Yvonne Flora Celebrates her Diamond Jubilee
By Larry J. Rodarte for The Diaz Observer online, April 16, 2020
Yvonne Flora Medel was born the same year her uncle Joe Diaz helped co-found La Unión Cívica Mexicana. That was the year there was great change in America. Mexicanos were more civic conscious, at least in Saginaw where baby Yvonne was born. Tia Dora Medel gave birth on April 16, 1945. Today marks her 75th birthday.
The country was in the final months leading up to the end of World War II when Tia gave birth to her first baby girl; after Leonard, Tony and Frank, God granted a little girl to Uncle Willy and Tia Dora; they must have been over the top with their new bundle of joy.
After Yvonne, Tia had eight more births to go. That’s a lot of babies, but Yvonne would always have the distinction of having the title of Princess Royal, like Princess Anne in Britain’s Royal Family.
According to big brother Frank Medel, the family lived near St. Joseph Catholic Church on 6th Street when Yvonne was born, and Tia Dora went to the Guadalupe Center next to the church to have her baby. Monsignor Harold Bolton put in place, this center where the nuns could help act as midwives for the young mothers. Many of the Mexicanos of that time took advantage of this service, especially those in the migrant camps and First Ward area by the church.
“She was like my twin sister,” said Frank, who is exactly 11 month and three weeks older than Yvonne. “You know how they say twins can sense things about their sibling if something is wrong, that’s the way I’ve been with her. “I’m like, ‘Let me call this girl.’”
Yvonne has always been thin, still is thin and sometimes others kids tried to push her around. “Oh, she was a fighter, she would come right back at them. She must of learned from us having three older brothers,” Frank said.
Her baby picture is very indicative of its time. Yvonne seems to wear a pink bonnet, but it looks like the photographer painted in the color. She’s smiling with big eyes ready to take on the world.
With terms of endearment, Uncle Tony Stricker once used the phrase from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale of the “Ugly Duckling” that grew up to be the most “beautiful swan” when he described his niece. And yes Yvonne in her day was a looker— still is at 75. Her loving mother always referred to her as “a beautiful Mexican daughter.”
She attended Carrollton Union Grade School and then graduated from Saginaw High School in June of 1964. Her first-born David was born in 1966, and she would have Antonio Jr., Cynthia and Mamie. She’s a loving mother and grandmother to all her kids.
Yvonne is quite active with the Saginaw Westside Senior Center, when it was open and now during the time of the coronavirus she works with Latinos United in Saginaw to assists in getting her seniors hot Mexican meals every Saturday. And Like Grandma Cecilia, she is a Dama de Guadalupe at St. Joseph’s attending every novena, sometimes decorating the statue of the Virgencita for advent.
She also graces area dance floors and just has so much fun, loving her Mexican music.
I was privileged to learn how to dance from Yvonne and cousin Leonard when I was younger. I danced with both of them in their sister Monica’s basement, because they wanted to show my fiancée and me how to dance respectively the male and female parts. We had the best teachers. They were pros.
“Mama and daddy were awesome dancers, people always complimented them,” Yvonne remembers. “I can still see them dancing, I can just imagine them dancing in heaven. That's where my older brothers and I learned to dance.”
It is really reassuring and comforting whenever I see my primas like Suzy Torrez, Cecilia Jones and Yvonne at the Cívica dances. They sure are dancers! Yvonne will glide with Rocky on the floor swaying her hips and stepping largely to the floor in a graceful turn that she is known for all these years. I know you can all envision these moves in your mind.
So on this day, when we sit home and quarantine during this unprecedented time, we remember Yvonne Medel Hernandez's milestone birthday — born into and now living in a historic time, Tia Dora’s baby girl celebrates her Diamond Jubilee and we say Happy Birthday prima, and God Bless you. May you always dance to your heart’s desire.
The country was in the final months leading up to the end of World War II when Tia gave birth to her first baby girl; after Leonard, Tony and Frank, God granted a little girl to Uncle Willy and Tia Dora; they must have been over the top with their new bundle of joy.
After Yvonne, Tia had eight more births to go. That’s a lot of babies, but Yvonne would always have the distinction of having the title of Princess Royal, like Princess Anne in Britain’s Royal Family.
According to big brother Frank Medel, the family lived near St. Joseph Catholic Church on 6th Street when Yvonne was born, and Tia Dora went to the Guadalupe Center next to the church to have her baby. Monsignor Harold Bolton put in place, this center where the nuns could help act as midwives for the young mothers. Many of the Mexicanos of that time took advantage of this service, especially those in the migrant camps and First Ward area by the church.
“She was like my twin sister,” said Frank, who is exactly 11 month and three weeks older than Yvonne. “You know how they say twins can sense things about their sibling if something is wrong, that’s the way I’ve been with her. “I’m like, ‘Let me call this girl.’”
Yvonne has always been thin, still is thin and sometimes others kids tried to push her around. “Oh, she was a fighter, she would come right back at them. She must of learned from us having three older brothers,” Frank said.
Her baby picture is very indicative of its time. Yvonne seems to wear a pink bonnet, but it looks like the photographer painted in the color. She’s smiling with big eyes ready to take on the world.
With terms of endearment, Uncle Tony Stricker once used the phrase from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale of the “Ugly Duckling” that grew up to be the most “beautiful swan” when he described his niece. And yes Yvonne in her day was a looker— still is at 75. Her loving mother always referred to her as “a beautiful Mexican daughter.”
She attended Carrollton Union Grade School and then graduated from Saginaw High School in June of 1964. Her first-born David was born in 1966, and she would have Antonio Jr., Cynthia and Mamie. She’s a loving mother and grandmother to all her kids.
Yvonne is quite active with the Saginaw Westside Senior Center, when it was open and now during the time of the coronavirus she works with Latinos United in Saginaw to assists in getting her seniors hot Mexican meals every Saturday. And Like Grandma Cecilia, she is a Dama de Guadalupe at St. Joseph’s attending every novena, sometimes decorating the statue of the Virgencita for advent.
She also graces area dance floors and just has so much fun, loving her Mexican music.
I was privileged to learn how to dance from Yvonne and cousin Leonard when I was younger. I danced with both of them in their sister Monica’s basement, because they wanted to show my fiancée and me how to dance respectively the male and female parts. We had the best teachers. They were pros.
“Mama and daddy were awesome dancers, people always complimented them,” Yvonne remembers. “I can still see them dancing, I can just imagine them dancing in heaven. That's where my older brothers and I learned to dance.”
It is really reassuring and comforting whenever I see my primas like Suzy Torrez, Cecilia Jones and Yvonne at the Cívica dances. They sure are dancers! Yvonne will glide with Rocky on the floor swaying her hips and stepping largely to the floor in a graceful turn that she is known for all these years. I know you can all envision these moves in your mind.
So on this day, when we sit home and quarantine during this unprecedented time, we remember Yvonne Medel Hernandez's milestone birthday — born into and now living in a historic time, Tia Dora’s baby girl celebrates her Diamond Jubilee and we say Happy Birthday prima, and God Bless you. May you always dance to your heart’s desire.
