Interviewee

Juven Villegas

Interviewer

Yolanda Leyva

Project

Bracero

Summary of Interview

Juven Villegas was born on November 23rd, 1953 in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua on block away from the Rio Grande. His parents, Alejandra and Juven, were both born in Mexico. His father was a part of the Bracero program and came to the border area in the 1940s. By the time Juven was born, his father was no longer a Bracero. During his childhood, Villegas grew up in the Segundo Barrio off of South Oregon and Fifth Street. While living there, he was active in his community as he was on the board of Mexican American Youth Association which was started by the older Barrio members.

Villegas also participated with the local softball team named “El Paso Kings”. While there, they won numerous trophies and traveled across the country. Villegas was inducted into the El Paso Softball Hall of Fame in 2015.

During the early 1970’s, Villegas came to UTEP and applied to the postal service where he worked at for two years. After, he worked at the El Paso National Bank and the Job Corp for a couple of years. Afterward, he accepted a full-time position at the Job Corp, where he stayed for 30 years. While there, he held various positions and helped underprivileged and low-income children.

Villegas currently has a wife of 46 years, 4 children and 5 grandchildren. After retiring in 2007, Villegas continued to work jobs that help community members, especially for those that need assistance.

Date of Interview

7-10-2019

Length of Interview

51 minutes

Tape Number

No. 1701

Interview Number

No. 1701

Terms of Use

Unrestricted

Included in

Oral History Commons

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