VALLEY — In 1918, WWI was ending; the Mexican Revolution was ongoing, the Boshevik party became the Communist Party, the outbreak of the Spanish Influenza was pandemic; Mae West was a popular actress and Rudolph Valentino, Dolores Del Rio, and Charlie Chaplin were all silent film icons. Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees and the superstitious curse of the Great Bambino began. On October 21, 1918, Jose Agapito Gonzales was born in Amalia, New Mexico. 

During the Roaring Twenties, women were granted the right to vote in the U.S.; Prohibition began; the Stock Market crashed; and the Great Depression devastated the world economy. In the 1930s, there was the Dust Bowl; the cheeseburger was created; the beginning of the Spanish Civil War as well as the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema - “Cantinflas” was popular. In addition, the helicopter was invented and Superman first appeared in comic books. At this time, the First Nazi Concentration Camp was established and World War II was beginning.

At the age of 16, Joe enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CC Camp). He was part of the Albuquerque District 8th Corps Area serving in Espanola, New Mexico. This CC Camp operated on 88,000 acres of the Lobato Land Grant and their main responsibility was to build earth and rock dams, plant trees and grasses, and construct fences and stock tanks. It was part of the New Deal Program established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to help America recover from the Great Depression and to start the nation on a sound conservation program.

While music highlighted the 1940s with the big band and jazz sound, World War II dominated the decade. Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Glenn Miller, the Andrews Sisters, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby all were popular vocal artists. Also, Bob Hope through the United Service Organization (USO) entertained troops overseas.

Also, on March 12, 1941, Joe was the first young man drafted from Amalia, NM into the U.S. Army at the age of 21. He traveled by bus with a National Guard unit to Ft. Bliss, in San Antonio, Texas. On December 8, Japan was bombed at Pearl Harbor initiating World War II. The unit now a battalion headed to New York where it embarked on the USAT Thomas H. Barry, landing in Belfast, Ireland. Joe served as a Private First Class-Longshoreman. He served in the Invasion of Palermo, Sicily; the Invasion of Marseilles, Northern France; and the Invasion of North Africa-Oran. He was the recipient of the American Defense Service Medal; the European African Middle Eastern Service Medal; and the Good Conduct Medal. He received the Infantry; Aviation and Marksmanship Badges.

Finally, after being discharged on August 14, 1945, Joe returned to Amalia and met Corelia (Cora) Vallejos. They were married on April 25, 1947. Shortly after, they moved to Colorado. 

The Civil Rights Movement and the Korean War made its way into American life in the 1950s. Troops were being sent to Vietnam and NATO was created. Meanwhile, in 1957, Joe tested and was hired as a fireman in the Colorado State System working for Adams State College together with supervisor A.J. Hall.  “Little Joe” maintained the boiler system in Richardson Hall and soon became the “Jack of all Trades” working as the custodian, electrician, plumber, security guard, etc. At the request of the college to be “On call”, Joe and Cora made their home in a small apartment above the steam plant in Richardson Hall.

The Cuban Missile Crisis influenced the 1960s and the country mourned the assassinations of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Consuming the 1970s were massive inflation and the oil crisis in the Middle East. Scandals such as Watergate brought on the impeachment of President Nixon. The United States’ Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the Moon and according to Neil Armstrong was, “One giant leap for mankind”, the end of the Vietnam War left the United States politically divided and left long lasting effects for the veterans who fought the war.

Reaganomics ushered in a new decade and also in 1980, Joe retired from Adams State College after 23 years of service. The digital revolution paved the way for the invention of The floppy disc, The cell phone, The personal computer, The VCR, and video games, The fall of the Berlin Wall, The World Wide Web, and The Gulf War transpired in the 90s.

The new Millennium provided many firsts such as the attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11; Social Media and NASA’s Insight Mission which Landed on Mars, as well as the election of Barack Obama as 44th President of the U.S, and Donald Trump as the 45th President. In addition, the U.S. found its way into another war, this time in Iraq.

During his “One hundred years”, Joe has taken a front row seat to all of the events that have shaped the entire world and the United States of America.” He has had many titles in his lifetime: service in the CC Camp; a veteran in World War II; a retiree from Adams State College; a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a great-grandfather. He now holds the title, “Centenarian.”

Joe and Cora have one daughter, Donna Griego and four grandchildren: Nichole Medina, Tina Cottington, Tony Griego, and Angelica Griego. They have two great-grandsons: Chayse Gonzales and Everett Griego.

Joe celebrated his 100th birthday with his loving wife, family, and friends at an Open House on October 20. Today, Joe and Cora live in Alamosa and celebrate 71 years of marriage.