Tony Torres lives American Dream

As I sat in the church listening to the speakers at the funeral of Tony Torres, my lifelong friend, and his experiences growing up, I couldn't help but smile. Oh, the love of friends. I knew him as the kid who delivered tamales that his dad made on the back porch of his home. And I watched over the years as he built a thriving business and was a contributor to our community.

In 1938 Tony's father, Manuel, was one of the early Mexican immigrants to start a business in Salt Lake. At the urging of his boss at ZCMI where he worked as a janitor, he started making and selling tamales out of the back porch of his duplex at 350 West 700 South. Later, Manuel started making tortillas with Tony continuing to make deliveries. That was the beginning of Manuel's Fine Foods. When Manuel passed on, Tony was left to run the business, which today is a multimillion-dollar business run by his sons, Paul, Orlando and Michael.

In the early '30s, the few Mexican immigrant families that lived in Salt Lake became close friends. Our families spent much time together as kids growing up and playing together. Though the Torres family were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we were Catholic. We all hung out together and went to church parties, softball, scout basketball at the Pioneer Stake House, Mutual, 5th Ward cartoon films, and annual road shows. Besides the LDS Mexican Branch on 300 West and 500 South, the other hangout for the Florez and Torres families was Pioneer Park.

Our families were close and Tony, his sister Rebecca, my brother Rey and sister Rebecca always seemed to be together. Tony enlisted in the Navy during WWII and later was joined by my brother Rey. When Tony came home from the Navy he resumed working with his parents in running the Mexican food business they started in 1938.

I knew a lot about Tony as a kid, but from the speakers I learned a few things I'd never known. I learned that he had a very special friend growing up, a red-haired boy by the name of Tommy Monson.

And, I knew of his musical ability as he played the violin and my brother Rey played the guitar in a mariachi band together. But I never knew that at age 12, Tony was so good with the violin that his teacher had him apply for a scholarship at a preparatory school in New York that would prepare him for Julliard. He received the scholarship, a family was found for him to stay with, but his parents could not be persuaded to let him go. His mother was concerned about the influence the family might have on him, as they were not LDS. So he remained in Salt Lake City with his family and played with every orchestra he could.