William Silveira Jr Interview
Item
Title
William Silveira Jr Interview
Description
William Silveira Jr. was born in the Central Valley. His grandparents were immigrants from the island of São Jorge in the Azores. For several years he was a very successful attorney, he became a judge in the Tulare County Superior Court where he did groundbreaking work in the juvenile sector and was instrumental in continuing with the sister-city relationship between the city of Tulare and Angra do Heroísmo in the Azores. He has researched and written about the Portuguese-American presence in Tulare County.
Creator
Silveira Jr., William
McCoy, Kelley
Relation
Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute
Identifier
SCUAD_pbbi_00006
Date
07-10-2019
extracted text
1
00:00:06,736 --> 00:00:08,760
William Silveira: William Silveira Junior.
2
00:00:09,120 --> 00:00:13,120
Kelley McCoy: So you say junior.
Were you named after anyone?
3
00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:15,920
William Silveira: My father, William Silveira.
4
00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:17,520
Kelley McCoy: And when were you born?
5
00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:19,920
William Silveira: April 7, 1942.
6
00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,240
Kelley McCoy: Where were you born?
7
00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:30,800
William Silveira: I was born in Hanford,
California. Our attending physician was my uncle
8
00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:38,080
Raldy Campus [phonetic]. He maintained a medical
practice in Hanford. So we lived in Tulare, but
9
00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:44,640
I was born in Hanford, as were my brother and
sister, at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Hanford.
10
00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:48,640
Kelley McCoy: When did your family
immigrate to the United States?
11
00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:57,840
William Silveira: They came at various times.
My mother's father, [inaudible] or John
12
00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:10,320
Tashara, came in about 1884.
My grandfather, my paternal grandfather, Williams
13
00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:16,720
Sil -- Correction. My paternal grandfather Joe
Silveira, Joe Sovey Silveira,
14
00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:28,240
came in 1895. My grandmother, Lavinia
Tashara, came in 1907. And
15
00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:37,360
I believe my maternal grandmother
came around 1910 or 1911.
16
00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:40,240
Kelley McCoy: Why did they leave the Azores?
17
00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:47,440
William Silveira: Well, they left because there
was no future there. The economy in Azores was
18
00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:55,920
very backward. They were overpopulated.
And there just was no future for anyone.
19
00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:59,680
Kelley McCoy: And did they settle here,
all of them, in the Central Valley?
20
00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:05,840
William Silveira: They did. They were already
-- Azoreans had started settling here in the
21
00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:15,200
Central Valley in the 1870s. They started out as
sheepherders. They developed a good reputation
22
00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:22,560
for being steady and willing to stay out in
the field with sheep. And so, they were hired
23
00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:28,480
first in these large ranches out by Lemoore.
And then, of course, they sent letters home
24
00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:36,400
and told of the opportunities here. And more
of them came and started settling in the area.
25
00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:41,840
Kelley McCoy: Did your grandparents ever tell
you what life was like in the United States
26
00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:42,960
when they first got here?
27
00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:53,600
William Silveira: Well, I had some ideas.
I knew it was hard. My paternal grandfather
28
00:02:53,600 --> 00:03:02,160
had started milking cows when he arrived in
Benicia. And he recalled that milking cows
29
00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:09,440
and the Sacramento Valley all had to be done by
hand. Lots of mosquitoes. Life was difficult.
30
00:03:10,979 --> 00:03:12,080
The31
00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:24,080
My maternal grandmother came, and she was- accompanied
an uncle, who had been living in Portland, Oregon,
32
00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:33,840
had actually participated in the Gold Rush. And
he decided to go back to the Azores one last time.
33
00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:41,840
And he told my maternal grandmother that
she shouldn't be wasting her life there,
34
00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:48,800
to come to the United States. So she did.
And he placed her with some relatives
35
00:03:50,080 --> 00:04:01,280
in the San Francisco Bay Area. And then another
relative was pregnant and going to have birth of
36
00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:06,480
a child down here in Tulare on the dairy. They
owned their own dairy. So my grandmother came
37
00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:15,040
down here to look after her. She was one of my
grandfather’s, paternal grandfather's sisters.
38
00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:23,760
And my grandmother remembered having to pump
water for the dairy cattle when the wind would
39
00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:30,080
not turn the windmills. There's no wind here in
the summertime. So the water had to be pumped by
40
00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:35,840
hand. This was before they had electricity.
She remembered it was a hot, hard job.
41
00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:42,480
Kelley McCoy: So it sounds like those who came
over worked primarily in agriculture. Was that
42
00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:46,160
also true of their lives in the Azores?
Were they working in agriculture there?
43
00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:51,120
William Silveira: Well, the agriculture in
the Azores that's practiced then was a very
44
00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:58,160
different affair from now. In the Azores, their
families might have small parcels of land.
45
00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:05,040
My maternal grandmother's family -- I think
it was just two and a half acres. My paternal
46
00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:14,360
grandparents had -- my paternal grandfather's
family had more land and a bigger dairy.
