Frances Morales : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Frances Morales, the inaugural director of El Centro Chicano y Latino, shares memories of her time as a Stanford doctoral student and later a staff member in student affairs. She describes her upbringing in South Texas and Fresno, California, and her path to a college education. She recalls her time at Stanford’s School of Education in the 1980s, her work in bilingual education, and her return to Stanford as the first full-time associate dean and director of El Centro in 1989. She describes the programs established at El Centro and the challenges of running the center, as well as the community it was able to build and sustain over the years. Other topics discussed include the El Centro murals, alumni engagement, and Stanford’s Chicano faculty members.
- Summary
- Parents’ immigration to United States from Mexico • Memories of childhood in South Texas, including picking cotton • Catholic grade school education • Segregated classes for Latinos in Texas public schools • Family’s move to Fresno, California, during high school • Encouragement from high school teachers to attend Fresno State • Beginnings of Chicano Movement • Working in the Mini-Corps program with California migrant workers • Substitute teaching • Counseling degree at University of New Mexico • Working in Advising Services at Fresno State • Graduate school at Stanford University School of Education and searching for funding • Chicano Fellows Program • Education faculty members Arturo Pacheco and Robert Politzer • Student concerns about denial of tenure for a Latino faculty member and a memorable conversation with Cecilia Burciaga • Post-grad job researching bilingual education • Applying for a full-time position at El Centro in 1989 • Politics at Stanford around El Centro in the late 1980s • Engaging with the students and faculty and starting the Guiding Concilio advisory board • Developing a vision statement and future plans for El Centro with help from faculty member Jerry Porras • Coordinating the various student groups engaging with El Centro • Early programming • Danza Azteca and Ballet Folklorico • Evolution of Chicano Studies at Stanford • Engaging graduate and doctoral students • El Centro as an academic and cultural center • Partners for Academic Excellence program • Origins of Mariachi Cardinal and Cafecito • Forming community in El Centro • Chicano-Latino graduation ceremony • Multicultural Alumni Hall of Fame • Trying to find the earliest Latino alum in Stanford history • Engaging the alumni community • Murals in El Centro: Malaquías Montoya, Pablo Soto, Martin Martin, Juana Alicia • Challenges of having the murals • Creating an inclusive environment • Changes in the Chicano-Latino community at Stanford and changing the center’s name • La Raza Stanford staff group • Literacy programs run out of El Centro • Barrio Assistance outreach program • Staffing at El Centro • Dia de los Muertos at Stanford • