Calaveras y Ofrendas 2012 Calaveras y Ofrendas 2012 - Esperanza

During the 1990s and early
Ann E. Atwell – ¡Presente! 2000s, Ann Atwell delighted in
November 9, 1921 – July 24, 2012
occasional Elder Hostel travel on
three continents – easily making
friends, some of whom came to
visit her in S.A. She kept up lively correspondence and advocacy through countless
letters to legislators, presidents and on behalf of prisoners of conscience.
Her maternal ancestors migrated from New England to Eagle Pass, Texas, in
the late 19th century. The matriarch of the family’s stately many-galleried house on
a bluff overlooking the Rio Grande was Ann’s grandmother. [picture the scenery
and the era of Like Water for Chocolate] Ann passed much of her childhood on the
frontera. Her mother, briefly married to a military officer stationed nearby, worked
as a dietician in distant cities, earning a living and saving for Ann who was mostly raised by aunts in Alamo Heights/San
Antonio. Dr. Edith Bonnet was a respected physician and Esther Bonnet was a social worker who was founding director of
the Family Service Association of San Antonio. Ann loved to tell stories of camping adventures and driving across the U.S.
and Mexico with her aunt Esther and her life-long partner, Bert. In the late 1980s, Ann became willing caregiver for her.
By her early 20s, Ann had moved away and had started wearing many hats of her own. From the requisite gloves and
dainty, dressy hats of the 50s, Ann’s style became what was simple and functional. Her practical headgear ranged from
colorful indigenous knit caps to broad-brimmed straw hats she wore as she marched in protests and peace vigils –a constant
presence on behalf of nonviolence, human rights and environmental/social justice.
She trained at the pioneering settlement house for immigrants and working poor folk, Chicago’s Hull House and
developed skills in Spanish for service in rural Paraguay and Aguascalientes, Mexico, under a Protestant church’s
sponsorship. Upon returning to Texas––she worked as staff director for the Girl Scouts and in Appalachia she continued
her commitment to voluntary simplicity and living in community on a small stipend. She was assigned by Volunteers in
Education and Social Services to Catholic inner city parishes in Houston and San Antonio assisting the elderly, children and
economically disadvantaged with necessities and access to greater participation as community members and citizens.
Now back to those interchangeable “hats” Ann wore daily from the early 80s until Alzheimer’s brought her activist days
to a close and she entered nursing care. Among the many groups she worked with were: Amnesty International, Audubon
Society, League of Women Voters, Refugee Aid Project, Nature Conservancy, NE Bexar Co. Democrats, Catholic Worker
House, Inner City Development, Visitation House for Women and Children, Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, Bread
for the World, CROP, Church Women United, NE Senior Assistance Coop and many more. As a
committed non-consumerist and a competent, compassionate social worker and activist for social
change –Ann’s holiday shopping was always done at alternative markets––a great-niece remembers
“receiving” a goat sent to a family in Guatemala–– and yearly shopping at Esperanza’s Peace Market.
Ann is survived by an extended family of cousins and their descendants. Her distinctive living legacy
belongs to a multitude of gente who loved and respected and gained from her. Neighbor, Amiga,
Hermana! ¡Vaya con Dios, Compañera Ana! – Carloyn Atkins, August 13, 2012
Nancy Lee Owens Bailey
Condolences from the
Esperanza Peace and Justice
Center staff and buena gente
to our friend and ally, Steve
Bailey, on the recent passing of
his mother, Nancy Lee Owens
Bailey, who was a founding
member of Jump-Start
Performance Co. She leaves
behind her beloved husband of
55 years, Col. Jerry T. Bailey,
USAF Ret. three children, their spouses and grandchildren.
Nancy was a teacher teaching levels from kinder through
high school and volunteered numeous hours in community
service. May she rest in peace.
Duane Albert Poole
Our deepest sympathy to former
boardmember and friend of the
Esperanza Peace and Justice
Center, Gary Poole and his
family on the recent loss of his
father, Duane Albert Poole,
who served in the Navy during
World War II and went on to
start his own small business
that grew into a huge success,
because of his dedication, integrity and hard work. His
generation represents the heyday of America. Duane
leaves behind his beloved wife, Hattie, four children, their
spouses, and grandchildren. Our thoughts are with you in
this time of transition. R.I.P.
LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • November 2012 Vol. 25 Issue 9•
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