reading →

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Alice by Carlos Najera

Posted on June 15, 2016 by

Diphtheria is a bacterial infection often affecting the membranes of your nose and throat. Symptoms include a sore throat, fever, nosebleeds, swollen glands on the throat, and weakness. The telling symptom is a sheet of thick, gray material covering the … Continue reading →

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Queen of the Night by Carlos and Joseph Najera

Posted on April 20, 2016 by

How excited you are! You have arrived at the age. You are a young lady now. It’s a magical age, Where everything is possible, And everything is beautiful, Where everything is joy and happiness, And tears are unknown, Where pain … Continue reading →

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Sir Walter Raleigh in the Southern Sky

Posted on March 21, 2016 by

I stay up late and wake up early. The evening settles across the sky. It spreads out like a blanket, As I sit here by my screen.  I see the night fall, I see my father, when I was small … Continue reading →

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The Last City by Joseph E Najera

Posted on January 12, 2016 by

I am back at the corner of Market Street and Santa Clara in downtown San Jose, my home town. My family moved here from Southern California in 1956.  We lived in Santa Clara a few miles away from this point. … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, Hart's Department Store, Movie History, San Jose, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment