ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

An acknowledgment of appreciation is made to all members of the López family listed below, who willingly shared their knowledge. Their recall of events served in many instances not only to verify, but to elaborate on important details that were missing from other sources.

Amazingly, details that were gathered from three sources completed some stories from beginning to end. I wish to thank the following:

• Mr. Francisco López Jr. from Alice, Texas, for interviews from 1985 through 1991. He displayed a remarkable memory in relating events from his childhood, detailed conversations with his father, José Antonio López, and extensive information of Texas history – including facts about the Spanish Colonial era in Texas.
• Mr. Hector López, an attorney from Alice and the son of Francisco López Jr., for material from conversations with his father and also for his words of encouragement to continue with this history.
• The grandchildren of Fermán López: Mrs. Marina López López from San Diego, Texas; and grandson, Ricardo González López from Corpus Christi, Texas.
• Leopoldo López, a grandson of Pedro López from Alice, Texas.
• Tomás Juan Benavides Jr., a great-grandson of Pedro López from Houston, Texas.
• The grandchildren of Jesús López living in San Andrés.
• Rodolfo López, a grandson of Margarito López from San José.
• Teresa García Valadez from San José.
• Hortencia Moya from Livingston, Texas.
• Alejo López, a grandson of Francisco López, from San José.
• Mrs. Lydia López Sáenz, from Rancho Mesquite Bonito.

And, to the many other people whose conversations contributed information to this history.

I wish to give special recognition to F. Rene González from San Marcos, who married Amparo Valadez López, a granddaughter of Pedro López. Rene devoted many hours to editing and copying the manuscript. My thanks are also extended to my Primo for giving me the confidence to continue this history.

I also wish to give special recognition to Mrs. Mira Smithwick, president of the Spanish American Genealogical Association (S.A.G.A.) of Corpus Christi, for offering inspiration and courage, putting the final manuscript on the computer, editing, and putting it into book format.

And of course, I offer a very special thanks to my wife, Jovita, for helping with English words for some household items and for knowing the different materials used in the early years to make clothing. I am grateful to her for accompanying me on the many trips to cemeteries, to libraries, and to Mier, Camargo, and other places of interest to get the photographs.

Finally, I owe a very special recognition to my mother, Ydolina, who not only was a gracious loving presence in our home during the last 6½ years of her life, but who also shared the knowledge and experiences of her legendary life. Rest in Peace, Mama. Que en Paz Descanse, Mamá.