At Gene’s memorial, I asked a few of his former students to share remarks. One of his most recent students, Angelica Alvarado, from the ALAS program, spoke that day, and has kindly allowed me to share her words. I also asked Alberto Caballero, a student of Gene’s from our early days in San Diego, his second Bilingual-Special Ed Intern Cohort. Alberto and Gene maintained a professional and personal relationship over the years, and he spoke from that perspective. Another ALAS student, Sara Zook, was unable to attend, but has agreed to allow me to share her words as well. It has been a comfort to me to hear from his students, in writing and in person, about Gene’s lasting and positive impact on their careers, and on their work with students.
Angelica Alvarado
Dr. Gene Valles was a remarkable professor. Initially I met him as an undergraduate student. He assigned a tedious assignment where we had to write each step on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My peers and I giggled because it seemed like an easy task. However, as he explained the assignment, we were shocked on how he wanted each step with the exact details like, “extend your right hand and grasp on to the knife on the table”. I told myself, “Wow, no wonder we need to sit into groups and think about each step that we unconsciously make to perform easy tasks.” After this assignment, I saw things through a different scope, being aware of the challenges that people with disabilities might encounter to perform simple tasks like making a PB & J sandwich. This was the critical point in life where I knew without a doubt that I wanted to become a special education teacher.
I had the privilege to know him for two years. He was a kind and intelligent man that committed his time to his students and the Department of Special Education and Project ALAS.
Last summer, immediately after I completed the first year of the ALAS program, I was very anxious and scared to enter the realm of special education. Since I had the mentality of a bilingual teacher, I felt I got off my route of special education, so I frantically emailed Dr. Valles to ask him to explain what I was getting myself into, how the special education credential program was laid out. He broke down each course and gave me comfort by explaining how BCLAD and SPED credential programs were different. He took the time from his busy schedule to sit and talk with me about the program. I felt relieved and confident to continue my 2nd year commitment to Project ALAS due to his one-on-one support.
A quote that I would like to share that exemplifies Dr. Valles. “That man is successful who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much, who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of children; who had filled his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world better than he had found it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had.” We need to grieve without dwelling, to move forward without forgetting. On behalf of the Project ALAS students, thank you for everything, Dr. Gene Valles.
Alberto Caballero
Good afternoon, or “orale,” to use a “Gene-ism.”
Starting out, let me say how great and appropriate it is to be amongst this company of good folks who cared for Gene: from Gail his wife, to his University family, and co-workers, other University-related associates, recent and former students, friends, and everyone else attending his memoriam.
My name is Alberto Caballero. I was a student of Gene’s, beginning 15 years ago; and a member of his last Bilingual Internship cohort, a program he coordinated and taught, in the early 1990s. The program’s purpose was to prepare already credentialed professionals as Sp. Ed. teachers. I also was fortunate to collaborate with Gene on a few of his City School’s trainings, and was one of his Master Teachers for Student-Teachers completing their Special Education practicum.
I am grateful that Gail wrote last week asking if I would consider doing Gene a favor which was for me to speak about our professor, my mentor, and friend. My answer was that I would be and am, honored. I am pleased to share a few of my experiences learning under, working with, and at times, just hanging out with Gene.
I met Dr. Eugenio Valles (“call me Gene”) in spring of 1995, but had heard of him and the Bilingual Intern Program for Special Education for some time before. I’d tried to get him to contact me— left a few written messages, some phone messages, etc. beginning maybe three-quarters of a year previous to making the trek to State to find out about his program.
[Funny, even Gene’s office was hard to find then and I would come back several times during my training and discover that he had up and moved… yes, Gene could be a hard professor to find]
We spoke and he got me up to speed on the program, even pulling out texts and class lecture notes and basically giving me an overview of the Internship. I listened, listened some more, had a few questions but mostly I think sat with my mouth hanging open over this enthusiastic, personable, and knowledgeable little fellow. Gene didn’t commit to allowing me into the program since I didn’t have transcripts at the time. He also informed me that the group that would be starting in the fall of ’95 was supposed to be from the South SD County Districts (being the CV, National City, South Bay) --- so he would let me know about space, etc. based upon how many candidates were sent to him. But I was “sold,” in terms of wanting to know more about and train in the fellowship program with Dr. Valles. Looking back, I can now see that Gene was as skilled and knowledgeable as a diamond-cutting expert, but was also as unpretentious as the mine-worker. Ergo the “Valles look,” Wrangler’s, a cowboy shirt, boots, large-buckle belt, only sometimes a vest or a light coat.
