LS Re ey from Spain. Your father is a was usually right. I didn't win
 pharmacist. All of you speak, many arguments. On one exam
 by Ferdie Pacheco write and read well. They tell she asked how to say "Please."
 by Ferdie Pacheco me, you are friendly with Victo- Easy. "Por Favor." She marked
 She was small, petite is The war started. There were no She picked up her atten- riano Manteiga, can you write, it wrong! My perfect 100 per-
what they call it now. funds to beautify or clean up dance book and began to read read and speak Spanish?" cent A paper down a notch.
 She was about five feet tall, the old wreck. off names. She read a name, "Yes, as well as English, I "Well, if not 'por favor,' then
but she had a perfect shapely A dramatic change in cur- then made that student stand think, but 1 want to be better. what?"
figure, and wonderful posture. riculum occurred when the up and repeat her name in I want to be perfect." "Tenga va la bonda ...
She stood and walked as if she Hillsborough School Board de- a loud clear voice. When she "Youll be better. No one is "Wrong, wrong, wrong. That
were six feet tall. That was cided to cancel all Latin classes finished she put a rubber perfect." She smiled and patted is formal and antiquated. Cer-
pride. She was a very proud and replace themwith Spanish band around it and put it in my shoulder. "You'll lead the vantes- Spanish was of saying,
woman. courses. For me, it was just in her drawer. way. When the other kids see 'Please have the kindness to ...
 Thinking back on her, as the knick of time. I had seen "There. I won't need to look what you know and how well instead of simply 'por favor.'
she appeared in a dream to my brother Joseph, anauthen- up your name. I'11 bet you you speak, and read, they'll She held firm. 1 wouldn't
me, a replay of our dramatic tic genius, labor long and hard a Coke I'11 never forget your see it can be done and it is not budge. So I went to my grand-
moment together. I figured she to get an A in Latin. Shoot, I name." hard, and weIl see if we can father, the Consul from Spain.
was about 25 years old and I couldn't see any value in Latin. We looked at each other. Did make it fun." He agreed with me. Not satis-
was 14 years old. She taught It was a dead language, and I she just bet us a Coke? Bet? Now you can imagine how fied, I went to the Main Lector,
me Spanish for three years was alive. I did want to learn What kind of teacher is this? proud that made me. She had Victoriano Manteiga.He agreed
Boy, what fun those days were Spanish, and learn it well. By the end of the first week recruited me as her partner, with me. Armedwith thosetwo
with her. She sparkled, danced Our school was 90 percent she had us categorized. Who She was right too; some of letters, I went to Miss Lastra.
in joy when the teaching was Spanish-speaking. Of course, spoke Spanish well? Who could those kids would never speak From there I was headed to the
going good. She wanted ev- by now, their Spanish was read and write Spanish? Who Spanish. Some of the Spanish principal's office. I was on fire!
eryone to get an A, to learn fractured Spanish, Spanglish. were Spaniards? Cubans? Ital- kids thought they were speak- An outrage!
to speak Spanish. She was Here was the opportunity of a ians? Americans? ing Spanish. All of Ybor City She cooled downand backed
crushed when she failed, but lifetime to learn to speak two She shuffled chairs around. spoke Spanish. You could be off. "Well, actually, we're both
she tried harder on those who languages well. Clearly the I ended up beside her desk. born in Ybor City, live and right.' She smiled her blinding
couldn't grasp Spanish. No one future was going to belong to Why? Had I been bad? Was this work there, and die there and smile.
ever failed Spanish, the lowest the bilingual. the dumb chair? She waited still not speak good Spanish. "Yes, but you marked it
grade was a C- Enter Miss Lastra. She until the class emptied out, but Their parents came from Spain down as wrong," I persisted.
