My Father

Democracy's Whisper

I wanted to take some time out to address my father, Cesareo Guadarrama 
III’s recent retirement. Looking back I recall a particular scenario when my 
father served on the school board that I wanted to share with the community. In 
adolescence, I was always on the wrong side of "“right & wrong”. One of the many 
times I was in trouble at school, my father was called to pick me up. He had a 
disappointed look on his face, but did not speak on the matter. We drove to 
Seguin High School, and walked into the principal’s office. At that time, 
George Mercer was the principal and I remember being intimidated. There was a 
boy in the office that had recently been in a fight, and my father and Mr. 
Mercer were talking about the cause. The boy had been teased for wearing the 
same jeans to school everyday and decided to act. After the meeting we drove to 
JC Penney, which was ironically where the Mercer-Blumberg Learning Center is 
today. My father and I still had not uttered a word to each other as we picked 
up a few pairs of jeans for the high school boy. I finally opened my mouth and 
asked why Mr. Mercer and my father were buying jeans. He looked at me and 
said, “Because they are all of our children; they have needs just like you do.” 

I will never forget that moment; because it was at that moment that I 
didn’t mind sharing my father with the community. I understood why he was late 
coming home; why he was the first to leave the house, and why every great man & 
woman I met in the community considered him great. Men like Vincent Patlan, 
Buster Blumberg, Roland Rico and many more who have passed on. Although he will 
never admit his own mortality, holding the communities concerns on your 
shoulders for 25+ years wears the strongest men & women down. I am glad that 
the responsibility has been passed on, and the people’s voices were heard. The 
most beautiful thing about this country is democracy. She is the mother of all 
the great community leaders in our nation. Tuesday night, democracy walked in 
to the democratic headquarters placed her hand on my fathers shoulder and 
whispered in his ear. In fact she made that trip around the nation. I wish Mr. 
Kutscher the very best, and wish that he leads with the same zeal my father had 
at his age. I don’t think my father is capable of the adjustment, but if he IS 
retired, I ask the community to never forget him. He sacrificed time with his 
family to help build a Utopia for all. We still have a long way to go. With 
that being said, I would like to take this time to thank all of the community 
leaders past & present for your service. Many have no idea the amount of 
empathy it takes from loved ones. Without sounding cliché he is the best dad 
I, or the community could ask for. Thank you dad for your service; and thank 
you community for bringing him back in one piece.