Changes

==Background==

==Background==

Gomez's paternal grandfather was Antoine "Neat" Gomez, who was of both [[France|French]] and [[Spain|Spanish]] descent and spoke both languages from. He married a fully French woman named Marie Griffon, Gomez's grandmother. Gomez's third [[novel]], entitled "Neat," is based on the life of his grandfather, who lived to be 101. Gomez's maternal grandfather was John Alleman, fully French, and married to a French woman by the name of Lambert. She died when Gomez's mother was only twelve. Gomez's heritage is hence at least three-fourths French but with an [[Hispanic]] surname.[2]

Gomez's paternal grandfather, Antoine "Neat" Gomez, was of both [[France|French]] and [[Spain|Spanish]] descent and spoke both languages. He married a fully French woman named Marie Griffon, Gomez's grandmother. Gomez's third [[novel]], entitled ''Neat,'' is based on the life of his grandfather, who lived to be 101. Gomez's maternal grandfather was John Alleman, fully French, and married to a French woman by the name of Lambert. She died when Gomez's mother was only twelve. Gomez's heritage is hence at least three-fourths French but with an [[Hispanic]] surname.[2]

 

Gomez was born and reared in the capital city of [[Baton Rouge]] to Laurence Fletcher Gomez (1897-1964) and the former Anastasie Marie Alleman (1896-1983),[3] originally from  Donaldsonville in Ascension Parish, years earlier one of the cities that was the temporary Louisiana capital. The senior Gomez served in the [[United States Army]] infantry in France during [[World War I]]. Laurence Gomez had nine siblings and spoke only French until he entered school. Similarly, Mrs. Anastasie Gomez and her six siblings were brought up speaking only French. Originally a farm couple, the Gomezes moved to Baton Rouge in the 1920s and reared five children. Laurence Gomez first worked at the [[Standard Oil]] refinery in Baton Rouge, but prior to the  [[Great Depression]] procured a position as a [[rural]] letter carrier from the downtown United States Post Office in Baton Rouge. Ron Gomez says that his father could have been jobless during the depression had he not found the low-paying but steady postal position. Ron Gomez was born at home in the 1800 block of Highland Road in Baton Rouge, the last baby that Mrs. Gomez's physician delivered at home. Thereafter, the doctor handled all of his deliveries in a hospital. In 1940, the family moved to a house on Ferndale Avenue in the University Gardens subdivision near the [[Louisiana State University]] campus.[4]

Gomez was born and reared in the capital city of [[Baton Rouge]] to Laurence Fletcher Gomez (1897-1964) and the former Anastasie Marie Alleman (1896-1983),[3] originally from  Donaldsonville in Ascension Parish, years earlier one of the cities that was the temporary Louisiana capital. The senior Gomez served in the [[United States Army]] infantry in France during [[World War I]]. Laurence Gomez had nine siblings and spoke only French until he entered school. Similarly, Mrs. Anastasie Gomez and her six siblings were brought up speaking only French. Originally a farm couple, the Gomezes moved to Baton Rouge in the 1920s and reared five children. Laurence Gomez first worked at the [[Standard Oil]] refinery in Baton Rouge, but prior to the  [[Great Depression]] procured a position as a [[rural]] letter carrier from the downtown United States Post Office in Baton Rouge. Ron Gomez says that his father could have been jobless during the depression had he not found the low-paying but steady postal position. Ron Gomez was born at home in the 1800 block of Highland Road in Baton Rouge, the last baby that Mrs. Gomez's physician delivered at home. Thereafter, the doctor handled all of his deliveries in a hospital. In 1940, the family moved to a house on Ferndale Avenue in the University Gardens subdivision near the [[Louisiana State University]] campus.[4]

When [[Huey Long|Huey Pierce Long, Jr.]], was assassinated in September 1935, Gomez was less than a year old. His mother placed him in a stroller and went to the new state capitol building to stand in line as citizens shuffled through to pay their respects. Gomez said that his mother was not necessarily a Long supporter but wanted to participate in an historic event of such magnitude. It was Long who had directed the building of the skyscraper-shaped capitol in only fifteen months from 1930 to 1931.[5]

 

When [[Huey Long|Huey Pierce Long, Jr.]], was assassinated in September 1935, Gomez was less than a year old. His mother placed him in a stroller and went to the new state capitol building to stand in line as citizens shuffled through to pay their respects. Gomez said that his mother was not necessarily a Long supporter but wanted to participate in an historic event of such magnitude. It was Long who had directed the building of the skyscraper-shaped capitol in only fifteen months from 1930 to 1931.[5]

As a boy in Baton Rouge, Gomez said that he felt a kinship with the capitol building because of its physical, political, and cultural dominance of the city. He played in the downtown area during the 1940s, spending time in parks and theaters, while his mother worked as a seamstress at a department store. His two brothers, Griffin (1923-2009) and Hewitt Gomez, and two sisters, Dorothy Frazee and Elaine Cortelloni, were already grown by that time; both brothers served in [[World War II]].[6]

As a boy in Baton Rouge, Gomez said that he felt a kinship with the capitol building because of its physical, political, and cultural dominance of the city. He played in the downtown area during the 1940s, spending time in parks and theaters, while his mother worked as a seamstress at a department store. His two brothers, Griffin (1923-2009) and Hewitt Gomez, and two sisters, Dorothy Frazee and Elaine Cortelloni, were already grown by that time; both brothers served in [[World War II]].[6]

Gomez graduated in 1952 from Baton Rouge High School and attended LSU for one year before enlisting in the [[United States Air Force]]. Thereafter, he enrolled for a single semester at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.[2]

Gomez graduated in 1952 from Baton Rouge High School and attended LSU for one year before enlisting in the [[United States Air Force]]. Thereafter, he enrolled for a single semester at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.[2]

==Journalist and civic leader==

==Journalist and civic leader==

Gomez first tackled the tasks of sports announcing for J.C. Politz of LSU in 1959 and thereafter became the [[radio]] voice of the ULL (then University of Southwestern Louisiana) Ragin' Cajuns" [[football]] and [[basketball]] teams from 1961 to 1979.[7]The Ragin' Cajuns played in the Grantland Rice Bowl in 1973; that game was televised but apparently reached a smaller audience than Gomez's audio coverage of the regular games. In 1978, Gomez was the president of the Lafayette [[Chamber of Commerce]], from which position he laid the groundwork for construction of the popular  Cajundome sports complex, known for its stunning architectural design. Gomez worked to secure the stadium in the [[David C. Treen]] [[Republican Party|Republican]] administration, but it was not opened and dedicated until November 10, 1985, by which time Democrat [[Edwin Edwards]] had returned to the governorship.[8]

Gomez first tackled the tasks of sports announcing for J.C. Politz of LSU in 1959 and thereafter became the [[radio]] voice of the ULL (then University of Southwestern Louisiana) Ragin' Cajuns" [[football]] and [[basketball]] teams from 1961 to 1979.[7]The Ragin' Cajuns played in the Grantland Rice Bowl in 1973; that game was televised but apparently reached a smaller audience than Gomez's audio coverage of the regular games. In 1978, Gomez was the president of the Lafayette [[Chamber of Commerce]], from which position he laid the groundwork for construction of the popular  Cajundome sports complex, known for its stunning architectural design. Gomez worked to secure the stadium in the [[David C. Treen]] [[Republican Party|Republican]] administration, but it was not opened and dedicated until November 10, 1985, by which time Democrat [[Edwin Edwards]] had returned to the governorship.[8]