Tony Garcia and Daniel Valdez spoke of the value of history and the importance of remembering the Westside neighborhood. The two are the author and composer of "Westside Oratorio."

The striking, but young woman got off at what was then a train depot with a small baby in her arms.

Because she spoke no English, she didn’t understand why the train had stopped in Denver. She was on her way to northern Colorado to be reunited with her husband.

She spent eight hours wandering around the train station, trying to find anyone who spoke Spanish so she could find milk for her baby.

Finally, she was taken in, housed by a local family, until her husband came for her the next day.

Yolanda Ortega was the baby in that woman’s arms. It was the beginning of her life in Colorado, a life that led her to Denver's Westside neighborhood and to Metro State. Now known as Yolanda Ortega-Ericksen, she is the College's former vice president for Student Services.  She and her family were among hundreds of displaced Aurarians remembered for their sacrifices at the 2005 Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship lecture in St. Cajetan’s Center on Dec. 6.

More than 200 students, faculty and community members, including several displaced Aurarians, attended the first Castro Professorship lecture on Dec. 6 at St. Cajetan's.

Ortega-Ericksen’s and dozens of other stories of those displaced from their homes when the Auraria Campus was built in the 1970s, are being told during the professorship, and in “Westside Oratorio,” a story of seven generations of families who lived here before the campus was built.

Despite freezing temperatures and icy conditions, more than 200 students, faculty and staff filled the auditorium to hear these stories first-hand. Some brought their children. Others came alone, in groups, and between classes.

“We’re here today to remember and honor our historic fight to save our community,” said Anthony Garcia, adjunct professor of Chicano Studies and former displaced Aurarian. “Not to instill guilt because our homes were taken through eminent domain—but to instill remembrance because, if we forget, we won’t appreciate.

The two-hour lecture also included a somber but celebratory slideshow presentation set to a haunting vocal melody. Photo after photo of families, places and faces were flashed across the screen, bringing back a flood of memories and emotions for many in the auditorium.

Several displaced Aurarians were in attendance. Like Martha Gonzalez whose family owned Casa Mayan, one of Denver’s first Mexican restaurants.

Internationally known composer Daniel Valdez, composer of “Westside Oratorio,” also addressed the audience and spoke of the value of history.

“Gentrification is taking place throughout this country and ours is just one of those stories,” he said. “And while progress is good—history is vital. And this story is a microcosm of all immigrant stories in America.

“The history of displaced Aurarians is a palette of life.”