By Alicia Snyder-Frey
After several years of graduate school (at the University of Wisconsin, Madison—where he continued to study Spanish) and living in Chicago, and later Florida, where he taught for some time, Roberto made his way to California in 1972 (having visited some years earlier, during the “summer of love”). It was here that his interests in computers and activism both really took off! Inspired by Buckminster Fuller showing how computer modeling can help us take care of the planet, Roberto began studying computers at the University of California, Berkeley (which was a very new field at the time). While this became a source of employment for him until his retirement several years ago, first as a consultant, and founder of Community Data Systems, and later at EBMUD, the local water utility in Oakland, he was able to use his expertise more as he had originally envisioned, in coordination with his activism work.
In his own words, Roberto said that the most important thing for him was to fight for a
better world—which he did tirelessly, at both the local and international level. And he
continued to do so even as he was working full time as a computer programmer, and
being a supportive father to his two children. He truly believed in and fought for justice
and humanity, and worked with various groups to achieve these goals.
His work was always both ideological and pragmatic. Beyond his personal commitments to treading lightly on our Madre Tierra (using public transportation and biking, recycling, using gray water, etc.), shortly after moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, Roberto began working to make his city and community better and stronger. He formed a neighbor association, where he was instrumental in having the city plant trees on the street, put in speed bumps to create a safer environment for the children, and was involved in the founding of a community food cooperative, which later grew to become the Oakland Food Collective. One of his old friends and fellow activists has
pointed out that he saw the food buying club as not just a way to bring healthy food
to his neighborhood but, more importantly, as a vehicle to bring neighbors together
around many issues that effected them immediately and as well as those effecting the
community at large. This combination of environmentalism, activism, and community
building was evident in all his efforts.
While he had always been aware of and fought for larger issues (such as Anti-Nuclear
weapons and energy, Anti-Apartheid), during the 80s, Roberto’s work took on a much
more global nature—much of this focused on Mexico and Central America. For many
years he was very active in CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El
Salvador) and TecNica, which focused on appropriate technology and offered computers and technical support to communities in Nicaragua, an effort which combined his computer expertise with his commitment to solidarity work in Central America. As part of his TecNica work, in 1985 he had the opportunity to travel to Managua, Nicaragua for several months to help implement a computer system for a local water treatment plant there.
While his work in the 90s was more focused on Border issues, especially around San
Diego and Tijuana, and he began to rent an apartment in Mexico (playas de Tijuana,
1997 or 1998?) and spend more time there, he was still active with more far-flung
causes during this time—for example, working with the Oakland Zapatista Support
Committee (1995-2005), and with a group of farm workers in Oaxaca who were trying
to organize support for their efforts. In 2001, as part of this work, Roberto returned to
DF for the Zapatista's march on Mexico City, then traveled around southern Mexico for
several weeks. His work during this time also included a focus on immigrant rights, as
he organized speaking tours by Mixtek farm workers (1996, 1997), and coordinated
campaigns of Oaxacan migrants working (and being exploited) in San Quintin, BC, as
well as in Alta California. This concern for immigrants’ rights (and those of all oppressed peoples) also caused him to become involved in efforts to defeat the racist, Anti-Immigrant initiative, Proposition 187, when it was put on the California ballot in 1994.
In 2004 Roberto began to realize his dream of one day moving to Mexico when he
bought a house in Ensenada, and he spent as much time as he could here, often coming down monthly until his retirement in 2009, when he was able to move down full time and focus his energies on making his new, adopted home a better place. As an active member of the Groupo ProCiclova, the Mercado Verde, and the Jardin communitario de Tara, and as founder of Transicion Ensenada, Roberto used his new found freedom from the constraints of full-time employment to promote social, environmental and economic justice in Ensenada and beyond with the energy of a man half his age!
Roberto was an open, honest, loving person who always treated others with respect.
Despite his years of experience, he was always very humble, and easy-going—showing a passion and “joie de vivre” that drew others to him and inspired us all! He was always very trusting, as he assumed the best of others, and was very giving, even when he didn’t have much himself. Despite the way in which his kindness and generosity were ultimately manipulated and exploited, we should never think of these qualities as faults, but rather aspire to have more of them in our own lives.
Que descanse en paz Papa xo
Roberto (Robert Paul Frey) was born on May 22,
1945 in Kentfield (Marin County), in
Northern California, where his father worked at the shipyards. His parents, Ray and
Catherine Frey (nee Groble), had moved there recently from Chicago, and the baby
came as a surprise. Catherine, who was 45 at the time of Roberto’s birth, believed that
she was too old to have children, and her doctors were of the same opinion, telling her
for months that she had a stomach tumor. When Ray passed two years later, his now
single mother returned to Chicago to be closer to her family, and it was here that he
grew up and considered home for many years.
Northern California, where his father worked at the shipyards. His parents, Ray and
Catherine Frey (nee Groble), had moved there recently from Chicago, and the baby
came as a surprise. Catherine, who was 45 at the time of Roberto’s birth, believed that
she was too old to have children, and her doctors were of the same opinion, telling her
for months that she had a stomach tumor. When Ray passed two years later, his now
single mother returned to Chicago to be closer to her family, and it was here that he
grew up and considered home for many years.
