Eulogy for Eva Catalina Vasquez-Camacho
By Arturo S. Rodriguez, President
United Farm Workers of America
August 21, 2012—Delano, California
Our deepest sympathies go to Eva’s family, friends and to everyone who was inspired to be a better person and to change their lives from having known her—especially her loving husband, Marcos Camacho; her daughters Claudia, Alejandra and Aliza; her parents, Juana Maria Vasquez and Martiniano Vasquez; sisters Lorena Romero, Raquel Segura and Angelica Lopez; and her brother, Martin Vasquez.
This is a day of sadness because our sister is gone. But it is also an occasion for thanksgiving and celebration of life. It is a day for those of us who mourn her and bring her to her rest to give thanks for all the gifts bestowed upon us during the all too brief lifetime of Eva Catalina Vasquez-Camacho.
They were gifts of love and friendship…of sacrifice and selflessness…but most of all they were gifts of service.
Cesar Chavez used to describe the difference between being of service and being a servant. Many decent people perform small acts of charity or kindness in their every day lives. But few people become servants by dedicating their entire lives to the service of others. Eva was truly a servant.
The family, Sonia and I met last week. They wanted to share so many stories about Eva. That night we learned a lot.
First, Eva—her nickname was Cati, for Catalina—was always a role model,
Because Eva went to college, her sisters decided they needed to go to college too. Raquel wanted to be a police officer—so she said it wasn’t necessary to go to college. Eva convinced her if she ever wanted a promotion, a college degree would make it happen. Eva encouraged all her family to go to school—and was really pushy about it…for all the right reasons.
She also pushed her family to follow her into the farm worker movement. Of the three sisters and a brother, three of them—Angelica, Martin and Eva—served with the movement. So did Angelica’s husband, Carlos, and certainly Eva’s husband, Marcos. Their mother and father were also active with the union.
Of course, we knew Eva and Marcos through their work with the union. But we also became close after they asked us to baptize their first daughter, Claudia.
* * *
Eva embraced the spirit of Si Se Puede! even before she joined the movement. Involvement and activism were her way of life.
She tried—and succeeded—at everything. She always earned As in class, ran track and joined every club—and was a leader in most of them. When it was learned Eva’s blood type was A+ (positive), no one was surprised.
Last week, when selecting Eva’s burial plot, Marcos chose one in Plot B. Angelica said Eva would have liked Plot A better. They went back and changed it to Plot A.
There were no Latina sororities when Eva was at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. So she decided to start one. Someone said, “You can’t just start a sorority; it’s not that easy.” Eva took it as a personal challenge. She helped found a chapter of Lambda Sigma Gamma, dedicated to encouraging professional women to mentor and become role models for young Latinas.
While in high school, Eva took the test to enter the military—to see how she would score. Later, her dad got a call from the FBI, looking for Eva. He was worried Eva was in trouble. Not to worry, the FBI said; the feds wanted to recruit Eva because she scored so high on the test.
Eva’s parents were watching the news on Univision when she was away from home as a freshman at Cal Poly. There was a story about a big campus protest. Eva’s mom shook her head, saying, “Those kids’ parents are wasting their money sending them to college.”
Lorena looked more closely. There was Eva in the midst of the protesters. She quickly changed the channel.
Just after Aliza was born, a stranger from the U.S. Census Bureau approached Marcos at the UFW headquarters in Keene looking for advice on who could set up and run the census operation in Kern County. Marcos set up a meeting with Eva that day. The census director interviewed Eva and hired her on the spot.
Eva finished running the 2000 census for the southern Central Valley. She had to have 10 things going at the same time or she would get bored. In college, Eva always carried 21 units a semester, a huge class load. She was appalled when her daughter, Claudia, was only taking 15 units a semester at Berkeley.