47
00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:31,755
[Unknown Speaker]: That's one of those
warning [inaudible] alerts. Sorry.
48
00:05:31,755 --> 00:05:31,778
William Silveira: So -49
00:05:31,778 --> 00:05:31,830
[Unknown Speaker]: Which
mean [inaudible] everybody.
50
00:05:31,830 --> 00:05:31,871
[Unknown Speaker]: I turned my phone off.
51
00:05:31,871 --> 00:05:31,941
[Unknown Speaker]: Okay. I'm willing
to turn my phone all the way off.
52
00:05:31,941 --> 00:05:31,970
[Unknown Speaker]: That's OK.
53
00:05:31,970 --> 00:05:32,048
[Unknown Speaker]: Why didn't you just
turn the sound down? But I didn't know.
54
00:05:32,048 --> 00:05:35,040
[Unknown Speaker]: If there was an opportunity
to help this little girl or little boy's family.
55
00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:35,760
William Silveira: Okay.
56
00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:36,471
[Unknown Speaker]: I was
wondering is it [inaudible].
57
00:05:36,471 --> 00:05:40,740
[Unknown Speaker]: I was going to
say, did you feel something? Harold,
58
00:05:40,740 --> 00:05:43,784
did you feel something? Sorry. All right.
59
00:05:43,784 --> 00:05:45,120
William Silveira:
60
00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:49,840
Anyway. The agriculture practice there is very
different from the United States. On very small
61
00:05:49,840 --> 00:05:57,920
parcels of land. My paternal grandfather's family
actually had what was viewed as a big dairy
62
00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:04,480
in St. Jorge or Sao Jorge Island. And
they had like, maybe 30 cows. And they
63
00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:11,440
would take the milk from the cows and make
cheese and export to continental Portugal.
64
00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:17,120
And so he actually engaged in that business
here in the United States for a period of time.
65
00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:22,800
Kelley McCoy: So it sounds like they came
to this country seeking opportunities.
66
00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:30,640
What they found was hardship. Did anyone ever
go back, or did they decide, “This is where
67
00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:32,400
we're going to cast our lot. We're going to stay”?
68
00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,680
William Silveira: No. They
didn't want to come back.
69
00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:46,000
They -- My grandfather, like I told
you, my paternal grandfather came
70
00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:53,680
in 1895. By 1912, he was well established
with a farm and a dairy of his own.
71
00:06:55,120 --> 00:07:00,960
On my mother's side of the family, her
father had saved money being a sheepherder.
72
00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:07,040
They purchased land northeast of
Hanford and lived there from 1907 until
73
00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:12,320
he died. And then my grandmother died in the
early '80s. Lived there the rest of their lives.
74
00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:16,960
Kelley McCoy: As we know, anti-immigrant sentiment
75
00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:21,760
is something that all immigrant groups
have faced at one time or another.
76
00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:26,880
Do you recall your grandparents ever telling
you about anything that they encountered?
77
00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:35,520
William Silveira: Well, there was obviously
some bigotry about Portuguese immigrants.
78
00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:42,720
I don't think my father was ever bothered by
it, nor do I recall my mother being bothered by
79
00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:52,080
it. But you asked about the immigration issues. My
father had an aunt who was, in fact, his godmother
80
00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:59,840
Rose. And her husband did not like it here in
the United States. And he wanted to return to
81
00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:08,400
the Azores and did so about 1920. He subsequently
committed suicide there. And she wanted to return
82
00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:13,760
to the United States and she couldn't. Immigration
laws had changed and she wasn't allowed to return.
83
00:08:16,978 --> 00:08:20,341
Kelley McCoy: I'm really sorry to
hear about that. [Music]
84
00:08:20,341 --> 00:08:21,920
You're a member
85
00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:28,080
of the second generation of your family to
be born in the United States. How important
86
00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:33,360
was it to your parents that you be raised
with a strong Portuguese sense of [inaudible]?
87
00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:36,679
Candace Egan: Wait till the
clock stops before you start.
88
00:08:38,178 --> 00:08:39,600
Kelley McCoy: Do I need to rephrase the question?
89
00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:42,480
Candace Egan: I think we can understand. Well, if you want to, you can.
90
00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:44,160
[Unknown Speaker]: We can
understand what you said.
91
00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:44,800
Kelley McCoy: OK.
92
00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:46,587
Candace Egan: But we
don't want the clock over you.
93
00:08:46,587 --> 00:08:53,680
William Silveira: My parents thought it was
important for me to maintain some Portuguese
94
00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:58,960
identity. I had learned to speak Portuguese in
my grandmother's-- paternal grandmother's--home.
95
00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:07,840
She spoke Portuguese in the home. And we would
attend Portuguese Holy Ghost celebrations,
96
00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:12,880
that sort of thing. As we grew
older, we participated in fraternal
97
00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:17,520
society organizations that
promoted the Portuguese culture.
98
00:09:18,859 --> 00:09:22,960
Kelley McCoy: As you got older and
established a family of your own,
99
00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:28,000
what traditions and customs have
you made an effort to preserve?
100
00:09:29,139 --> 00:09:40,400
William Silveira: Well, I must confess, very
few. As a judge, I became very caught up in
101
00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:47,440
the public life here. Our children attended
parochial school in Tulare and had some
102
00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:56,000
involvement in Portuguese culture there through
the Catholic Church. But that was about it.
103
00:09:56,000 --> 00:10:05,440
I think, once, my son was an escort
at a Portuguese Holy Ghost Festival
104
00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:09,520
in Tipton, an escort to one of
the queens, but that was about it.
105
00:10:10,959 --> 00:10:16,720
Kelley McCoy: What kind of stories -- You know,
a lot of times what binds families together,
106
00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:21,200
immigrant families together are the stories
that are passed down through generations.
107
00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:26,800
What kind of stories have come down to
you about your parents and grandparents?
108
00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:31,920
William Silveira: Well, mostly, with
just family history, talking about the
109
00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:42,640
difficulties they faced in their lives.
As I said, in the paper I wrote for you,
110
00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:50,940
my paternal grandfather had a lot of difficulties
with the onset of the Great Depression.
111
00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:59,840
So I remember hearing many stories about
the hardship of the Depression days.
112
00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:09,440
He had to give up his farm on a location
that's now part of the city of Tulare.
113
00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:20,400
They moved out to Goshen, and my grandmother
remembered, to a place with no electricity and
114
00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:31,520
no amenities at all. So she had to go back
to using coal oil lamps and cooking on
115
00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:33,960
kerosene stoves.
116
00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:41,760
Kelley McCoy: If I remember correctly, many
Portuguese boys were not able to continue going
117
00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:45,840
to high school because they had to stay and work
on the farms, but your father was an exception.
118
00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:52,960
William Silveira: Yes, he was. My father had been
an excellent student in grade school. He attended
119
00:11:52,960 --> 00:12:02,000
city schools, which was an advantage because
many young Portuguese people that attended
120
00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:06,720
rural schools, and I think the quality of
education was better in the city schools.
121
00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:16,080
My father excelled and, in fact, skipped a
grade and went on to excel in high school.
122
00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:24,720
He was an Eagle Scout. He became an Eagle
Scout. He developed a prize-winning pig herd
123
00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:32,960
and went on to win prizes. He later became a
Future Farmer of the Year an American Farmer
124
00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:39,520
of the Year. The award is only given once a year
for participation in future farmer activities.
125
00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:42,720
Kelley McCoy: So tell me
what your childhood was like.
126
00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:50,480
William Silveira: Well, my childhood wasconsisted mainly of -- early childhood of just
127
00:12:52,320 --> 00:13:00,960
playing in the dirt out on this large ranch.
We moved to a very large ranch that belonged
128
00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:09,840
to my uncle, Raldy Campus, in 1945.
And there were permanent workers on the ranch
129
00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:15,520
that lived in houses down the road from ours. So
they had children and we played -- played cowboys
130
00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:22,480
and indians of all sorts of games. By the time
I was in the sixth grade, we moved to our own
131
00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:31,360
farm. And I started working about that time in
the farm, had regular chores to do and help out.
132
00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:33,600
Kelley McCoy: You were a little boy,
133
00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:35,672
weren't you, when you were doing
that work? Did you say you were 13?
134
00:13:35,672 --> 00:13:38,104
William Silveira: Yeah, 13. Yeah.
135
00:13:38,104 --> 00:13:43,920
Kelley McCoy: So you received your bachelor's
degree from Cal and your law degree from UCLA.
136
00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:50,300
What attracted you, a young farm boy from
the Central Valley, to the field of law?
137
00:13:51,419 --> 00:13:55,840
William Silveira: Well, my parents had admiration
138
00:13:56,400 --> 00:14:03,440
for Joseph Soares, an attorney in Tulare.
I later became his partner. And also,
139
00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:11,040
I had admired a grade school teacher I had who
was studying law. Man by the name of Jack Luck.
140
00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:20,160
And then I think, maybe in high school, one
or more may have suggested that I consider
141
00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:27,200
taking up the study of law after I graduated
from college. So follow those suggestions, I did.
142
00:14:28,159 --> 00:14:31,920
Kelley McCoy: Was there anything in particular,
though, about the field that appealed to you?
143
00:14:32,140 --> 00:14:33,020
William Silveira: No.
144
00:14:34,419 --> 00:14:35,360
Kelley McCoy: It was a suggestion.
145
00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:39,840
William Silveira: It was a suggestion. I
decided I would give it a try, and I did.
146
00:14:40,959 --> 00:14:43,920
Kelley McCoy: It sounds like a lot
of people were all the better for it,
147
00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:47,920
as I get into my next question.
So there is some narrative here.
148
00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:48,400
William Silveira: All right.
149
00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:54,400
Kelley McCoy: I think it's important to have the background on the video.
So for more than three
150
00:14:54,400 --> 00:15:00,480
decades then, you were a judge in Tulare County.