A few weeks later, Gene called to tell me that in fact there would be room in the program; said that if I was still interested, he could get the forms out to me. Two catches were that I needed to get back the forms in about a week and would also have to relocate from the school in south San Diego where I then taught.
The first night in Gene’s class, there were only 7 or 8 of us. Gene tells us about himself, shares his academic and experience/ history and tells us that he trains and works with Special Educators. You can tell he loves his job, thinks it is the greatest thing in the world. Gene is authentic, inspiring, powerful, and he gets more than my attention. He goes on about how we are the future of special education, experienced bilingual teachers moving over to this important field. He all but put more weight onto our shoulders in terms of our responsibilities, who we work for, etc. while the whole time expressing that in the end, it is what we do and how much we care, that will most affect our students-- how that is what would ultimately matter most.
There was so much to share, too much to teach us, and of course there was always a lot of discussion and interaction as we tried to connect the information shared by our texts and professors, with the experiences we were all living and the conditions we all worked under. I know I learned a lot over those two years, Gene had this way of making you think a lot, and to think about your thinking (—the “meta-cognation” thing), of prodding and digging into our attitudes, foundations, beliefs, and our positions and the outcomes we were attaining...it was amazing, revealing, sometimes a little scary. Gene’s style almost never put you to sleep or left you sitting on your hands during class sessions. In fact it was rare to leave his class without ruminating over a provocative idea or tidbit that stayed with you even as you hunted for your car in the parking structure. Gene could put you on the spot if you came to class unprepared, as we all did at one time or another, but would not let you be singed much beyond slight bronze, before stepping in and to rescue you and continue with the topic at hand.
What I know about Gene as a professor is that he was caring, wise, prepared, intelligent, deliberate, courteous, inquisitive, confounding, pleasant, funny… so funny sometimes, but what he mostly was is real and genuine. Gene had a deep-pitched voice and a provocative presentation style that drew you in to each evening’s topic. He sprinkled his lectures with stories and situations from his own elementary and middle school teaching years, as well as with examples experienced by special education-practioners he had supervised.
As a scholar, I believe that Gene knew his fields of cross-cultural education & special education, as well as anyone. And he held himself to the highest standard in terms of professional interaction, as he did in any personal interaction, not to mention being a pretty exacting task master. But all of this was done in a calm, cool, considerate and thoughtful ways that Gene did things. Gene accepted no short-cuts or trivializations of University or Department standards or expectations. Gail mentioned to me and I did kind of recall a few instances similar where someone could not get a project in or was unable to turn in a paper that might raise their grade and Gene, being Gene, would give the student more time to re-edit and return the assignment, or even talk them into taking an incomplete grade just so that they could fully meet the course expectations. He wasn’t about to let one of his learners fail something that Gene was totally confident we were capable of completing.
Gene and I got to be friends with him taking on more of a mentor role, toward the end of my second year in the Intern program. We’d talk on the phone intermittently, forward emails to one another, etc. Sometimes he’d say, “I’ll be down at __ and __ schools in Sweetwater, how about we get lunch together at ____…” Other times he’d drop in to visit with his Student-Teacher, staying over a few extra minutes for us to catch up with one another. Over the years we’d get together a few times per year when we’d go out for tacos or the like. Later it would be going over to have few beers on campus at the end of the week. Sometimes a buddy like Paul Justice, would be there and things were a bit louder. Other times we went alone— all relaxing, fun—with Gene prodding and trying to find out how my professional and home life were going; asking about my daughter, parents, etc., or asking my opinion on topics in Education, the state of the National Government or a politician, or about immigration issues. (Even as recently as May of this year, he was asking what I thought about the legalization of marijuana in California.)
I learned more about him as well, though it is funny while I did know about the ranch and New Mexico and his father and sisters living in the State, I’d never knew about Hurley, NM or about him having been brought up there, until I made a visit to see him in the hospital back in April. Two of his boyhood friends were there as well and I realized that he and his friends were nice, small-town, authentic types— all good guys, to a fault as well as being decent and upstanding people. It made me recall our visits for dinner, in taxis or on the trolley, here at State in the hallways of the Ed building, or to the famous (and infamous) Tijuana Tequila Expo.