To find detailed information on a topic, Eva’s youngest daughter, Aliza, used a texting service called ChaCha. Aliza sent in a request to ChaCha and got back the detailed information she needed. Then Aliza noticed she had mistakenly asked her mother. The response had come from Mom!—but it was as good and detailed as anything from ChaCha.
When Eva’s girls were just starting elementary school, their mom decided it is time to play the violin in a youth mariachi. Alex resisted; she preferred watching cartoons at home.
Eva would have none of that. “Don’t worry, if you don’t like it, you can quit,” Eva said. That never happened either. Claudia and Alex spent elementary, middle and most of high school participating in mariachis—and joining honor choirs. Eva spoke with great pride of seeing Claudia play the violin at Carnegie Hall in New York.
Eva developed a grant to support musical compositions for mariachis and the symphony, which was unheard of. The project encouraged Latinos to learn to play musical instruments. The youth mariachi played compositions from memory while the professional symphony musicians needed sheet music since the pieces were so complicated.
* * *
Perhaps Eva’s greatest achievement was in creating other Evas.
One of them who just started working under Eva on her first political campaign a decade ago recalls looking into the back seat of Eva’s car and seeing a high heel, a tennis shoe and a child’s car seat. “What’s this stuff?” she asked Eva.
Eva replied, “Mija, don’t let anyone ever say you can’t have it all. I’m a mother, a wife and I’m running one of the biggest voter registration drives in the state.” From then on, the new political recruit stayed after work every day to learn from her new mentor.
There isn’t time to list all the people who over the years Eva recruited, hired, trained, encouraged, empowered and inspired. Or the long list of those came to her for advice and guidance, which she generously gave.
Eva did more than inspire and empower you. She also stayed with you and gave whatever effort and time it would take to make sure you succeeded.
Just a few weeks before she passed away, Eva helped her cousin Erica get a job as a nutrition assistant. Eva insisted on making calls to help Erica and had Marcos bring home letterhead so she could write a letter of recommendation. Last week, Erica started the job—thanks to Eva.
At the same time, Eva went on a mission to help Erica’s son, Arturo, get a quality guitarron so he could play in a mariachi. Last night Arturo played in the mariachi he joined during Eva’s Rosary—using his brand new guitarron.
In the true spirit of being of service, Eva always did things for people, but never asked or expected anything in return. That attitude helped her connect with people from all circumstances.
As a court interpreter, Eva was unfailingly respectful, even with criminal defendants. The bailiffs would ask her, “Why are you being so nice to them?”
Eva inevitably replied, “Because they are human beings and they deserve it.” That’s why she was motivated to study for the law in an apprenticeship program under Marcos—until the studies were cut short by her illness.
* * *
When Marcos was bedridden with Valley Fever in 1992, Cesar taught Eva about the healing qualities of the macrobiotic diet, which she knew nothing about. She also read books and adapted recipes to create the Mexican dishes Marcos enjoyed—macrobiotic tacos and enchiladas. Over five years Eva devoted herself to nursing Marcos back to health.
As much as Eva helped create other Evas among many different people, she did the same with her daughters and her family. Each of these young women carries the best traits of her mother.
Claudia has her mother’s quick wit and charm. Alex is blessed with her mother’s incredible passion for being right and working hard. Aliza has her mother’s compassion for others, creativity and a love for detail and research. All the daughters have her intelligence.
Honoring Eva today, let us remember that passage from the Book of Proverbs, in which King Solomon offers his description of a good woman:
Strength and elegance are her clothing, and she will laugh in the final days.
She has opened her mouth to wisdom, and the law of clemency is on her tongue.
She has considered the paths of her household, and she has not eaten her bread in idleness.
Her sons rose up and predicted great happiness; her husband rose up and praised her.
Many daughters have gathered together riches; you have surpassed them all.
Charm is false, and beauty is vain. The woman who fears the Lord, the same shall be praised.
Give to her from the fruit of her own hands. And let her works praise her at the gates.
* * *
May she rest in well-deserved peace.
Thank you, and Viva Eva Camacho!
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