Mama and Papa's
Twelve Children
And the 'Y'
by Cecil Gomez
14507 Gomez Drive
Sand Springs, Oklahoma 74063
918-245-8589

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Author's comments about this book (No longer available)

I self-published my first book, a biography of my parents which was basically a documentary of the Gomez family and thelittle suburban town of West Tulsa, Oklahoma. The book, exclusively a true story, was entitled “Mama and Papa’s Twelve Children and the Y”, and published only for family enjoyment. Because of the historical significance that my book contained about West Tulsa back in the 30’s and 40’s, it received an overwhelming response. It was the fantastic response I received from numerous friends and readers, other than family, that inspired the rewriting of the first edition, into a sequel titled “A Mexican Twilight”.

This, my first publication, was about the migration of Juan and Edelia Gomez from deep in the heart of Mexico – Villa de Reyes, San Luís Potosi – right after the turn of the twentieth century. They settled in the outskirts of West Tulsa, a unique little settlement of other Mexican immigrants on railroad property called the Y. The Y was merely a convergence of railroad tracks that formed a 3-acre triangle, restricting the movement of its occupants within it. The technical term of the low-lying triangle is called “Wye”, but the engineers and other railroad officials simply called it the “Y”. The “Y” to this day, still remains, but all the residents who lived there, have scattered far and near.

“Mama and Papa’s Twelve Children and the Y” – a 1996 publication – is out of print, but the memories of the many immigrants who were mentioned in it, still linger Those who have read the book, warmly relate to the characters, the places mentioned, and most certainly, the times of that era.

I have included a sketch of our neighborhood called the “Y” that clearly identifies the location of the railroad triangle and its occupants.

Cecil Gomez