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On my journey of gaining information about local citizens who pulled cotton in west Texas, I visited Dr. Rosina Ruiz Valle, president of Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos. She told me, “You need to visit Francisco 'Frank' Contreras,” a member of the board at Centro. I quickly complied and was glad I did.
When we met, I was enamored by his infectious smile and was drawn to his powerful spirit.
Born in 1934 on the “Jackson Farm” – later the Hays County Civic Center location – he was the youngest of nine children. The entire family was a classic example of migrants doing the hard hand labor of pulling cotton in Texas.
“Since I learned to walk, I was in the fields – sunup to sundown with my family," Contreras said. "I remember the cold weather and having to break the ice on our water barrel.
“My father was born in Mexico on a hacienda and after an altercation with the owner, fled to the Sierra Madres mountains, where he joined a group going to Laredo, Texas. He taught himself to read and write, resulting in earning a high school diploma.
"He read newspapers daily and voted at age 101 and had a clear mind until his death at age 103.
"He taught me about the diligence of hard work. All his sons learned to have strong work ethics and learned the importance of education. All five sons graduated high school and four completed college."
Contreras’ four sons are all college graduates also.
“In my early days on the harvest, when we drove by a school, I always wished I was in attendance. My schooling was limited to late December to May in San Marcos. Later, my father said ‘follow the crops or go to college,’" Contreras said. "I went to South West Texas State Teachers College (SWTSTC) – now Texas State University – because I wanted to be a teacher.
"After graduation, the culture of the times made it difficult to obtain a local teaching job. I was persistent. I applied to New Braunfels, to San Marcos and to Gary Job Corps, but had to teach in Del Rio for six years before I became a fifth-grade teacher at Crockett Elementary, as the third Hispanic teacher to be hired in San Marcos.
"It was a joy to my heart and soul to return to San Marcos to teach. I advanced to become principal at Bonham Elementary, where I developed Texas’ second successful bilingual program."
“I wanted more education to be a better teacher because my students were not reaching my expectations. Therefore, I returned to SWTSTC to earn a Masters of Education.
"Working in the field, you were paid by the total weight of cotton pulled. This resulted in competition to determine who, at the end of the day, had pulled the most. From that time forward, I always made it a habit to try harder to outperform others. Later, as a teacher, I wanted my students to use that mindset of 'trying harder.'"
Francisco “Frank” Contreras’ journey of attending a segregated school in San Marcos (Southside), that was characterized by overcrowded classes, overworked teachers and with a shortage of books and desks, compounded by extended absences from school while on harvest, resulted in his delayed graduation from high school at age 21.
But he went on to earn two college degrees which culminated in his high-level achievements professionally as the director of migrant education for the Texas Education Agency, Austin and as the director at The Center of Migrant Education at Texas State University. He was also elected to San Marcos City Council in 1970, as the second Hispanic to hold that position.
Contreras resides on Cheatham Street in a house next to his boyhood home. He remembers growing up on the river – fishing, swimming, cooking on a fire, dodging wasp nests. He recalls the thrill of topping the hill from Wimberley and seeing San Marcos after a long trip on the harvest.
“Coming home,” he said, “is very important to a Hispanic’s heart.”
A lifelong member of St. John Catholic Church, his life verse is Psalms 23.
