William R. Ornelas
By Juliana A Torres
William R. Ornelas grew up in a family of seven brothers and two sisters in Brownwood, Texas. They worked in the fields picking cotton, corn and wheat.
Like the rest of the country, the Ornelases were hit hard by the Depression.
"The whole world came to a stop. And so of course food and clothing were more important than school," Ornelas recalled.
To better help his family's financial situation, Ornelas dropped out in the 7th grade.