A truly gentle and decent man whose quietude and soft spoken ways might obscure the magnitude of his profoundly generous and loving character. A thoughtful son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and moral steward of his fellow human beings. Ralph told his sons that he thought people were essentially good, born innocent with all the potential in the world, and it was their actions which formed the content of their character. He himself had overcome a congenital heart defect which had once been thought fatal.

Once, he drove Maria, his wife, to speak to the students of an Oakland, California high school about the United Farm Workers, a cause he had dedicated so much of his life to. This had been arranged by Julio, their youngest son who worked there. Maria had been the expected speaker but before the assembly ended she told the audience she wanted to introduce them to another important member of the movimiento and invited her "hubby" onstage to say a few words. Surprisingly, he did just that and told them he wanted to share two important things he learned from the movement . First, he stated his belief in the power of "Sí Se Puede" (Yes we can) as a necessary philosophy in life. Then, he explained how as a student, he was inspired by Oakland and the Black Panther Party and their efforts to provide their community services the government wouldn't. In their spirit, he said, he wanted to end their presentation. He raised his fist and declared, "All power to the people!" Many of the students and teachers gathered raised their fists too and repeated his words, a mantra that drove his life of service. All Power To The People.

Amen.

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