Today is my Uncle Val’s birthday. He was born on March 11, 1917 in Sonora, Arizona on this day back in 1917. He moved from Superior Az to California in the 1940s with his wife Vera, and he lived there with her until his death in 1998. I remember we took a family vacation back in 1966 and visited him and Uncle Failo and their families. He and my dad got along very well and were always glad to see eachother. I took my dad to visit again in 1982. Uncle Val and Aunt Vera would come to our family gatherings all the time too. He sure was a character! Many of the photos and the stories below were borrowed from my Aunt Josie’s book on the Diaz Family.
This photo was taken in 1966 in Culver City. On the far left are Aurelio and his wife Bisi, Aunt Vera’s sister. Next are my mom and dad, and on the right are my Uncle Val and Aunt Vera.
Aunt Vera and Uncle Val.
Uncle Val, some time in the 1970s.
Uncle Val’s family at our family reunion in Tucson in 1993
Uncle Val’s family at the next reunion in 2007. Seated on the far right is my cousin Natalie, who just won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.
This was taken in 1977 at my brother Fred’s wedding.
Fats Domino/Hello Josephine–Connie Francis/My Happiness–The Flamingos/A Kiss From Your Lips–Danny and the Juniors/At The Hop–LaVern Baker/Bop-Ting-A-Ling–Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers/Paper Castles–Shirley Gunter and the Queens/Oop Shoop–The Champs/Tequila–Little RIchard/Long Tall Sally–The Heartbeats/A Thousand Miles Away–Dee Dee Sharp/Your Precious Love–The Miracles/Bad Girl–Bill Haley and the Comets/Rock Around the Clock–The Bobbettes/Mr. Lee–Jackie Wilson/Reet Petite–The Duprees/You Belong To Me–The Teddy Bears/To Know Him Is To Love Him–The Everly Brothers/All I Have To Do is Dream–Gene Chandler/The Duke of Earl–The Blossoms/He’s A Rebel–The Drifters/Under the Boardwalk–Little Eva/The Locomotion(partial)
Little Eva/The Locomotion (partial)–Chubby Checker/The Twist–Dee Dee Sharp/The Mashed Potato–Little Willie John/Let Them Talk–Santo and Johnny/Sleepwalk–The Chantels/The Plea–Bobby Lewis/Tossin’ and Turnin’–Big Maybelle/A Little Bird(Told Me That You Loved Me)–Gary U.S. Bonds/Quarter to Three–Jewel Akens/The Birds and the Bees–Betty Everett/The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In HIs Kiss)–Major Lance/Land of 1,000 Dances–Fats Domino/Let The Four Winds Blow–The Shirelles/Mama Said–Joe Jones/You Talk Too Much–The Rays/Silhouettes–The Chantels/Look In My Eyes–The Five Satins/In The Still of the Night–Chuck Berry/Roll Over Beethoven–Carl Perkins/Blue Suede Shoes–Jerry Lee Lewis/Great Balls of Fire–The Casinos/Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye–The Little Darlings/A Little Bit of Soul.
A
new exhibit at the Main Library celebrates two great occasions – the
centennial anniversary of the UA School of Anthropology and Women’s
History Month – by exploring the seminal work, impact and achievements
of women in the field of anthropology. Through biographical profiles,
photographs, studies and monographs covering gender, race and feminism
in anthropology, “Celebrating Excellence: Women in Anthropology”
highlights the contributions of seven influential American female
anthropologists.
