This text was obtained via automated optical character recognition.
It has not been edited and may therefore contain several errors.

---

Page A-4
New
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. — “It is my flag now," said Mrs. Maria Cristina Villalabos, smiling proudly and happily as she hugged the American flag to her heart.
Three days before, on Tuesday, Dec. 10, in the federal court building at Biloxi, Mrs. Villalabos participated in five ceremonies necessary for her reception of the American citizenship naturalization papers.
She was one of 59 persons to be naturalized on this day in court with Judge Dan M. Russell of Bay St. Louis presiding.
Mrs. Alden Mauffray of Bay St. Louis accompanied the new U. S. citizen on this occassion. As sponsor, Mrs. Mauffray had frequently helped and encouraged Mrs. Villalabos as has Mrs. Fred Van Peski, a bilinquist who interprets for her friend difficult enigmatic English words and phrases.
Although Mrs. Villalabos has lived in America for 22 years, she has little opportunity to speak and hear English conversation. That is the reason, through her friend, Mrs. Van Peski there came to be organized a small English-Spanish study group, which meets on Fridays in the home of Mrs. Nunez C. Pilet of Highland drive here.
“Our Friday sessions are really a great deal of fun,” Mrs. Pilet said.
The first half of the period is devoted to teaching American cus-. toms and assisting with diction, enunciation and historical background. During the last part of the session Mrs. Villalabos teaches elementary conversational Spanish.
On Friday when Mrs. Villalabos
i i' "j.
came to conduct her class, she was surprised to find' that a group of several had assembled to honor her as a new-American citizen.
Mrs. Robert Bird, regent of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, pinned a " corsage on the honoree and presented her -with a booklet, published by her organization and designed to assist those in the process of citizenship.
A letter delivered by Bay St. Louis Mayor Warren Carver, and addressed to the honoree, was read by Mrs. Mauffray.
Mayor Carver extended his congratulations and quoted the warm
W.
-	k*. ■ I ' “
f. Miss., Monday, December 16, 1974
Maria iVillalabos
U. S.
patriotic message of Webster entitled, “I Am an American”. Other meaningful gifts were received by the honoree, including a sand painted decantur, a gift from Col. and Mrs. Elmo Nolan of Pass Christian; an elephant with raised trunk said to be an omen of good luck and a miniature planting in a gaily painted Mexican bowl.
Overcome with emotion, Mrs. Villalabos thanked the group and explained: “I must have addresses. Maybe I will be able to thank people better on paper.” Following the formal ceremony,
Ihe group gathered around the re- i lreshment table overlaid with a
handmade Guatamelan cloth and other Guatamelan appointments, signifying a warm welcome to Catholic Sisters Engracia Alvarado, Adriana Solis, Martha Mejia and S. Maricela, all of Morelia in the state of Michocan, Mexico, and assigned to Our Lady of the Gulf School in Bay St. Louis.
Presiding at the punch service was Mrs. Bird, while Mrs. Mauffray served sherry. The Southern American theme was carried out with a quartet singing favorite Mexican Christmas carols. A group also sang familiar American '{ Christmas carols in which the hon-’£i oree joined in.	-.jo)
.'.1