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Source: The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.儲存Sept. 05--This Pueblo psychologist heard and heeded the 1960s' message of brotherhood and equality.Carlos Rodriguez says his long career in mental health has been influenced by what he learned as a teen at Boys Town near Omaha, Neb. -- and by the disparity between that knowledge and what he observed in Pueblo.Rodriguez, 68, and his late brother Nicholas attended high school at Boys Town, where, Carlos says, "boys of every race, creed and color were treated equally. I believed that was the way it was (elsewhere); that was the perception I had of society. But growing up in Bessemer and coming back to Pueblo, it was clearly evident that everyone wasn't on an equal playing field."Adding to his notion that all people were equal was what he heard at home because of his immigrant steel worker father's union activities.Rodriguez says he grew up early, selling newspapers and shining shoes on Northern Avenue, and was "street smart" when he left for Boys Town in eighth grade. Bessemer was different then, he says, more vibrant, more familycentered and filled with people who wanted to create a better life for their children.At that time, youths went to Boys Town because they were homeless, neglected or underprivileged, and the Rodriguez boys were considered the third."My parents were good parents, strong parents, but they had eight kids," Rodriguez says.Education valuedWhile at Boys Town -- Carlos graduated in 1963 and his brother graduated in 1962 -- Rodriguez learned the value of education."It was very good for academics and spirituality and sports," he says. "I didn't go out for sports, but they really prepared me for academics. Whe新蒲崗迷你倉 I left, I wanted to become a medical doctor."Instead, Rodriguez studied psychology at Southern Colorado State College and helped start a Chicano student organization. He earned a bachelor's degree right before being drafted and going to Vietnam. When he returned from the Army, he continued his education at Colorado State University and earned a doctorate.During more than 40 years in the mental health field in Pueblo, he's worked in geriatrics; with adults, teens and children; at the Parkview Family Counseling Center; and he started New Beginnings Mental Health services on Pueblo's West Side. He also worked as a family life consultant, providing care to veterans and families at area military facilities, including Fort Carson, Peterson Air Force Base and the Air Force Academy.Sibling honorsRodriguez and his late brother both were honored in the spring by Mental Health America of Pueblo; Carlos received the top honor, the Robert Hawkins Award. And they both were honored in late July with induction into the Boys Town Hall of History for community service since high school graduation.Rodriguez says he wasn't looking for prestige or to make lots of money from a career in mental health."I wanted to help other people and to make sure what needed to be done, could be, and that everybody be treated fairly and equally."Semi-retired now and trying to help indigent people access resources to which they're entitled, Rodriguez says, "I'm trying to be a helper for people who need help."maryp@chieftain.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 The Pueblo Chieftain (Pueblo, Colo.) Visit The Pueblo Chieftain (Pueblo, Colo.) at .chieftain.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesmini storage