Unfortunately, his mother was overwhelmed with
the thought of raising a child, and
Roberto’s childhood years—beginning in kindergarten!—were largely spent at Catholic
boarding school. It wasn’t until he was at university (Saint Mary’s University, in Winona, Minnesota) that he began to feel he had found his place in the world, and formed profound friendships that last to his day. There, he studied foreign languages (German, Spanish and French), and after graduating (in 1966) he took off exploring in Mexico for several months (in 1967). During this time he visited D.F., the Yucatan, and many places in the South, and immediately developed an affinity for the language, culture, and people of Mexico. Not only did he learn a lot from his time traveling and experiences, but over time even grew to consider Mexico as his second homeland (“patria”), and always hoped to live there someday (a dream which, as we all know, was eventually realized!).
Roberto’s childhood years—beginning in kindergarten!—were largely spent at Catholic
boarding school. It wasn’t until he was at university (Saint Mary’s University, in Winona, Minnesota) that he began to feel he had found his place in the world, and formed profound friendships that last to his day. There, he studied foreign languages (German, Spanish and French), and after graduating (in 1966) he took off exploring in Mexico for several months (in 1967). During this time he visited D.F., the Yucatan, and many places in the South, and immediately developed an affinity for the language, culture, and people of Mexico. Not only did he learn a lot from his time traveling and experiences, but over time even grew to consider Mexico as his second homeland (“patria”), and always hoped to live there someday (a dream which, as we all know, was eventually realized!).
After several years of graduate school (at the University of Wisconsin, Madison—where he continued to study Spanish) and living in Chicago, and later Florida, where he taught for some time, Roberto made his way to California in 1972 (having visited some years earlier, during the “summer of love”). It was here that his interests in computers and activism both really took off! Inspired by Buckminster Fuller showing how computer modeling can help us take care of the planet, Roberto began studying computers at the University of California, Berkeley (which was a very new field at the time). While this became a source of employment for him until his retirement several years ago, first as a consultant, and founder of Community Data Systems, and later at EBMUD, the local water utility in Oakland, he was able to use his expertise more as he had originally envisioned, in coordination with his activism work.
In his own words, Roberto said that the most important thing for him was to fight for a
better world—which he did tirelessly, at both the local and international level. And he
continued to do so even as he was working full time as a computer programmer, and
being a supportive father to his two children. He truly believed in and fought for justice
and humanity, and worked with various groups to achieve these goals.
His work was always both ideological and pragmatic. Beyond his personal commitments to treading lightly on our Madre Tierra (using public transportation and biking, recycling, using gray water, etc.), shortly after moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, Roberto began working to make his city and community better and stronger. He formed a neighbor association, where he was instrumental in having the city plant trees on the street, put in speed bumps to create a safer environment for the children, and was involved in the founding of a community food cooperative, which later grew to become the Oakland Food Collective. One of his old friends and fellow activists has
pointed out that he saw the food buying club as not just a way to bring healthy food
to his neighborhood but, more importantly, as a vehicle to bring neighbors together
around many issues that effected them immediately and as well as those effecting the
community at large. This combination of environmentalism, activism, and community
building was evident in all his efforts.
While he had always been aware of and fought for larger issues (such as Anti-Nuclear
weapons and energy, Anti-Apartheid), during the 80s, Roberto’s work took on a much
more global nature—much of this focused on Mexico and Central America. For many
years he was very active in CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El
Salvador) and TecNica, which focused on appropriate technology and offered computers and technical support to communities in Nicaragua, an effort which combined his computer expertise with his commitment to solidarity work in Central America. As part of his TecNica work, in 1985 he had the opportunity to travel to Managua, Nicaragua for several months to help implement a computer system for a local water treatment plant there.
While his work in the 90s was more focused on Border issues, especially around San
Diego and Tijuana, and he began to rent an apartment in Mexico (playas de Tijuana,
1997 or 1998?) and spend more time there, he was still active with more far-flung
causes during this time—for example, working with the Oakland Zapatista Support
Committee (1995-2005), and with a group of farm workers in Oaxaca who were trying
to organize support for their efforts. In 2001, as part of this work, Roberto returned to
DF for the Zapatista's march on Mexico City, then traveled around southern Mexico for
several weeks. His work during this time also included a focus on immigrant rights, as
he organized speaking tours by Mixtek farm workers (1996, 1997), and coordinated
campaigns of Oaxacan migrants working (and being exploited) in San Quintin, BC, as
well as in Alta California. This concern for immigrants’ rights (and those of all oppressed peoples) also caused him to become involved in efforts to defeat the racist, Anti-Immigrant initiative, Proposition 187, when it was put on the California ballot in 1994.
In 2004 Roberto began to realize his dream of one day moving to Mexico when he
bought a house in Ensenada, and he spent as much time as he could here, often coming down monthly until his retirement in 2009, when he was able to move down full time and focus his energies on making his new, adopted home a better place. As an active member of the Groupo ProCiclova, the Mercado Verde, and the Jardin communitario de Tara, and as founder of Transicion Ensenada, Roberto used his new found freedom from the constraints of full-time employment to promote social, environmental and economic justice in Ensenada and beyond with the energy of a man half his age!
Roberto was an open, honest, loving person who always treated others with respect.
Despite his years of experience, he was always very humble, and easy-going—showing a passion and “joie de vivre” that drew others to him and inspired us all! He was always very trusting, as he assumed the best of others, and was very giving, even when he didn’t have much himself. Despite the way in which his kindness and generosity were ultimately manipulated and exploited, we should never think of these qualities as faults, but rather aspire to have more of them in our own lives.
Que descanse en paz Papa xo
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