And I did some research on you, as I said. And you
151
00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:06,960
gained both local and national attention for your
work on family and youth issues. I read that you
152
00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:13,600
instituted one of the country's first juvenile
drug courts and that your drug court program
153
00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:18,880
was designated a model youth drug court by
the National Association of Drug Courts.
154
00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:24,400
I also learned that you were a key figure
in getting a new juvenile detention center
155
00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:29,200
built here in Tulare County and that, away
from the bench, you served as a board member
156
00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:34,400
for a number of youth-oriented organizations.
So, you know, as I was reading this,
157
00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:41,280
beyond being impressed to be completely frank, why
did you choose to devote so much of your career
158
00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:46,960
to juvenile justice and issues
affecting young people more generally?
159
00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:55,360
William Silveira: Well, I can't really pinpoint
any specific reason. But I enjoyed working with
160
00:15:55,360 --> 00:16:06,640
young people. And the reason I enjoyed it is that
there was hope to turn their lives around. By the
161
00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:16,560
time you get into the adult criminal justice
system, you are dealing with people who have
162
00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:23,280
involved themselves in very serious--some
of them, very serious--criminal acts,
163
00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:29,040
and there's no hope of change there. And besides
that, the sentencing laws don't allow for it,
164
00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:37,040
so. But I enjoyed working with young people
and making the system better for them.
165
00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:43,600
When I started work as the juvenile court
judge in the early '90s here in Tulare County,
166
00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:51,200
the juvenile justice system was a stepchild of the
court system. And I set around to changing that.
167
00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:56,800
Kelley McCoy: So of all the things that
you accomplished professionally then,
168
00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:00,240
what are you most proud of?
169
00:17:01,419 --> 00:17:05,840
William Silveira: Well, I think the thing
I'm most proud of was the juvenile drug
170
00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:14,560
court program I had. We changed the lives
significantly for a number of young people.
171
00:17:15,360 --> 00:17:22,880
Some of them had -- When I put them into the
drug court, they had dropped out of school.
172
00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:30,560
They were attending continuation school or probation school. And they
were
173
00:17:32,540 --> 00:17:37,040
getting very poor grades because they
were skipping school and using drugs.
174
00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:45,920
And we turned their lives around. And some of
them went on to have very successful careers as
175
00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:55,040
adults. I was later thanked by their parents and
by some of them for what we did in that program.
176
00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:56,800
Kelley McCoy: That must have
been immensely rewarding.
177
00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:59,840
William Silveira: Yes, it was.
178
00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:07,440
Kelley McCoy: So to what extent, I know this
isn’t necessarily something we think very much
179
00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:12,560
about when we think about our ethnicity and our
backgrounds. -- But to what extent do you believe
180
00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:16,320
that being Portuguese-American
has shaped the way that you've
181
00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:20,720
moved through this lifetime, both
professional as well as personally?
182
00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:29,440
William Silveira: Well, I think, principally,
it instilled in me a strong work ethic.
183
00:18:31,120 --> 00:18:41,920
And I worked many long, hard hours. When I was the
juvenile court judge -- Well, let me start back.
184
00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:47,840
When I became judge of the combined Clarion
Pixlee justice court in Tulare,
185
00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:58,160
I did all the work of that court by myself from
1976 to 1980. When I left in 1980, my successor,
186
00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:01,840
Walt Derelict, said,
“this is too much” and asked the county
187
00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:07,520
to get another judge out there to help them.
Similarly, when I became juvenile court judge,
188
00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:18,720
we had one commissioner doing the work full-time
and I. And when I left, my successor, Judge Cramp,
189
00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:25,840
said it was far too much and asked the county to
give another commissioner to assist. So I think
190
00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:33,680
the work ethic that I had growing up on the
farm and from my family led me to do the hours
191
00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:42,960
that I put in. I would read innumerable social
reports and probation reports at home, at night.
192
00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:52,080
And Marilyn, as I was preparing for this,
Marilyn reminded me that she spoke to
193
00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:57,760
some judge's wife who said, “You mean your
husband actually reads through all those?”
194
00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:07,600
Kelley McCoy: Do you maintain strong ties
to the Azores? Do you go back very often?
195
00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:13,760
William Silveira: No. I haven't been to the
Azores since 1989. I would like to go back,
196
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:20,080
and maybe one day we will. But I had
some distant cousins that live there.
197
00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:26,960
But they moved from there to Lisbon, and that's
where they live. And they're very distant.
198
00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:34,080
I had become acquainted with this distant
cousin and her husband when they were here in
199
00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:42,320
the early '60s relating to the settlement of the
state. And we kept company with them on our trip
200
00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:51,920
to the Azores in 1980, in a trip we took
to the Azores in 1978. At the time, no.
201
00:20:53,539 --> 00:20:58,480
Kelley McCoy: So I have one final
question for you. What does being
202
00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:01,840
Portuguese-American mean to you?
203
00:21:02,939 --> 00:21:10,960
William Silveira: Well, I think it means
identity with a specific ethnic group that
204
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:19,840
has contributed greatly to life in the San
Joaquin Valley and continues to contribute
205
00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:25,200
in a business sense and a social sense.