Covering the 20th century to present day, the exhibit features the work of:
-Ruth Underhill (1883-1984), known for her many publications that dispelled myths about Native American culture
-Ruth Benedict (1887-1948), an anthropologist and folklorist known
for studies of the relationships between personality, art, language and
culture. Benedict was also the second female president of the American
Anthropological Association
-Gladys Reichard (1893-1955), a cultural and linguistic anthropologist best known for her studies of Navajo language and culture
-Hortense Powdermaker (1896-1970), best known for her ethnographic studies of African Americans in rural America
-Margaret Mead (1901-1978), a cultural anthropologist who tackled
controversial social issues and became a frequent speaker and lecturer
in 1960s and 1970s
-Ruth Landes (1908-1991), a cultural anthropologist best known for
studies on Brazilian candomblé cults and her study of race and gender
relations
-Jane Hill, Regents’ Professor and Professor of Anthropology and
Linguistics at the University of Arizona known for her research on the
Uto-Aztecan languages and language ideology
“Celebrating Excellence: Women in Anthropology” is on display in the
UA Main Library from March 9-Aug. 27 and was curated as a companion
display to Special Collections current exhibition, “Celebrating
Excellence: 100 Years of UA Anthropology,” which runs through July 30.
I learned a great deal about the history of the University by doing this exhibit. The Anthropology program, started by the great archaeologist, E.E. Cummings, put the University on the map in the early part of the 20th century. The more I read about Cummings and his successors, Emil Haury, Raymond Thompson, Ed Spicer, Clara Lee Tanner, the more admiration I felt for my home institution. The Anthropology department has a fascinating history. My effort at capturing 100 years of it is shown below. Although I know I didn’t quite cover the entire 100 year period, it was quite gratifying to know that the late Dr. Raymond Thompson liked my work. Meeting him was the highlight of the whole experience for me.
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the
founding of the School of Anthropology, Special Collections has put together an
exhibition that features a variety of historical material, including photos,
original documents, pamphlets, articles and books related to the school and its
impact on our campus and community.
Included will be archival materials on Byron Cummings,
founder of the program, and his successors Emil Haury, and Raymond Thompson.
These photos, documents and articles come from a variety of places, but most
notably from the University of Arizona Biographical files, housed in Special
Collections.
Also on display will be information about various
archaeological field schools, such as Point of Pines and Grasshopper, as will information
about the Bureau of Ethnic Research (now called the Bureau of Applied Research
in Anthropology) and the “Garbage project”.
Historic photos and information about the Arizona State
Museum, which was for many, many years, managed by the directors of the
anthropology program is also included.
Documents from various manuscript collections of former
students and faculty, most notably Henry Dobyns, Trudy Griffin-Pierce and Paul
Ezell will add to the exhibit’s focus on the history of the anthropology
program.
The University of Arizona Press is also highlighted, as Dr.
Emil Haury was a key player in convincing then President Harvill to get the
Press started in 1959. Over the years, the UA Press has focused on
publishing a number of works in anthropology and archaeology, many of them
written by UA faculty, and these will be featured as well.
Some of the documents and other materials that are
noteworthy include:
Byron Cummings hand written resume, submitted to
the University upon applying for a position in 1915.
Paul Ezell’s field notebook from his time spent
at Point of Pines in 1939.
1930’s annual reports from the Anthropology
Dept.
Original photos of the Arizona State Museum in
its various locations.
Photos of members of the UA Anthropology club.
Early publications such as the Kiva, the Atlatl,
and the UA Press’s Occasional Papers in Anthropology.
Two companion exhibits are also in the works. In March, the Main Library will host an exhibit on women and anthropology, and in April, an exhibit about A.E. Douglass and the Tree Ring Lab will open in the Science Engineering Library.
Dr. Raymond Thompson, who was director of both the School of Anthropology and the Arizona State Museum for many years, wrote a very kind letter to my supervisor where he noted how much he enjoyed the exhibit. I was both humbled and gratified to receive this kind of recognition, as I put my heart and soul into this project. Dr. Thompson passed away recently. He was a real gentleman.
Dr. Raymond Thompson, 1924-2020.
“Join us as Diane Austin, Professor and Director of the School of Anthropology and Research Anthropologist with the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology (BARA) opens Special Collections’ newest exhibition.
The presentation will highlight some of the key historical and current challenges addressed by University of Arizona anthropologists”
