Castro book recounts life of adversity

Adversity shaped his life, said Raul H. Castro, an immigrant who bucked prejudice in the 1920s in a town near Douglas, Ariz., and rose to become the only Hispanic governor of Arizona. Now 93, Castro and his wife, Pat, have lived in Nogales for the past 15 years.

In May, Castro published a book he wrote with Jack L. August Jr. titled, “Adversity is My Angel: The Life and Career of Raul H. Castro.”

Childhood was tough for Castro and his siblings from Sonora, Mexico. They walked four miles to school in heat or cold, while a bus carrying Anglo kids from his neighborhood drove past them, Castro wrote. In class, he struggled to learn English and his teachers rapped his knuckles for speaking Spanish until his hands turned black and blue.

His father was a miner (and labor organizer) and his mother was a midwife. They ran their household of 11 children like a Marine boot camp, Castro recalled.

Two events are stamped in his memory:

• In middle school, Castro overheard one teacher tell another that she hated her job teaching “those dumb Mexican kids.” He vowed on the spot that he would never be one of those kids. Someday he would have her job, he promised himself.

Castro began to study until late at night to finish all his assignments, he said. His sixth-grade teacher recognized his potential and encouraged him to work up to his ability.

Years later, Castro would graduate from the Arizona Teachers College in Flagstaff. But in 1939, he could not find a school district that would hire a Mexican-American teacher, he said.

• One memorable afternoon when Castro was a boy, Gov. George W.P. Hunt spoke at the Tenth Street Park in Douglas, Castro wrote.

“In this great state of ours, anyone can be governor,” Hunt reportedly said. He gestured toward Castro and said, “Why even one of those little bare-footed Mexican kids over there could be governor.”

His words came true in 1974 when Castro was elected governor of Arizona. On the way, Castro served at the U.S. Consulate in Agua Prieta, Mexico, and then worked his way through law school at the University of Arizona as a Spanish teacher. He became an immigration attorney, Pima County Attorney and eventually a Pima County Superior Court judge.

Later, Castro served as ambassador to El Salvador and Bolivia. In 1976, he left the governor’s post when U.S. President Jimmy Carter appointed him ambassador to Argentina.

In November 2008, Castro attended a premiere of a film about his life at Lourdes Catholic School in Nogales. He told the students not to get discouraged when they encounter obstacles in their path.

“When they smack you down, get up and keep going,” Castro said.

Adversity “only hardened his resolve and strengthened his determination,” wrote August, Castro’s co-author, in a column published April 5, 2009, in the Tucson Citizen.

“This naturalized citizen from Mexico, whose life work borders on astounding, should join the pantheon of American role models of the first order,” August wrote. “His story suggests much about the human spirit, the ability to overcome institutional and personal prejudice, and the hopes inherent in the American dream.”

Texas Christian University Press published the 138-page paperback book that contains some 20 historic photos. It is available at Barnes & Noble in Tucson or online through amazon.com.