206
00:21:27,398 --> 00:21:31,200
Kelley McCoy: Is there anything I didn't
touch on that you'd like to share?
207
00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:33,445
William Silveira: No.
208
00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:44,054
209
00:21:44,054 --> 00:21:45,548
00:00:06,736 --> 00:00:08,760
William Silveira: William Silveira Junior.
2
00:00:09,120 --> 00:00:13,120
Kelley McCoy: So you say junior.
Were you named after anyone?
3
00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:15,920
William Silveira: My father, William Silveira.
4
00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:17,520
Kelley McCoy: And when were you born?
5
00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:19,920
William Silveira: April 7, 1942.
6
00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,240
Kelley McCoy: Where were you born?
7
00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:30,800
William Silveira: I was born in Hanford,
California. Our attending physician was my uncle
8
00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:38,080
Raldy Campus [phonetic]. He maintained a medical
practice in Hanford. So we lived in Tulare, but
9
00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:44,640
I was born in Hanford, as were my brother and
sister, at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Hanford.
10
00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:48,640
Kelley McCoy: When did your family
immigrate to the United States?
11
00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:57,840
William Silveira: They came at various times.
My mother's father, [inaudible] or John
12
00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:10,320
Tashara, came in about 1884.
My grandfather, my paternal grandfather, Williams
13
00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:16,720
Sil -- Correction. My paternal grandfather Joe
Silveira, Joe Sovey Silveira,
14
00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:28,240
came in 1895. My grandmother, Lavinia
Tashara, came in 1907. And
15
00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:37,360
I believe my maternal grandmother
came around 1910 or 1911.
16
00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:40,240
Kelley McCoy: Why did they leave the Azores?
17
00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:47,440
William Silveira: Well, they left because there
was no future there. The economy in Azores was
18
00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:55,920
very backward. They were overpopulated.
And there just was no future for anyone.
19
00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:59,680
Kelley McCoy: And did they settle here,
all of them, in the Central Valley?
20
00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:05,840
William Silveira: They did. They were already
-- Azoreans had started settling here in the
21
00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:15,200
Central Valley in the 1870s. They started out as
sheepherders. They developed a good reputation
22
00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:22,560
for being steady and willing to stay out in
the field with sheep. And so, they were hired
23
00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:28,480
first in these large ranches out by Lemoore.
And then, of course, they sent letters home
24
00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:36,400
and told of the opportunities here. And more
of them came and started settling in the area.
25
00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:41,840
Kelley McCoy: Did your grandparents ever tell
you what life was like in the United States
26
00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:42,960
when they first got here?
27
00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:53,600
William Silveira: Well, I had some ideas.
I knew it was hard. My paternal grandfather
28
00:02:53,600 --> 00:03:02,160
had started milking cows when he arrived in
Benicia. And he recalled that milking cows
29
00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:09,440
and the Sacramento Valley all had to be done by
hand. Lots of mosquitoes. Life was difficult.
30
00:03:10,979 --> 00:03:12,080
The31
00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:24,080
My maternal grandmother came, and she was- accompanied
an uncle, who had been living in Portland, Oregon,
32
00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:33,840
had actually participated in the Gold Rush. And
he decided to go back to the Azores one last time.
33
00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:41,840
And he told my maternal grandmother that
she shouldn't be wasting her life there,
34
00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:48,800
to come to the United States. So she did.
And he placed her with some relatives
35
00:03:50,080 --> 00:04:01,280
in the San Francisco Bay Area. And then another
relative was pregnant and going to have birth of
36
00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:06,480
a child down here in Tulare on the dairy. They
owned their own dairy. So my grandmother came
37
00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:15,040
down here to look after her. She was one of my
grandfather’s, paternal grandfather's sisters.
38
00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:23,760
And my grandmother remembered having to pump
water for the dairy cattle when the wind would
39
00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:30,080
not turn the windmills. There's no wind here in
the summertime. So the water had to be pumped by
40
00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:35,840
hand. This was before they had electricity.
She remembered it was a hot, hard job.
41
00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:42,480
Kelley McCoy: So it sounds like those who came
over worked primarily in agriculture. Was that
42
00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:46,160
also true of their lives in the Azores?
Were they working in agriculture there?
43
00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:51,120
William Silveira: Well, the agriculture in
the Azores that's practiced then was a very
44
00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:58,160
different affair from now. In the Azores, their
families might have small parcels of land.
45
00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:05,040
My maternal grandmother's family -- I think
it was just two and a half acres. My paternal
46
00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:14,360
grandparents had -- my paternal grandfather's
family had more land and a bigger dairy.
47
00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:31,755
[Unknown Speaker]: That's one of those
warning [inaudible] alerts. Sorry.
48
00:05:31,755 --> 00:05:31,778
William Silveira: So -49
00:05:31,778 --> 00:05:31,830
[Unknown Speaker]: Which
mean [inaudible] everybody.
50
00:05:31,830 --> 00:05:31,871
[Unknown Speaker]: I turned my phone off.
