Elder Wisdom An Interview with Patricia Robles-Mitten
SONOMA COUNTY, CA. ~ "Life/destiny presents us with the opportunity to play many roles over our lifetime...our ability to judge, to make sound decisions in our personal and professional lives can greatly determine how we feel about ourselves and our lifetime contributions to society." These comments were included in a written document Patricia Robles-Mitten handed me when we first met. Powerful, yes, and intriguing. I wanted to learn more about the underlying expe- riences that have shaped the life of this passionate, community- minded elder. Patricia Robles-Mitten was
born in Tucson, AZ in 1936. Her mother was of Mexican descent from Texas (Robles) and father was a farm boy from Ohio (Mitten). Her mother's family was not quick to approve of the marriage, but her mother waited
until her 30s to marry and was a strong, independent thinker. The marriage was not sustain- able, however. Her parents were divorced while her father was serving in WWII, and the dis- grace of divorce to the extend- ed Robles family triggered the departure of Patricia's nuclear family (mother and two daugh- ters) to San Diego where her gifted mother used her English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese language skills at
the Pacific
Language Institute to teach pro- fessionals traveling overseas. Her mother was also an "incred- ible" tailor, and altered military uniforms for service men in San Diego.
their father's
new wife, Helga, who Patricia became close to over time as she learned to appreciate Helga's
own special gifts. Housing was difficult to find in San Diego, and Patricia's enter- prising mother rented rooms in her house to Portuguese fisher- men who traveled much of the time. She also bartered dance lessons for her girls and brought art and music into their home weekly after church and at other times. Patricia learned a critical life lesson as a child about fighting for what you believe in, whether or not it impacts you directly. She celebrated her first com- munion in Tucson, but her sis- ter Ruth was not ready for her first communion until they had moved. Ruth came home in tears one day after being informed by the local priest that she could not make communion because her mother was a divorced woman. Furious, their mother filed a for- mal complaint with the Bishop of San Diego, and Ruth celebrated her first communion with him personally.
moved to a home across from the Catholic church.
At age 12, Patricia's family The local
After the war, Patricia and her sister Ruth were reunited with their father and (reluctant- ly) introduced to
nuns introduced her mother to a woman from Mexico City and they became friends. They struck a deal for the girls to spend a year in Mexico, where they attended school at a convent during the week and spent weekends with the woman's family, traveling throughout the countryside and learning much about the Mexican culture and history. Patricia attended high school in La Jolla Shores.
She married young,
moved to Northern California with her husband, and had her only daughter, Corine. Working for Pacific Bell/AT&T, Patricia recognized the importance of education for advancement, and
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When you get a thing the way you want it, leave it alone. ~ Winston Churchill UPBEAT TIMES • November 2012 • 7
UPBEAT TIMES • November 2012 • 7 by Eloise Tweeten of Sonoma County •
Eloise@TweetenEldercare.com
earned BA and MA degrees in psychology
at Sonoma State
while living in Santa Rosa and working evenings in the financial district of San Francisco. Before taking early retirement to care for both her mother and step moth- er (concurrently) in her home, Patricia had become one of the first third level female manag- ers working for the company. Her last position was District Manager of Northern California Headquarters for Personnel and Labor Relations. Retired from AT&T, Patricia shifted her focus to family and community.
In August, 2004, a
California Assembly Resolution recognized her for the board positions she had held in 14 dif- ferent organizations, and "step- ping forward to serve the needs of others and to strengthen her community." She is particularly passionate about social change in both education and health care. Patricia believes that every per- son has an obligation to stay has healthy as possible, for as long as possible, but access to health care is also important. She was reminded of her youth, when cig- arette smoking was popular, but she chose not to smoke despite peer pressure.
Reflecting on children today,
Patricia thinks too many children lose their native language while assimilating into the American
culture. She also feels strong- ly that immigrants should learn the dominant language of the country in which they live to become an active participant in the community, including citi- zenship and participation in the political process. Returning to the document Patricia handed me when we began our conversa- tion, I now fully appreciate her closing statements: "The criti- cal thinker usually recognizes the value of diverse viewpoints and
perspectives...is
usually not
easily intimidated by authority, popular opinion, or peer pres- sure. I believe that my par- ents were critical thinkers. Their examples have served me well. In November, I will celebrate my 76th birthday.
I still look forward. I still question."
Happy birthday, Patricia, and many more!
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR:
elder care advisor based in Santa Rosa, CA. If you know a wise el- der who is willing to be interviewed for this column, please contact her at 707-570-2589
Eloise Tweeten is an
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