Gene was friendly, genuinely interested, and so curious. He also had such a respectful, relaxed and affable way about him. In short Gene liked people and was often responded to in kind. One time I came over to State, back when visitors didn’t need to park out by student housing, and I caught up with Gene coming in from one of the other buildings, chatting with students before turning in to No. Ed. He said “goodbye” to the young ladies, said “hello,” to me then we walked over to his office. Along the way up the steps, through the hallways, ducking into several class rooms where classes seemed to be pre-start or on break, Gene had a kind word, a greeting, or simply referenced a prior joke or comment that he and the teacher or students had shared earlier. And he just went along leaving smiles and kind words in his wake. Gene spoke to and greeted everyone; he took genuine interest in their lives and their worlds (work, student life, home life, as citizens).
Gene cannot be categorized nor totally described to the outside person based upon these vignettes. And of course I am not trying to do so; just presenting my friend as that caring and important professor, from the experiences that I was fortunate enough to share with him through our professional and interpersonal contacts. This was long after he’d, ‘placed me on my road,’ into a Sp Ed career. In the fall of 2008 and again this past fall, Gene asked me when my District might let him send a Student-Teacher to me again; I told him that last year because my Principal and I had not worked together I wasn’t being given the courtesy of his approval for having anyone. Gene told me he had thought I must have pissed someone off, which wasn’t, “necessarily a bad thing.”
What I can say with all of my heart is that Gene is and was a great man, a great professor and teacher, an exemplary human-being of great wisdom and convictions. He had a tremendous passion for teaching, for special needs children, and for this University. Gene deeply loved his wife Gail, cared about and loved his family, and he greatly cared about his friends, his University family, and his University students. He fondly told of spending time at home and of going out on the boat. He also spoke often of the ranch and his partners, etc. He touched so many and made such a difference in the lives of countless people, especially if we consider his influence via secondary contact. I have a feeling that San Diego and the San Diego State Sp. Ed. Department have already noticed Gene’s absence—that we are all missing a steady dose of his professionalism, his easy smile and laugh, his even-handed wisdom, and the guidance he daily brought into our lives.
Gene told me at one of our last late lunches (dinner) together, back in Nov ’09 —after about a year of only a few calls and some emails exchanged, that he had figured out something about good friends. That even when you haven’t seen them for a while you know that they are a good friend to you because though a long period may pass, you are easily able to pick right up where you seemingly left off on the earlier visit. And that you can often just sense that they are doing okay, even without contacting them.
(As an aside, in late January of this year, as we spoke of his illness and of the trials he had been living and just an instant after he’d let me know of the cancer battle on-going within his body, I think that I must have reacted atypically for me, such that Gene seemed to want to calm and reassure me, rather than receiving comfort from my words or actions.)
Last, I want to say to you Gene, I will keep checking at our local and distant Mexican restaurants, for those enchiladas you always asked for with the tortillas layered flat over rows of cheese, rather than rolled. And I’ll keep you in mind and in heart, with each shot of tequila I sample—in fact, I told my wife Monica that this fall, she and I need to go twice to the Tequila Expo, one time for me and the other time for Gene. As far as I am concerned Gene, I will still be covering the cost of our next dinner, you can go ahead and get our first round of drinks… Take care y hasta pronto mi hermano—¡ORALE y muchÃsimas gracias! God love and keep you, dear friend and teacher.
Sara Zook
Thank you so much for requesting my presence at Dr. Valles´ memorial.
While he has been in my thoughts and his family in my prayers, I am
currently in Central America and wil not be able to attend his
memorial.
The news of Dr. Valles passing struck a definite and deep chord with
me. As a first year teacher this past year, I would often think of his
wisdom and patience and try my hardest to model the same expertise
that Gene had.
There were so many times that I would think about Gene: his casual
style of welcoming and comforting everyone in the room, while still
posing those questions about ¨what if that is not the case? Or, did
you ever think about this student?” He would pace across the classroom,
cowboy boots clicking along to the beat of our thoughts, allowing
those questions to sink in as we all quietly pursued his prompts.
I can be sure that Gene´s words will be at the forefront of my mind as
I continue to explore the boundaries that hold back our students who
for whatever reason, are not able to have an equal opportunity at
education. Gene taught us to empower our students whose voices are
quiet and difficult to hear. It is our responsibility to make sure
they are heard.
Generations of teachers and students will be changed due to Dr.
Valles´ powerful message. Please let his family know that I am sorry
for their loss, but that his message is still very alive to me, my
colegas, and my students. Rest with peace.
Saludos,
Sara Zook