51
00:05:31,871 --> 00:05:31,941
[Unknown Speaker]: Okay. I'm willing
to turn my phone all the way off.
52
00:05:31,941 --> 00:05:31,970
[Unknown Speaker]: That's OK.
53
00:05:31,970 --> 00:05:32,048
[Unknown Speaker]: Why didn't you just
turn the sound down? But I didn't know.
54
00:05:32,048 --> 00:05:35,040
[Unknown Speaker]: If there was an opportunity
to help this little girl or little boy's family.
55
00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:35,760
William Silveira: Okay.
56
00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:36,471
[Unknown Speaker]: I was
wondering is it [inaudible].
57
00:05:36,471 --> 00:05:40,740
[Unknown Speaker]: I was going to
say, did you feel something? Harold,
58
00:05:40,740 --> 00:05:43,784
did you feel something? Sorry. All right.
59
00:05:43,784 --> 00:05:45,120
William Silveira:
60
00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:49,840
Anyway. The agriculture practice there is very
different from the United States. On very small
61
00:05:49,840 --> 00:05:57,920
parcels of land. My paternal grandfather's family
actually had what was viewed as a big dairy
62
00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:04,480
in St. Jorge or Sao Jorge Island. And
they had like, maybe 30 cows. And they
63
00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:11,440
would take the milk from the cows and make
cheese and export to continental Portugal.
64
00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:17,120
And so he actually engaged in that business
here in the United States for a period of time.
65
00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:22,800
Kelley McCoy: So it sounds like they came
to this country seeking opportunities.
66
00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:30,640
What they found was hardship. Did anyone ever
go back, or did they decide, “This is where
67
00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:32,400
we're going to cast our lot. We're going to stay”?
68
00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,680
William Silveira: No. They
didn't want to come back.
69
00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:46,000
They -- My grandfather, like I told
you, my paternal grandfather came
70
00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:53,680
in 1895. By 1912, he was well established
with a farm and a dairy of his own.
71
00:06:55,120 --> 00:07:00,960
On my mother's side of the family, her
father had saved money being a sheepherder.
72
00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:07,040
They purchased land northeast of
Hanford and lived there from 1907 until
73
00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:12,320
he died. And then my grandmother died in the
early '80s. Lived there the rest of their lives.
74
00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:16,960
Kelley McCoy: As we know, anti-immigrant sentiment
75
00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:21,760
is something that all immigrant groups
have faced at one time or another.
76
00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:26,880
Do you recall your grandparents ever telling
you about anything that they encountered?
77
00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:35,520
William Silveira: Well, there was obviously
some bigotry about Portuguese immigrants.
78
00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:42,720
I don't think my father was ever bothered by
it, nor do I recall my mother being bothered by
79
00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:52,080
it. But you asked about the immigration issues. My
father had an aunt who was, in fact, his godmother
80
00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:59,840
Rose. And her husband did not like it here in
the United States. And he wanted to return to
81
00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:08,400
the Azores and did so about 1920. He subsequently
committed suicide there. And she wanted to return
82
00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:13,760
to the United States and she couldn't. Immigration
laws had changed and she wasn't allowed to return.
83
00:08:16,978 --> 00:08:20,341
Kelley McCoy: I'm really sorry to
hear about that. [Music]
84
00:08:20,341 --> 00:08:21,920
You're a member
85
00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:28,080
of the second generation of your family to
be born in the United States. How important
86
00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:33,360
was it to your parents that you be raised
with a strong Portuguese sense of [inaudible]?
87
00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:36,679
Candace Egan: Wait till the
clock stops before you start.
88
00:08:38,178 --> 00:08:39,600
Kelley McCoy: Do I need to rephrase the question?
89
00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:42,480
Candace Egan: I think we can understand. Well, if you want to, you can.
90
00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:44,160
[Unknown Speaker]: We can
understand what you said.
91
00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:44,800
Kelley McCoy: OK.
92
00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:46,587
Candace Egan: But we
don't want the clock over you.
93
00:08:46,587 --> 00:08:53,680
William Silveira: My parents thought it was
important for me to maintain some Portuguese
94
00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:58,960
identity. I had learned to speak Portuguese in
my grandmother's-- paternal grandmother's--home.
95
00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:07,840
She spoke Portuguese in the home. And we would
attend Portuguese Holy Ghost celebrations,
96
00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:12,880
that sort of thing. As we grew
older, we participated in fraternal
97
00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:17,520
society organizations that
promoted the Portuguese culture.
98
00:09:18,859 --> 00:09:22,960
Kelley McCoy: As you got older and
established a family of your own,
99
00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:28,000
what traditions and customs have
you made an effort to preserve?
100
00:09:29,139 --> 00:09:40,400
William Silveira: Well, I must confess, very
few. As a judge, I became very caught up in
101
00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:47,440
the public life here. Our children attended
parochial school in Tulare and had some
102
00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:56,000
involvement in Portuguese culture there through
the Catholic Church. But that was about it.
