The year was 2014. My sister-in-law told me about her friend that worked at The Oakdale Leader. She told me that her kids used to attend her daycare and that she had borrowed a book from her. She knew I had applied for the sports reporter position and asked if I would return the book to her friend at The Leader. That friend was the late Teresa Hammond.
My first interaction with her was a classic for sure. I went into the office to return her book but she was not there. She was out on an assignment. A few weeks later I had gotten the job. I was at my desk and in walked this tall woman and she was walking at a brisk pace heading for the kitchen and I was going to introduce myself when she said “You must be Cruz. Welcome to the team but I need to head out to the school for a story.” She always addressed me by my last name.
Teresa was a very strong, independent woman. She had to be. Her two children were her everything. She was so proud of them. Sometimes they would come into the office. Do their homework, make conversation and even give opinions on topics around the office. They were always welcome at the office.
It was always the small things that I associate Teresa with. One of which was her old license plate holder. It said “Swim Taxi” on it. Her kids were active in swimming and that license plate holder always stood out to me. I remember one day she came in and I asked her “How’s the old Swim Taxi running?” She smiled and laughed; “Oh Cruz, the Swim Taxi is just fine. Crowded and loud but still getting the job done.”
Around the office, every special event, (birthdays, holidays, etc.) I would host a game show style event. Trivia, mostly. Teresa would often sit out because she was busy. However, when she participated; boy did she participate! She was very competitive and genuinely enjoyed herself. Our holiday parties were always memorable. She really enjoyed those, especially our White Elephant exchange.
We bonded over many things. She loved the San Francisco Giants and baseball in general. She loved the San Francisco 49ers. She was so proud of her marathons that she competed in; she would have her bibs displayed at her desk. However, I feel like our biggest bond, was Disneyland. We would gush over anything Disney! In fact, in 2017 we both booked a Disneyland trip for the same week. We even stayed at the same property. One morning I saw her, bright and early as she was filling up water bottles. I went over and said “This place is the best!” She replied “Cruz, make the most of these times. You never know how many more you’ll have left.”
Although there were times where we did not see eye-to-eye, she always had my back. An example of this was in the winter of 2018. It was December and we attended a magazine meeting. I was excited about this meeting because I felt like I had a great story. It’s important to know that earlier that week, Teresa and I had a minor falling out. I don’t remember exactly what it was about; however, we arrived at the meeting and sat at the same table. When it was my turn to pitch my idea, the editor of the magazine was not amused and said “I feel like we go down this road too often with celebrities and sports figures.” I stood my ground and fired back. To my surprise, Teresa began to advocate for me and my story idea. It fell on deaf ears but Teresa backed me.
Originally, I did not get a few things; why she was in a hurry, why she picked topics for her column. I now get it. I get all of it. As a father of two children, I get why she was always in a hurry to leave. Or why she wrote the things she did. It’s her legacy. She wanted to leave the stories that truly matter in life on paper so they could never be forgotten. She left behind her knowledge, courage and wisdom to so many in our community, but most of all for her children. I totally get it. I just wish it had not taken her passing and 12 years for me to get the message.
Dennis D. Cruz is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Riverbank News and The Escalon Times. He may be reached at drcruz@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 209-847-3021.
