When I started working on Stories Grandma Never Told, one of the first women I contacted was Dolores Freitas Spurgeon.She was one of my journalism professors at San Jose State. She never used the "Freitas" part of her name, but I was pretty sure she was Portuguese. I soon learned that her father was born in Madeira, and her Hawaii-born mother was the daughter of immigrants from Madeira.
Like so many other Portuguese women I interviewed, Dolores didn't think she was important enough to be written about, but the story she told me at her home in Santa Clara was an inspiration for a young writer.
Dolores wanted to go to college, but her parents offered no help or support. They figured education was a waste of money for a girl because she'd just get married anyway. She received a $25 PTA scholarship,which in the 1930s was enough to pay for her first year, but not enough to buy books. She had to borrow her friends' books or do her reading at the library. Her parents' overprotectiveness was also a problem. In her senior year, when she became editor of the school newspaper, her parents wouldn't let her go to the print shop at night to check the proofs. "They just didn't see any reason why any girl should be running around at night."
But Dolores was determined. She managed to make passing grades and got jobs on campus to help pay for the rest of her schooling. She graduated in 1936 and started teaching at Jefferson Elementary School. When San Jose State established its journalism department, she got a job as secretary to the department chairman. Over the years, she moved up to assistant instructor and finally full professor. She earned a master's degree and a general secondary credential at Stanford.
By the time I got to SJSU in the 1970s, she was a veteran professor, specializing in magazine writing. She took me under her wing, helping me publish my first articles and earn a $100 scholarship to help pay my fees.
She was married to the late John Spurgeon, but in an age when most women stayed home and took care of their families, they had no children, and she continued to teach.
Growing up, she attended the festas and enjoyed connecting with her Portuguese heritage, although she never became fluent in the language. One of the great thrills of her life was when she finally got to visit the land of her ancestors, she said."I'm in Portugal! I'm in Portugal!" she shouted when she landed in Lisbon for the first time. She wished her parents were still alive so she could tell them how she felt.
Over the years, we have kept in touch. Dolores, who retired in 1975, has sent me proud letters congratulating me for my books and honors. She helped me join the California Writers Club and was still an active member when I became president of the South Bay branch in the early 1990s. While the world moved into the computer age, she continued to send notes written by hand or typed on her old typewriter. Just last month, I received a Christmas card from her.
Although Dolores never had children or grandchildren, she gave birth to several generations of journalists, making her a very special Portuguese grandma.
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