Angel of Goliad Descendants H.P.

A Todos Los Primos Alvarez,

August was one of the hottest months in Texas but not as hot as our AOGDHP meeting!!!! Our meeting was held in San Antonio on August 14th 2004. We discussed several topics. The most serious one is the lack of members in our organization. 13 out of the 1200 Alvarez descendants are presently members. What a shame! We have started out with so many goals and dreams and aspirations for our organization and if the lack of funds is what will keep us from growing it is so shameful. $25 per family is not much to ask for considering the fact that we will be encountering so many expenses now that we have our Angel of Goliad- Alvarez Reunion set for March 27th 2005 in Goliad, Texas. We are having to put a deposit to hold our place for the Reunion and the fees the attorney will charge for getting our non-profit status. With less than $500 in the kitty that will go fast. So please email your membership fees along with the form to be found in our Angel of Goliad webpage. Eustolio Longoria has so graciously volunteered with the help of Gilbert Alvarez, and Humberto Alvarez, Jr. to head the membership drive. We need each family of the Matias Alvarez descendants to update phones, addresses, and e-mails addresses and contact other members of the family to form lists and get updated information. Arturo and Humberto Alvarez, Sr. have volunteered to get a catering service to feed our clan. This means we will have to collect money before the reunion for the food part of the reunion. Details will come later. We hope to have entertainment as well. Louis Ramirez and Sandy Valadez will be working in this endeavor. KR Wood the songwriter who wrote the theme song for our organization on the Angel of Goliad has been invited to sing Angel of Goliad. If you have not heard it yet, you are in for a treat. Hopefully, he will be selling his CDs at our reunion because I am sure you will want to keep a copy. The words are in our Angel of Goliad webpage. Click KR Wood and check it out. Another problem we are having is that when you view our website and have not signed our guestbook please do so. Just click Guestbook. I know many of you have not done so. With school starting and expenses coming up , we realize money may be short but do try and join our organization. This organization is for our children and grandchildren and people who do not want to forget their roots and family heritage. Imagine your great great great children in the year 2400 looking back and researching their heritage and roots and looking at all the things our organization did to better mankind and keep the memory of our great ancestor Panchita Alvarez alive. WE are so lucky to have today's technology to help us keep our memories alive. Do your part. Hopefully, as soon as we get our non-profit status we can ask the big companies to sponsor us and help us keep our webpage going and projects started. Our next meeting will be held in Spring, Texas near Houston on November 6th . Make plans to attend our meeting and help us make The Angel of Goliad-Alvarez Reunion 2005 the best ever. We will need all your ideas, help and most of all prayers to make it happen and get our last of the 4th generation of Alvarez spouses and anyone else who is left a memorable occasion. Some of these spouses are in their 80s and one is 97. What a treat for our children to meet other cousins they have never seen. and a great time to show off the youngest Alvarez babies! Do not forget to send in your stories to Manuel our webmaster of our Alvarez kin before they are lost down memory lane and pictures!!! don't forget them. Make your plans now.

Other News

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to share with all of you some great news that some of you already know.
My last child (No. 5), Teri Elizabeth, graduated from high school this year and WAS headed to University of Texas at San Antonio this Friday. We have made a northern turn and she will be headed straight north to the fartherest point of Michigan at Marquette, with a full scholarship at Northern Michigan University and will be a member of the Olympic Education Center! In other words, she will be training for the Olympics in the girls wrestling program! There are only 16 scholarships given and this is the first year for the girls wrestling at that center. There are Olympic centers in Colorado and Chula Vista, CA. She leaves for Marquette this coming Monday, which is over 1,600 miles away one way. We just received confirmation of her acceptance to the University so that's why we hadn't said anything before. She began applying for the position just two weeks ago and didn't tell her parents until she got verbal acceptance by the head coach, Shannyn Gillespie.

On a more serious note, may I ask for your prayers for her success in both her collegiate and wrestling endeavors. I will try to keep you all informed of her achievements.
Thanks so much for your support!

Love, Norma and Pete

Flash!!! Joseph Shokrian, son of Hassan and Rebecca Shokrian of San Antonio has been sworn in the Texas National Guard and will report to Basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia on September 15th,2004. His dream of joining the military has finally come true. Please pray for him.

Respectfully submitted, Rudy Garcia and Herlin Pineda Newsletter Editors