Por la Familia

Filemon Olguin was born in 1944 on his grandmother's ranch in Milagro, New Mexico. From early childhood until age fifteen, he followed the crops across the western states with his family, living in labor camps and moving from school to school. He flunked the first grade without knowing a word of English, and his father branded him "El Tonto," the dumb one. Their father taught the children that everything they did was por la familia, for the family.

Por la Familia is his account of growing up poor and Hispanic under a domineering father, the mistakes and hard roads of his youth, and the faith and perseverance that carried him from the fields to a degree in accounting, a career as an IRS agent, and the title of CPA.

"We all make mistakes on our journey through life. Most are minor, some are significant, and a few are major. I made them all in my youth. The Lord carried me through, but I also had to do my part: learn from each mistake and avoid repeating it. We must learn from our failures in order to succeed in pursuit of more worthwhile goals. It takes effort and perseverance to overcome obstacles and change our behavior, but it is worthwhile in the end."
- Filemon Olguin

About the Author
Filemon Olguin graduated magna cum laude from the College of Santa Fe. He is eighty-two years old and lives in New Mexico.