Raul Rodriguez shined shoes from a shop at the downtown La Placita Village for nearly 30 years.
His smiling face and friendly demeanor brought customers, including judges, lawyers and businessmen, for a polish.
Folks from across the city also made their way to Rodriguez's shop - sitting in a chair while he worked his magic on their shoes.
Others would leave their shoes with the former Army paratrooper who served in the Korean War, and also worked as a miner in San Manuel and as an aircraft builder in Long Beach, Calif. Rodriguez shined their shoes, and customers would return for them the next day.
Things have changed.
On Aug. 17, Rodriguez died from a longtime illness at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care center at the age of 76. His funeral Mass was Aug. 31 at St. Augustine Cathedral, and he was buried at Holy Hope Cemetery.
People are also reading…
His son, Raul Rodriguez Jr., 51, reopened his dad's shop last week and will continue his work Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. after he ends his shift at a carwash.
Patrons may drop off or pick up their shoes at Deb's Coney Cafe in La Placita when Rodriguez is not at the stand.
Last week, Rodriguez described his father as "a cool cat."
"He was my best friend. I want to carry on because it was his legacy. I want to keep the tradition going," said the son, who learned the art of shining shoes from his father.
The son proudly recalled his father's life. The elder Rodriguez was born Sept. 21, 1935, in Barrio El Hoyo, the neighborhood behind Carrillo K-5 Magnet School on South Main Avenue.
He attended neighborhood schools and went on to Tucson High School, joining the Army at age 17. After the service, he returned to Tucson and in 1959 married Gloria Gamez. In addition to Raul, the couple had a son, Reymundo, and a daughter, Deanna Ramirez, 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
"My dad wasn't the type to stay home after he retired. He wanted to stay busy, and he always loved shining shoes. He was around 6 years old when he built his first shoeshine box and would walk downtown asking people if they wanted their shoes shined," recalled his son.
At age 5, Raul Rodriguez Jr. received his first shoeshining lesson from his dad.
Now the son continues the Rodriguez magic and is making shoes shine "like mirrors," just like his dad did.
Did you know?
History stands behind the colorful La Placita Village in downtown.
It was the cultural and commercial center of the Old Pueblo's Mexican community. The plaza was born about 1854, between the Mexican and territorial periods. It was the early terminus for wagon freight between Tucson and La Mesilla, N.M.
By 1870, the site was known as the church plaza because the original St. Augustine Church was erected on the eastern edge of the commercial plaza, also known as La Plaza de la Mesilla.
After St. Augustine was relocated to its present location on South Stone Avenue in 1896, Tucsonans began calling the site La Placita.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the city demolished the barrio in the area to build the Tucson Community Center and other new development. Today's La Placita commercial complex opened in 1974.
Lake Mead's drops raise prospect of unaffordable Hoover Dam electricity