 Our high school, Jefferson walked briskly to her desk and she held me back. Up close, and spoke nothing but Span- "Okay," she said, still smil-
High, had just been made sat down, as if that entrance she smelled wonderful, even ish yet mainly they spoke in ing, you win. I'1 fix it." And
into a high school for political was a military maneuver. She her breath smelled great. dialects of the province from she did.
reasons. It was a junior high looked up and every guy in the "You are going to be the where they had come. Miss Then there was our major
and was very shabby indeed. It room said "WOW!" in his head. leader of the pack. I know Lastra was trying to impose disaster. Wewould get trans-
got no better as a high school. Miss Lastra was a movie star. where yoii come from. Your order and uniformity in three fers from other cities as the war
 years. Could it be done? She moved families around. The

 H appy 84thr hd y DHer classes were fun. Itwas They spoke worse Spanish
 Happy 84th Birthday Victor DiMaio! ""aI dfsened to es tle ugh there foo meN dnroek
 like living theatre. She'd bring than the Ybor City kids. They
 in a one act play and cast it, were mainly Puerto Ricans and
 rehearse it, and play it on Fri- the other kids looked down on
 day. Next week, a new play, a them as lower class.
 new cast, etc. Or we would take One day Ms. Lastra sends
 turns reading a novel aloud to me to the board to conjugate
 the class, like the lector did in coger to get.
 cigar factories. This could take I'm half way through the
 up an entire month. If one kid conjugation and the New York
 was slow, she'd replace him kids start to laugh hysterically
 with me. I was the champion and point to the board. I looked
 reader. loved to read. I loved at Lastra. She couldn't figure
 to imagine I was a lector. it out. Lastra called on him to
 And in between fun, she explain.
 slipped in conjugation of verbs, "No, not to you. To him. I1!
 spelling and teaching the gram- explain to him."
 mar. We were really learning I went over to his side and
 Spanish. he explained, "Coger means to
 screw.
 By this time, mid-semes- "Huh?"
 ter, we were kind of used to "All over South American
 her stunning good looks. As islands the word coger mean
 she got looser, she got kind of islands the word coger means
 saucy. She wore short skirts, to screw."
 a sort of primitive miniskirt. explain that uo he sweet in-
 If she bent over to pick up a expain that Ms. Lastra? I asked her
 pencil, every guy in his seat nocent Ms. Lastra? r asked her
 was standing to get a look. And to step into the cloak room. She
 she purposely titillated every he was laughing. She called
 male in the room by hiking up him wasintothe cloak Sheroom and
 on top of her desk, crossing her left him there for the rest of
 Family members and friends ofVictor E. DiMaio celebrated his 84th birth-' legs and showing plenty of leg. the rest of
 day on Sunday, February 19 at Bern's Steakhouse. Pictured: Rear Admiral She acted like she didn't notice the day.
 Donato Marzano from Italy with the Coalition Forces at MacDill Air Force the tongues hanging out. I went to se her after m
 Base, Mercy DiMaio (wife), Victor R. DiMaio (son), Brigadier General Select le he morgave esponsibilie mo academic grand tour and she
 Dan Woodward (Stationed atthe Pentagon) and Colonel MaggieWoodward I started to battle with her. was still very sweet, almost
 commander of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Victor She welcomed give and take. subdued.
 E. DiMaio and Gloria Keegan (sister). "Keep up working hard.
 Don't let up. Go hard until
 you graduate. You are going
 to be a fine doctor. You've been
 great to have as a student."
 She kissed my cheek gently
 and patted me on the back,
 sister-like.
 I almost swooned and she
 pushed me out the door. "Now,
 go become a big shot." She
 flashed me that killer smile.
 Our sole focus is From time to time when I
 came home I'd go by to see a
 keeping cancer few old teachers I always just
 mused about Miss Lastra. I
 out of the picture. heard that she never married.
 There was a rumor that she
 had something going with Mr.
 Lindsay in 1942. He was an
 electrifying Jimmy Cagney
 kind of an English teacher, but
 the draft caught up with him
 and they sent him to Bongan-
 ville to pacify the.Japanese
 Eventually in her eighties, I
 H.LE heard she died.
 H. ~ T I felt a sort of deep sorrow.
 MOFIFI lI would have liked to have
 CancerCenter&ResearchInstitute shared live stories as we aged
 The End Of Cancer Begins Here. through all of these years. They
 A National Cancer Institute say she remained a "peach." I
 Comprehensive Cancer Center can imagine that. It would be
 At nte Universit ufSouthI Floi*da hard to imagine anything hap-
 1-888-MOFFITT. pening to her legs!
 www.MoffittCancerCenter.org I can say I speak Span-
 ish, read and write it, better,
 because of Ms. Lastra. So, at
 least, she accomplished that.

 LA. GACETA/Eriday, March 1O, 20,Q6/.page,19,,