San Antonio Born & Raised

Santos is and has always been a proud son of the city of his birth. He grew up in a neighborhood that was home not a zip code. His ties to the neighborhood are rooted in the relationships of his youth that he maintained while he was away.

In a neighborhood that bordered the city's predominantly Mexican American west side (now the city's inner west side) Bonifacia and Fransico Alvarado conceived their last son. His mother was not educated, could not write, read or speak English. But Santos asserts she did a great job of raising her last four children as a single mother. 

Santos lived in the home where his family moved to when they moved from south Texas. At the age of six, however, his father moved to west Texas alone to find steady work that was not available to him in San Antonio. At the age of ten, the family moved out of the home he had known all his life. What followed was Santos moving from house to house about every six months until he left to serve in the US Army. As such, Santos attended three elementary schools in the Edgewood Independent School District, Burleson Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary, and lastly at Coronado Elementary. He attended Escobar Junior High and Gus Garcia Junior High. Finally, he attended his last years of public schools at Edgewood High School.

Like most of his peers, Santos walked to and from school, often alone due to the distance from his home to the school. There were no sidewalks to walk on and along the way he would have to walk on the street. A walk to school was especially dangerous when it rained. The streets flooded and passing cars would splash the pedestrians. However, Santos being a typical boy, he took pleasure in walking in the rain. Of course, the walk also included looking out for loose dogs that would hasten his walk home.

When he started Coronado Elementary school Santos met his would-be lifelong friend, Nicho. Since they lived on the same street it would not be long before Nicho’s mother would invite Santos to stay for dinner. This friendship and family connection provided Santos with what he did not have at home, food when it was scarce at his home and the experience of an intact family. Santos would become so close to Nicho’s family that to this day he considers them his second family. Santos and Nicho also attended Edgewood High School. They both joined the ROTC and participated in the Drill Team and Honor Guard. Although Nicho wanted to join the Army when Santos enlisted, his parents urged him to finish school. So, at the age of 17 Santos left home to serve in the US Army.