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Our People of the Century
Tommy Rodriguez: Fund-raiser Always Puts Community First     

To the Hispanic community, he is known affectionately as “El Amigo del Pueblo” which means “A Friend of the Community.”

That’s a good way to describe Tommy Rodriguez, the Vineland businessman whose legendary radio telethons have been helping the needy for decades.

Rodiguez moved to Vineland in 1955 when he was 17. Seven years later Rodriguez and his brother, Martin, raised more than $30,000 to pay for the burial of an unidentified Spanish man found in Bridgeton.

Since then, Rodriguez has organized 21 radio marathons. He began his campaigns on the old WDVL radio station and continued with WREY, the Spanish station that Rodriguez operated for six years.

In 1989, he helped raise nearly $60,000 for the victims of Hurricane Hugo in Puerto Rico.

About fifteen years ago, he was elected as the first president of the Spanish American Relief Fund, a position that he still retains.

“They don’t want me to let go because I raise a lot of money,” Rodriguez said recently. “When I go to the merchants and the community for the money, nobody turns me down. I think that is nice.”

Rodriguez was also a respected merchant in downtown Vineland for years.

His first venture was Rodriguez Bros., a successful clothing and jewelry store he opened with his brother, Martin, at Sixth and Montrose Streets in 1961.

“I have respect for everyone in this community, and I think that is why my business grew so fast,” he said.

When a fire destroyed his inventory in 1984, Rodriguez donated the building to be used as a church.

“There were a lot of drugs on that corner, and it (the church) really helped to clean it up,” said Rodriguez.

Soon after, he opened Tommy’s Jewelry, which he operated until devoting all his time to battling an illness in 1998.

Among his many achievements, Rodriguez became the first person inducted into the Latin American Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

He received the honor for starting Vineland’s Roberto Clemente League back in 1957 along with his brother, Martin.

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