Don Lalo, It is with great sadness that I read ( I got an e-mail) that you may soon be leaving us.  
The vacuum that will be created will be enormous.  Well, you know what I mean.  You must know
 how much you have changed so many lives. Your work is like the Huracan of which the ancients
 spoke.  Kukulcan creates a  tidal wave and the multitude of ripples that regenerate themselves to 
other waves, growing and subsiding.

 I was 19 when I saw the words to “Stupid America” on a poster on a wall at the old 
Westside Action Center. I read it every day, over an over, to the point where I could recite it.  
I was that boy with curses wanting to write prose, who was filled with the anger at being devalued,
 who felt he had no place in this society. 

What you taught me was that it was okay to shout and curse ( and we know I have) 
because my anger was justified and my voice was valid. Except now, I write it on a piece of paper,
 get my actors to perform it, and charge 15 bucks a head.

Every brick in the wall of El Centro Su Teatro,  every chamaco’s head that is touched,  every
 chamaca’s dance step that is repeated and strengthened,  every spark of imagination  is a reflection of
 you and your inspiration. 

Gracias! Because, from you, I learned to teach so I could learn.  I wish you well on your journey. 
 And I thank you for the time I have spent with you. The pleasure has been all mine.

TG