Uncle Lucio and the Chimbote Forest Nursery

UNCLE LUCIO AND THE CHIMBOTE FOREST NURSERY

                                                                                                        To Uncle Lucio 

Forest Nursery, 1969 Fernando, Alberto and Eduardo 

Quevedo (Front: cousin Walter Serrano)

There is a place in Chimbote, Peru, that holds the best hours of fun from my early years. Among its trees, the joys of my childhood continue to echo, and images of my first dates during my adolescence linger on.

Back then, Chimbote had no parks; dusty streets were everywhere, and there were barely four monuments in the entire city. But this special place, the Vivero Forestal (the Forest Nursery), was our Fantasy Island.

I remember its Olympic-sized pool, the little train that traveled through a representation of Peru's three natural regions, the lagoon with its boats, and a Far West-style fort with artillery cannons. Also, the asnódromo—a donkey track with burros that knew exactly when to stop (and there was no way to trick them!), the mini-golf course, the mechanical rides, and the soccer fields where, after a great match, you could cool off in the small streams flowing from the lagoon. And on Friday nights, we would listen to Marco Merry and his Golfos play their hit “Una Night in Los Pinos” at the restaurant of the same name.

Beside these memories, I have another: the image of one particular employee. We called him Uncle Lucio, and he was a sort of invisible wood-elf who, with quiet devotion, preserved our Vivero. The children and teenagers of that time are grown-ups now; Uncle Lucio is even older... and he has been caring for this place for sixty years!

Uncle Lucio—Don Fermín Lucio de la Cruz—was born in Sihuas, Ancash, in 1933. At ten years old, he lost his father and took charge of his family. At fifteen, he emigrated to Chimbote and worked as a fisherman and a carpenter. Two years later, he joined the Corporación Peruana del Santa and was assigned to the Vivero Forestal. Thanks to his exemplary conduct, he was sent to work in Huallanca for a year and returned to the Vivero as a maintenance technician.

It was a time when the Vivero was nothing more than a forest. He mapped out irrigation routes and built ditches to use water from the existing lagoon to water the trees. There is a crucial moment in the history of this place, which Uncle Lucio tells us himself:

“One day, the top brass from Lima came to have lunch in the middle of the pine groves; the general manager of the Corporation was Jorge Sarmiento, and the Vivero was managed by Mr. Andrés Pinto. I asked for a swimming pool to be built. They just smiled, but a year later they approved the budget, and construction began—that is how the Recreation Center was born.”

Among his first coworkers, he remembers Aniceto Acevedo, Ramiro Robatty, and Segundo Sagástegui. From that era, he recalls Arístides and Morales as his best friends. He adds: “I want to remember all the managers of the Vivero—Antonio Gómez, Andrés Pinto, Mr. Vidal, Carlos Fonseca, Víctor Mercado, Francisco González, Jaime Mercado, Julio Manrique, and Glicerio Reaño. To all of them, my gratitude; each in their own way put their shoulder to the wheel to improve the facilities.”

Initially, Uncle Lucio only had a primary education. Later, he pursued his secondary studies, finishing in 1977—the same year his eldest son completed his own. Afterward, he would take a commercial accounting course. In the 1980s, he was part of the Siderperú Workers' Union and eventually became the supervisor of his beloved Forest Nursery.

In his youth, he defied the social norms of the time and fell in love with Doña Natividad Roque, a beautiful lady from high society. The young lovers persevered in their affection and married; to this day, they have shared fifty-two years of marriage. From this exemplary union, four children were born: Rolando, Jesús, Consuelo, and Guillermo—all professionals and respected members of the community.

Chimbote needs to preserve its history and strengthen its identity. Over the years, groups and individuals have contributed to its development. Many of these people are unsung heroes who, through their humble and selfless work, have shaped our identity. Chimbote still owes them recognition.

Using the words of the religious service, I will say here: it is truly right and just that Don Fermín Lucio de la Cruz, Uncle Lucio, receives a living tribute for his sixty years of caring for our Vivero Forestal.

Personal message to Uncle Lucio: Thank you very much for your years of service... and since I am writing to you, I ask this: in the Vivero, there are some trees where, in my adolescence, I carved a heart with Cupid's arrow, an “E,” and another letter. Please, make sure those trees are well and that the light of innocence is never extinguished. Thank you once again!

New Hampshire, USA

January 2012

Fermín Lucio de la Cruz (Uncle Lucio)

Uncle Lucio and the Chimbote Forest Nursery

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