In this segment of the Voices de Aquí series, Esther Garcia shares memories from her childhood of wild school bus rides in winter.
We are so grateful to Esther Garcia, for sharing these memories of her childhood and family; it is a gift to those listening now and in the future. Her memories add to our understanding and appreciation of the history and heritage of Questa.
This story was recorded in November 2019 during a Women’s Tea Story Sharing event at Yoga Sala in Questa; recorded and edited by Claire Coté.
Esther Garcia passed away on January 5, 2020, a month and a half after co-hosting this event. A powerful love for the people and history of her home place seems, to us, to have been a core conviction in her life. Esther celebrated and studied her roots, family and community history. She was a fierce advocate for land and water, acequias, culture and traditions. Her work and words have left a lasting mark on our hearts. We are grateful to have known and worked with her.
This summer, we’re listening together to the voices of our neighbors; every week we share a different short story from our community with Voices de Aquí. Join us for the short broadcasts at Questa Farmers Market on Sundays or here, on our website.
Huge thanks to our collaborators at Questa Farmers Market, Gaea McGahee and all the musicians at the market for allowing us to plug into their sound system to broadcast the Voices de Aquí weekly segments.
We are also grateful to our funders! Voices de Aquí is made possible by support from the LANL Foundation Community Outreach Grant, Chevron Grants for Good and Taos Community Foundation IMPACT Grant.
Bud Wilson was born in 1925 in the suburbs of Chicago, but forged his connection to the land and people of Northern NM when he was just 16, while accompanying his high school teacher on a research trip to San Cristobal. Bud served as a Navy Pilot, attended medical school and became a surgeon, practicing heart and general surgery for fifty years. He established surgical programs in New Mexico, Colorado, and India. In 1947 Bud began to buy a ranch in Lama NM and in 1985 Bud and Barb (his late wife) founded the Sangre de Cristo Youth Ranch Summer Camp, which continues to this day.
Kate was born and raised in Cerro, NM, went to school in Cerro, then Questa High School, was married at 18 and soon after became a mother of two children. She worked as a cashier for much of her life and then went into cooking, which she loves. She takes seriously her responsibilities as a mother and with her volunteer work in her community. At the time of the interview, she was the co-director of the North Central NM Food Pantry.
Questa Stories 