103
00:09:56,000 --> 00:10:05,440
I think, once, my son was an escort
at a Portuguese Holy Ghost Festival
104
00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:09,520
in Tipton, an escort to one of
the queens, but that was about it.
105
00:10:10,959 --> 00:10:16,720
Kelley McCoy: What kind of stories -- You know,
a lot of times what binds families together,
106
00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:21,200
immigrant families together are the stories
that are passed down through generations.
107
00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:26,800
What kind of stories have come down to
you about your parents and grandparents?
108
00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:31,920
William Silveira: Well, mostly, with
just family history, talking about the
109
00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:42,640
difficulties they faced in their lives.
As I said, in the paper I wrote for you,
110
00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:50,940
my paternal grandfather had a lot of difficulties
with the onset of the Great Depression.
111
00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:59,840
So I remember hearing many stories about
the hardship of the Depression days.
112
00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:09,440
He had to give up his farm on a location
that's now part of the city of Tulare.
113
00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:20,400
They moved out to Goshen, and my grandmother
remembered, to a place with no electricity and
114
00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:31,520
no amenities at all. So she had to go back
to using coal oil lamps and cooking on
115
00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:33,960
kerosene stoves.
116
00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:41,760
Kelley McCoy: If I remember correctly, many
Portuguese boys were not able to continue going
117
00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:45,840
to high school because they had to stay and work
on the farms, but your father was an exception.
118
00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:52,960
William Silveira: Yes, he was. My father had been
an excellent student in grade school. He attended
119
00:11:52,960 --> 00:12:02,000
city schools, which was an advantage because
many young Portuguese people that attended
120
00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:06,720
rural schools, and I think the quality of
education was better in the city schools.
121
00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:16,080
My father excelled and, in fact, skipped a
grade and went on to excel in high school.
122
00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:24,720
He was an Eagle Scout. He became an Eagle
Scout. He developed a prize-winning pig herd
123
00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:32,960
and went on to win prizes. He later became a
Future Farmer of the Year an American Farmer
124
00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:39,520
of the Year. The award is only given once a year
for participation in future farmer activities.
125
00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:42,720
Kelley McCoy: So tell me
what your childhood was like.
126
00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:50,480
William Silveira: Well, my childhood wasconsisted mainly of -- early childhood of just
127
00:12:52,320 --> 00:13:00,960
playing in the dirt out on this large ranch.
We moved to a very large ranch that belonged
128
00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:09,840
to my uncle, Raldy Campus, in 1945.
And there were permanent workers on the ranch
129
00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:15,520
that lived in houses down the road from ours. So
they had children and we played -- played cowboys
130
00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:22,480
and indians of all sorts of games. By the time
I was in the sixth grade, we moved to our own
131
00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:31,360
farm. And I started working about that time in
the farm, had regular chores to do and help out.
132
00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:33,600
Kelley McCoy: You were a little boy,
133
00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:35,672
weren't you, when you were doing
that work? Did you say you were 13?
134
00:13:35,672 --> 00:13:38,104
William Silveira: Yeah, 13. Yeah.
135
00:13:38,104 --> 00:13:43,920
Kelley McCoy: So you received your bachelor's
degree from Cal and your law degree from UCLA.
136
00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:50,300
What attracted you, a young farm boy from
the Central Valley, to the field of law?
137
00:13:51,419 --> 00:13:55,840
William Silveira: Well, my parents had admiration
138
00:13:56,400 --> 00:14:03,440
for Joseph Soares, an attorney in Tulare.
I later became his partner. And also,
139
00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:11,040
I had admired a grade school teacher I had who
was studying law. Man by the name of Jack Luck.
140
00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:20,160
And then I think, maybe in high school, one
or more may have suggested that I consider
141
00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:27,200
taking up the study of law after I graduated
from college. So follow those suggestions, I did.
142
00:14:28,159 --> 00:14:31,920
Kelley McCoy: Was there anything in particular,
though, about the field that appealed to you?
143
00:14:32,140 --> 00:14:33,020
William Silveira: No.
144
00:14:34,419 --> 00:14:35,360
Kelley McCoy: It was a suggestion.
145
00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:39,840
William Silveira: It was a suggestion. I
decided I would give it a try, and I did.
146
00:14:40,959 --> 00:14:43,920
Kelley McCoy: It sounds like a lot
of people were all the better for it,
147
00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:47,920
as I get into my next question.
So there is some narrative here.
148
00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:48,400
William Silveira: All right.
149
00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:54,400
Kelley McCoy: I think it's important to have the background on the video.
So for more than three
150
00:14:54,400 --> 00:15:00,480
decades then, you were a judge in Tulare County.
And I did some research on you, as I said. And you
151
00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:06,960
gained both local and national attention for your
work on family and youth issues. I read that you
152
00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:13,600
instituted one of the country's first juvenile
drug courts and that your drug court program
153
00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:18,880
was designated a model youth drug court by
the National Association of Drug Courts.
