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""Leno and Maria: A Success Story"" by Vincent P. Cano - 1985
Page 45
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It was note easy for Leno to find a home to rent and with the aid of a friend Charlie Miller, they finally found a home on Walnut Street. Eventually, however, the owner, Harry Abbot choose to sell the home so Leno was once again knocking on doors. Finally, on the south side of town, he was able to secure a rental house for $13.00 a month. Although the house had no indoor plumbing, no furnas, and poor insulation, Leno was gratefull to have a roof over his head. The home on the south side of the town sat on a large lot that provided comfortable space between each neighbor. The ground floor consisted of a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and a bedroom. A narrow staircase led to a second floor that had a similar floor plan. The plaster walls and ceilings of each room gave evidence of the age and years of neglect from their previous tenants. Small cracks leading to larger ones leading to small holes characterized at least one wall and some parts of the ceiling in each room. The outside of the house was covered with brown tar paper disguised as artificial brick. Small black individual numbers of 1300 hung over a black mail box to the left of the front door. A bent street sign reading "So. Linn" anchored itself next to a gravel road. The space on the south side of the house was large enough for Leno to plant a garden during the summers to help in the feeding of his family. Each Spring he could be seen pushing his garden plow back and forth to prepare the ground for his garden seeds. A few feet behind the home, was a chicken coop and a pig shelter. Beyond that a huge tree sat next to railroad tracks that separated the property from the city's fairgrounds. As the years passed, Leno and Maria added to their family. Joining Elena Juliana, Maria Guadalupe, and Josephine Rita were following on order of birth. Delores Catherine, Molly Carmen, Rosemary Felisa, Arthur Albert, Robert Joseph and Vincent Paul. Approximately in 1952, the Canos moved to a better home located at 407 South Capital changing their status from renters to home owners. Before this home, however, Elena married and therefore moved into her own home. The other Cano children continued to live together until they married or the time came fro them to set out on their own. From the period between 1952 and 1967, many changes came about in Leno and Maria's lives that widened their experiences within the American society but in so doing, never let go of their Mexican heritage. For example, through oral examination., they officially received their American citizenship papers. Also, Maria entered the American labor force at Mercy Hospital as a housekeeper. In 1967, the University of Iowa because of its growth, offered to purchase properties that fell within a certain radius of it's campus. Leno and Maria's property fell within this radius and they decided to sell their home to the University and to move in to a smaller home at 940 Webster. Their new home at 940 Webster is where they retired from the labor force. Leno, from the Rock Island Railroad with more than 40 years of service with a respectable pension plan and excellent work record. Maria, from Mercy Hospital as a seamstress. Upon retirement, the local paper printed this article along with her picture in 45.
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It was note easy for Leno to find a home to rent and with the aid of a friend Charlie Miller, they finally found a home on Walnut Street. Eventually, however, the owner, Harry Abbot choose to sell the home so Leno was once again knocking on doors. Finally, on the south side of town, he was able to secure a rental house for $13.00 a month. Although the house had no indoor plumbing, no furnas, and poor insulation, Leno was gratefull to have a roof over his head. The home on the south side of the town sat on a large lot that provided comfortable space between each neighbor. The ground floor consisted of a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and a bedroom. A narrow staircase led to a second floor that had a similar floor plan. The plaster walls and ceilings of each room gave evidence of the age and years of neglect from their previous tenants. Small cracks leading to larger ones leading to small holes characterized at least one wall and some parts of the ceiling in each room. The outside of the house was covered with brown tar paper disguised as artificial brick. Small black individual numbers of 1300 hung over a black mail box to the left of the front door. A bent street sign reading "So. Linn" anchored itself next to a gravel road. The space on the south side of the house was large enough for Leno to plant a garden during the summers to help in the feeding of his family. Each Spring he could be seen pushing his garden plow back and forth to prepare the ground for his garden seeds. A few feet behind the home, was a chicken coop and a pig shelter. Beyond that a huge tree sat next to railroad tracks that separated the property from the city's fairgrounds. As the years passed, Leno and Maria added to their family. Joining Elena Juliana, Maria Guadalupe, and Josephine Rita were following on order of birth. Delores Catherine, Molly Carmen, Rosemary Felisa, Arthur Albert, Robert Joseph and Vincent Paul. Approximately in 1952, the Canos moved to a better home located at 407 South Capital changing their status from renters to home owners. Before this home, however, Elena married and therefore moved into her own home. The other Cano children continued to live together until they married or the time came fro them to set out on their own. From the period between 1952 and 1967, many changes came about in Leno and Maria's lives that widened their experiences within the American society but in so doing, never let go of their Mexican heritage. For example, through oral examination., they officially received their American citizenship papers. Also, Maria entered the American labor force at Mercy Hospital as a housekeeper. In 1967, the University of Iowa because of its growth, offered to purchase properties that fell within a certain radius of it's campus. Leno and Maria's property fell within this radius and they decided to sell their home to the University and to move in to a smaller home at 940 Webster. Their new home at 940 Webster is where they retired from the labor force. Leno, from the Rock Island Railroad with more than 40 years of service with a respectable pension plan and excellent work record. Maria, from Mercy Hospital as a seamstress. Upon retirement, the local paper printed this article along with her picture in 45.
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