The Pedro W. Guerrero Fund is a scholarship program sponsored by the Mesa Association of Hispanic Citizens that supports high-risk students. The fund also sponsors the Mesa Hilton Pavilion.
Pedro W. Guerrero was a Mesa, Arizona businessman who founded the newspaper Juventud (Youth). He also founded Division Juvenil, a recreational and cultural organization that helps Mexican-American youth adjust to American culture while preserving Mexican culture.
Sign Painting: He started his career as a sign painter and eventually founded his own company, Guerrero-Lindsey, in 1918 [guerrero.co].
Mexican Food: Inspired by his wife's tamales, he became a pioneer in the food industry by establishing one of the first commercial Mexican food companies in the United States, possibly named Rosarita Company [historiccamera.com].
Legacy: Pedro W. Guerrero's business ventures laid the foundation for a successful family legacy. His great-grandson, Pedro A. Guerrero, attributes the family's entrepreneurial spirit and grit to him [guerrero.co]
L.A. Times Archives April 28, 1990
Pedro Guerrero, 93, who parlayed a $38 investment in a tamale booth into the Rosarita Mexican food company. Guerrero and a partner began selling tamales at a Yaqui Indian fair in the Arizona town of Guadalupe in 1929. He later invented a trademark, but it was years before he was able to find partners in his venture, which in 1945 became Rosarita. Rosarita went public in 1959 and was bought by Beatrice Foods Corp. in 1961. Guerrero retired in 1972. In Mesa, Ariz., on Monday of kidney failure. Los Angeles Times.
In 1945, after operating a food booth at a fair in Guadalupe, Ariz., Mr. Guerrero decided to try marketing commercially prepared enchiladas, tamales and other Mexican specialties.
He enlisted several partners and started Rosarita. The company went public in 1959 and was sold to Beatrice Foods in 1961. Mr. Guerrero retired in 1972.
Mr. Guerrero founded Division Juvenil, a recreational and cultural organization devoted to helping Mexican-American youth acclimate to American ways while preserving Mexican culture.
He is survived by his wife, the former Rosaura Castro; three sons, Adolfo and Fernando of Mesa and Pedro E. Guerrero of New Canaan, Conn.; three daughters, Maria Teresa Jaimes, Erminia Stechnij and Katharine Bradley, all of Mesa; 28 grandchildren, and 45 great-grandchildren.
A version of this article appears in print on April 25, 1990, Section D, Page 29 of the National edition with the headline: Pedro W. Guerrero, 93; Headed Food Concern