The American Dream is the ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. And, this is my journey. I was born into a Spanish family in an apartment behind a cantina in a northern New Mexican mountain village. Our ancestors came from the Archuleta region of Spain in the 1500s. I was the oldest son of eight children. You may recognize this part of the country because of Georgia O'Keefe's famous landscape paintings of the area. She fell in love with the area surrounding my hometown of El Rito.
With a tremendous passion for life, a keen mind, strong work ethic, integrity and a spiritual focus, my life has been remarkable, without my having to forget or distance myself from the strong roots of my family and heritage along the way.
I've been knocked down and have gotten back up countless times. I have survived three near-death experiences, betrayals by both family and friends, unsuccessful runs for Congress and the State Legislature, and the loss of a very successful company.
With all that being said, I've been able to successfully navigate through it all because of my unwavering faith, courage, hard work, focus, and my strong moral compass. By the Grace of God, I have created scientific discoveries, for which I hold five patents. I have met with Presidents, Senators, Congressmen, members of the U.S. Judiciary, and U.S. Cabinet Secretaries, all in an attempt to bring jobs to rural America.
I am grateful to Manuel Lujan, Jr. who was a Congressman for 30 years and the Secretary of the Department of the Interior under President George H.W. Bush, for writing the Foreword to the book. Because this book is filled with stories and insights about my great successes and regrettable failures in business, politics, and as an inventor, my hope is that it would be enjoyed by readers seeking inspiration, entrepreneurs, inventors, people interested in politics, among others. Because I am of Spanish descent, I would hope that it would be enjoyed by readers interested in a poor Hispanic man's perspective on reaching for the American Dream.