154
00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:24,400
I also learned that you were a key figure
in getting a new juvenile detention center
155
00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:29,200
built here in Tulare County and that, away
from the bench, you served as a board member
156
00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:34,400
for a number of youth-oriented organizations.
So, you know, as I was reading this,
157
00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:41,280
beyond being impressed to be completely frank, why
did you choose to devote so much of your career
158
00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:46,960
to juvenile justice and issues
affecting young people more generally?
159
00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:55,360
William Silveira: Well, I can't really pinpoint
any specific reason. But I enjoyed working with
160
00:15:55,360 --> 00:16:06,640
young people. And the reason I enjoyed it is that
there was hope to turn their lives around. By the
161
00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:16,560
time you get into the adult criminal justice
system, you are dealing with people who have
162
00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:23,280
involved themselves in very serious--some
of them, very serious--criminal acts,
163
00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:29,040
and there's no hope of change there. And besides
that, the sentencing laws don't allow for it,
164
00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:37,040
so. But I enjoyed working with young people
and making the system better for them.
165
00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:43,600
When I started work as the juvenile court
judge in the early '90s here in Tulare County,
166
00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:51,200
the juvenile justice system was a stepchild of the
court system. And I set around to changing that.
167
00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:56,800
Kelley McCoy: So of all the things that
you accomplished professionally then,
168
00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:00,240
what are you most proud of?
169
00:17:01,419 --> 00:17:05,840
William Silveira: Well, I think the thing
I'm most proud of was the juvenile drug
170
00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:14,560
court program I had. We changed the lives
significantly for a number of young people.
171
00:17:15,360 --> 00:17:22,880
Some of them had -- When I put them into the
drug court, they had dropped out of school.
172
00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:30,560
They were attending continuation school or probation school. And they
were
173
00:17:32,540 --> 00:17:37,040
getting very poor grades because they
were skipping school and using drugs.
174
00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:45,920
And we turned their lives around. And some of
them went on to have very successful careers as
175
00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:55,040
adults. I was later thanked by their parents and
by some of them for what we did in that program.
176
00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:56,800
Kelley McCoy: That must have
been immensely rewarding.
177
00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:59,840
William Silveira: Yes, it was.
178
00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:07,440
Kelley McCoy: So to what extent, I know this
isn’t necessarily something we think very much
179
00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:12,560
about when we think about our ethnicity and our
backgrounds. -- But to what extent do you believe
180
00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:16,320
that being Portuguese-American
has shaped the way that you've
181
00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:20,720
moved through this lifetime, both
professional as well as personally?
182
00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:29,440
William Silveira: Well, I think, principally,
it instilled in me a strong work ethic.
183
00:18:31,120 --> 00:18:41,920
And I worked many long, hard hours. When I was the
juvenile court judge -- Well, let me start back.
184
00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:47,840
When I became judge of the combined Clarion
Pixlee justice court in Tulare,
185
00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:58,160
I did all the work of that court by myself from
1976 to 1980. When I left in 1980, my successor,
186
00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:01,840
Walt Derelict, said,
“this is too much” and asked the county
187
00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:07,520
to get another judge out there to help them.
Similarly, when I became juvenile court judge,
188
00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:18,720
we had one commissioner doing the work full-time
and I. And when I left, my successor, Judge Cramp,
189
00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:25,840
said it was far too much and asked the county to
give another commissioner to assist. So I think
190
00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:33,680
the work ethic that I had growing up on the
farm and from my family led me to do the hours
191
00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:42,960
that I put in. I would read innumerable social
reports and probation reports at home, at night.
192
00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:52,080
And Marilyn, as I was preparing for this,
Marilyn reminded me that she spoke to
193
00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:57,760
some judge's wife who said, “You mean your
husband actually reads through all those?”
194
00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:07,600
Kelley McCoy: Do you maintain strong ties
to the Azores? Do you go back very often?
195
00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:13,760
William Silveira: No. I haven't been to the
Azores since 1989. I would like to go back,
196
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:20,080
and maybe one day we will. But I had
some distant cousins that live there.
197
00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:26,960
But they moved from there to Lisbon, and that's
where they live. And they're very distant.
198
00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:34,080
I had become acquainted with this distant
cousin and her husband when they were here in
199
00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:42,320
the early '60s relating to the settlement of the
state. And we kept company with them on our trip
200
00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:51,920
to the Azores in 1980, in a trip we took
to the Azores in 1978. At the time, no.
201
00:20:53,539 --> 00:20:58,480
Kelley McCoy: So I have one final
question for you. What does being
202
00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:01,840
Portuguese-American mean to you?
203
00:21:02,939 --> 00:21:10,960
William Silveira: Well, I think it means
identity with a specific ethnic group that
204
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:19,840
has contributed greatly to life in the San
Joaquin Valley and continues to contribute
205
00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:25,200
in a business sense and a social sense.
206
00:21:27,398 --> 00:21:31,200
Kelley McCoy: Is there anything I didn't
touch on that you'd like to share?
207
00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:33,445
William Silveira: No.
208
00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:44,054
209
00:21:44,054 --> 00:21:45,548