BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Carla M Barela Some might call my entry into this world austere. At II months of age, I contracted polio, which at that time [1940] was indeed a less than bountiful beginning. It affected my left arm and my right leg. Both were paralyzed. To help me through it, my dad made me a metal brace for my left arm. It helped hold it up. As a memento, I still have the pieces of metal he used. And at the same time as these things were happening, the Catholic Church was also changing. Pope John XXIII opened floodgates of change with the Second Vatican Council. Now we had Mass in English. Now we could read the Bible. Now we could go anywhere and didn't have to wear the habit. We could even go swimming -in regular bathing suits (but not bikinis!). What's more, the new progressive thinking heralded by a Chicano activist priest in Albuquerque, leap-frogged to 1-25 north and landed in Pueblo. Between the city of Pueblo and its neighbor, Canon City (specifically Holy Cross Abbey), my world was turned upside down. [Informally, the "in crowd" dubbed the city of Pueblo the liberal catholic capital of the southwest]. Which ultimately resulted in my decision to leave the convent. In fact, all four of us eventually left. This was not a rash decision, mind you. I can't speak for the other 3 nuns who left, but for me it resulted only after months of soul searching. Let's just say that I slowly became aware that it was right for me to leave the convent -after 12 years as "Sister Carla." Which is not the same thing as leaving the Catholic Church. I never left the church. I only left the convent. In talking from time to time with the other nuns that I lived with in Pueblo as well as several priests who also left at about the same time, they seem to share my explanation -leaving the priesthood or the convent is not tantamount to leaving the church. I soon found employment under the Teacher Corps Program at Southern Colorado State College Traveling to Washington D.C., New York and many other cities in the nation was different traveling as a cilvilian. At the time, we considered ourselves to be on the cutting edge of teacher education; motivating elementary school students and staff to integrate the culture of all of the minority students into their curriculum. The kids quickly realized that their heritage mattered. It was something to be proud of. Alas, this innovation was not to last. The program was not re-funded. Forcing me to once again make a career change. But this time, it was not the typical change. Instead of transferring to another school system, I became a licensed real estate saleswoman. Working as a Broker Associate at Jones Healy. There, I became the Sales Person of the Year during my first year of employment! Talk about change! In 1976, as a Broker, I ran a branch office in Belmont for a year. What fun! But time for a change -again. Here's how it happened: What began as a normal citizen's effort to contribute to a worthy cause, eventuated with my decision to effect change in Pueblo School District 60 politics. There was this upcoming election...and there was a Chicano activist who seemed very sincere who needed support. Along came me! I really got an education working on his campaign for election to the school board. His day job was running a struggling construction company. While mine was still at Jones Healy. He didn't end up getting elected, but in the process, Albino Cordova and I became good friends. So it seemed natural at the time, for me to accept his invitation to become a paid employee at Cortez Construction, Co. Shortly after joining the Cortez team, in 1984, I established Cortez Real Estate as an adjunct to the construction component. It remained active through 1990. Throughout our freshman year of this formal relationship, we shared the dream of becoming millionaires by building and selling houses. Then, using our influence and money {part of our dream} we would use our money to change the schools. Oh well. It apparently was not our fate to realize those dreams. Partly due to the fact that Albino Cordova, founder of Cortez Construction, died of cancer at the age of 45. There was no way to prepare for such a thing. No warning signs. It was just suddenly there. To be dealt with. And it occurred just about the time that we had begun doing commercial construction as well as several government jobs. Having become a part of the management team at Cortez I was at the time well versed in the contract administration of the company, only to find myself forced to now learn the nuts and bolts of construction (no pun intended). Honestly, at the time, I didn't know the difference between an excavation and an elevation. Nonetheless, calling upon all of the strength I had in reserve from my parents and the Church, I really threw myself into
the company. And I can now proudly say that it worked. In my final meeting with Albino, November of 1990, Albino and I had what turned out to be our last formal meeting. It was right before our annual Christmas party. At that meeting, he told me that I needed to prepare to take over the company as President, because he was soon going to begin chemotherapy treatments for his cancer (melanoma). He died two weeks later. As I think back now to happier days, I fondly recall the moment when Albino and I found the empty lot upon which Cortez Construction, Inc. now stands. We had gone together one evening after work to look at it. And once we decided to buy it, we pooled our pocket change and threw it into the air scattering eventually upon the ground on that lot. To us, it was a symbol of good luck. When Albino died, I was 51 years old. A lot has happened since that time and my maturation to a well seasoned senior. On one momentous occasion, when I dared to play jockey aboard a feisty donkey (Amanda), I ended up flying through the air on the driveway landing in a heap face first. To my surprise, the only injuries the emergency team at Parkview Medical Center found were bruises. Two years later, I tripped over a thin electric cord in the same driveway, fell and broke my wrist!! As a result, the owner of a cleaning establishment in Belmont gave me the nick name of "Donkey Girl." The other nick name earned in Pueblo came from an inspector for the Pueblo Regional Building Department. It happened at a chance meeting at one of the Pueblo Latino Chamber's dinner/dances. There, Lord only knows for what reason, he addressed me as "The Queen of Pueblo!!!" For some reason I have accepted that nick name as legitimate. Following Albino's death, Cortez Construction eventually did become a solvent player in the city of Pueblo, the region and state of Colorado. With the initiative of Albino Cordova, and everything he taught me, we are now a well respected successful construction company. Talk about strange turns! Some good and some not so good. Not so good was the passing of my parents {1985/86}; the passing of my only sister, Margaret at the age of 62; the surgery I experienced for cervical cancer 3 years ago. In between these crises, I took up yoga. A practice I continue to enjoy. Along the way, I was able to penetrate the good-old-boys male construction enclave by becoming the first woman in Pueblo County to hold an Unlimited Class A Contractor's License [secured from the Pueblo Regional Building Department]. And I became the first Latina to serve on a bank board in Pueblo, Colorado. When not working 60 hour weeks, I find time to read some. Boogie with Dr. Wells some. And even play piano and trumpet some. I live a dual life now. Working from sun up to sun down in Pueblo, and enjoying the great outdoors at Dr. Wells' "ranchito" on weekends. Since I live in town during the week, I also find time to do some of the community work I enjoyed back when I worked for Teacher Corps.
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