Interviewer
Melanie Reyes
Project
Stories from the Chamizal Library
Summary of Interview
This interview with El Pasoan Gilberto Aguero, reflects on his childhood growing up in South Central El Paso during the 1940s and 1950s. Born in El Paso in 1941, Aguero describes a simple but happy upbringings with his six siblings. He attended Alamo Elementary and later graduated from Bowie High School in 1959. Much of his childhood centered around outdoor activities such as roller skating, baseball, football and spending time with neighborhood friends. Aguero remembers the area as close-knit where families lived near one another and children spent most of their time outdoors. He recalls accompanying his mother on grocery trips, often crossing into Ciudad Juárez with ease during a time when border crossings only took a few minutes.
Aguero also shares memories of his years at Bowie High School, where he participated in the school band and played clarinet as well as tennis. He recalls waking up early for band practice and enjoying football games, school spirit, and trips with the band to perform at events. One of his favorite memories was the daily lowering of the American flag after school, when students gathered together before heading home. Aguero describes Bowie as a bilingual environment where students commonly spoke both Spanish and English, although classes were taught entirely in English. He also fondly remembered a local café where students gathered after school to drink soda and socialize. Overall, he viewed his high school years as enjoyable and full of friendships, music, and routine community life.
Throughout the interview, Aguero reflects on how South Central El Paso has changed over time while still maintaining much of its identity. He notes improvements such as streetlights and neighborhood renovations but also explains that many of the same families still live in the area. Although he moved away after getting married in search of a larger home, he continues to feel connected to his childhood neighborhood and occasionally visits the house where he grew up, which is now owned by his brother. Aguero emphasizes the importance of preserving and promoting the history of South Central El Paso. Looking back on his youth, he says that if he could return to the 1950s, he would focus more on studying and pursuing higher education, but he remains proud of his experiences growing up in the Bowie community.
Date of Interview
5-20-2026
Length of Interview
0:27:28
Transcript Number
1839
Length of Transcript
10 pages
Transcriber
Melanie Reyes
Interview Number
1839
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Gilberto Aguero by Melanie Reyes, 2026, "Interview No. 1839," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.