thedrifter
04-27-06, 11:32 AM
Students hear how shooting victim rebuilt his life
April 27, 2006, 08:43 AM
KVOA Tucson
Nearly 30 years ago, Rosendo Rodriguez lost his eyesight but not his vision to help better communities.
The 65-year-old retired businessman and motivational speaker was the victim of a gang shooting near Gardena, Calif. He shares his life story with youth in hopes that he can inspire them to accomplish their goals.
Such was the case during a recent presentation at Sunnyside High School, where he spoke to students in Art Basurto's automotive class.
The teens were a captivated audience, listening to each word. They even looked as Rodriguez removed one of his artificial eyes, which was carried around the classroom for students to see up close and touch. The eye is made out of a substance that does not allow the growth of bacteria.
Rodriguez, who now lives in Globe with his wife, Joy, an elementary-school teacher on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, described the shooting that transformed his life.
It was 3:30 a.m. Jan. 27, 1978. He and a friend were awakened by pounding on the front door of a home in a residential area. The friend opened the door and men were standing on the porch. One questioned Rodriguez about his truck in the driveway. The man said they were looking for a person who drove a similar truck and who fired shots at them.
It wasn't Rodriguez, but that did not stop one of the men from pulling out a shotgun. "Seeing that I knew they weren't coming over for tacos," said Rodriguez, the class breaking out in laughter.
Rodriguez remembers slamming the door shut and pushing his friend out of the way.
A shotgun blast exploded through the door and pellets shot into Rodriguez's face, resulting in seven hours of surgery while doctors worked to save his life.
Surgeons had to cut out Rodriguez's eyes and clean out wounds splattered with pellets. Rodriguez underwent reconstructive surgery and many months of rehabilitation.
No arrests were made because Rodriguez could not identify his attackers.
At age 37, the life of the electrical engineer who received a doctorate from Stanford University began crashing. The man who worked on skyscrapers, including the Arco Towers, a landmark and tourist attraction in downtown Los Angeles, was no longer the same person.
He attended a blind center where he learned mobility and daily living skills such as how to cook, set a table and tell time. He also learned to cope with the trauma and his emotions.
"You experience disbelief, anger and denial. I remember telling myself 'I guess I'll learn to walk with a cane,' " Rodriguez said. "Then I'd become angry and say 'No I won't.' "
He dealt with these emotions for months and he used inner strength _ the same strength that helped him survive torture and starvation as a prisoner in Vietnam in 1965. He was 24 when he and 21 fellow Marines were captured in the jungles of Phubai, south of the city of Hue.
Like other soldiers, Rodriguez was crammed into a bamboo cage that was lowered underground. He survived by eating rice and insects before he was rescued.
Those survival instincts of a soldier and his deep faith in God helped Rodriguez forge ahead to build a new life after he lost his sight. He returned to his parents' home for a short while before he moved out and lived on his own with his guide dog, Nardo, a German shepherd.
Rodriguez opened a home-refurbishing company and hired up to six employees. The successful business kept him busy and helped pay his bills.
In 1982, he entered a Ski for Light cross-country skiing program in Black Hills, S.D., and received a gold medal. Ski for Light is a nonprofit group that promotes physical fitness for the blind and physically impaired.
"I want to raise the level of awareness as to the abilities, and often unexpected capabilities of the handi-capable," Rodriguez said.
In addition to sharing personal journeys with the students, Rodriguez also gave Basurto a check for $1,125 toward the purchase of a $2,500 automotive lift for the program. Local businessman Bob Bolt provided the remainder of the funds, and the lift is expected to be installed this summer, said Yolanda Fernandez Carr, with the Sunnyside Unified School District's Career Technology Education Department.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez challenged Basurto's students to become hardworking, honest mechanics who, too, would give back to their community.
Ellie
April 27, 2006, 08:43 AM
KVOA Tucson
Nearly 30 years ago, Rosendo Rodriguez lost his eyesight but not his vision to help better communities.
The 65-year-old retired businessman and motivational speaker was the victim of a gang shooting near Gardena, Calif. He shares his life story with youth in hopes that he can inspire them to accomplish their goals.
Such was the case during a recent presentation at Sunnyside High School, where he spoke to students in Art Basurto's automotive class.
The teens were a captivated audience, listening to each word. They even looked as Rodriguez removed one of his artificial eyes, which was carried around the classroom for students to see up close and touch. The eye is made out of a substance that does not allow the growth of bacteria.
Rodriguez, who now lives in Globe with his wife, Joy, an elementary-school teacher on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, described the shooting that transformed his life.
It was 3:30 a.m. Jan. 27, 1978. He and a friend were awakened by pounding on the front door of a home in a residential area. The friend opened the door and men were standing on the porch. One questioned Rodriguez about his truck in the driveway. The man said they were looking for a person who drove a similar truck and who fired shots at them.
It wasn't Rodriguez, but that did not stop one of the men from pulling out a shotgun. "Seeing that I knew they weren't coming over for tacos," said Rodriguez, the class breaking out in laughter.
Rodriguez remembers slamming the door shut and pushing his friend out of the way.
A shotgun blast exploded through the door and pellets shot into Rodriguez's face, resulting in seven hours of surgery while doctors worked to save his life.
Surgeons had to cut out Rodriguez's eyes and clean out wounds splattered with pellets. Rodriguez underwent reconstructive surgery and many months of rehabilitation.
No arrests were made because Rodriguez could not identify his attackers.
At age 37, the life of the electrical engineer who received a doctorate from Stanford University began crashing. The man who worked on skyscrapers, including the Arco Towers, a landmark and tourist attraction in downtown Los Angeles, was no longer the same person.
He attended a blind center where he learned mobility and daily living skills such as how to cook, set a table and tell time. He also learned to cope with the trauma and his emotions.
"You experience disbelief, anger and denial. I remember telling myself 'I guess I'll learn to walk with a cane,' " Rodriguez said. "Then I'd become angry and say 'No I won't.' "
He dealt with these emotions for months and he used inner strength _ the same strength that helped him survive torture and starvation as a prisoner in Vietnam in 1965. He was 24 when he and 21 fellow Marines were captured in the jungles of Phubai, south of the city of Hue.
Like other soldiers, Rodriguez was crammed into a bamboo cage that was lowered underground. He survived by eating rice and insects before he was rescued.
Those survival instincts of a soldier and his deep faith in God helped Rodriguez forge ahead to build a new life after he lost his sight. He returned to his parents' home for a short while before he moved out and lived on his own with his guide dog, Nardo, a German shepherd.
Rodriguez opened a home-refurbishing company and hired up to six employees. The successful business kept him busy and helped pay his bills.
In 1982, he entered a Ski for Light cross-country skiing program in Black Hills, S.D., and received a gold medal. Ski for Light is a nonprofit group that promotes physical fitness for the blind and physically impaired.
"I want to raise the level of awareness as to the abilities, and often unexpected capabilities of the handi-capable," Rodriguez said.
In addition to sharing personal journeys with the students, Rodriguez also gave Basurto a check for $1,125 toward the purchase of a $2,500 automotive lift for the program. Local businessman Bob Bolt provided the remainder of the funds, and the lift is expected to be installed this summer, said Yolanda Fernandez Carr, with the Sunnyside Unified School District's Career Technology Education Department.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez challenged Basurto's students to become hardworking, honest mechanics who, too, would give back to their community.
Ellie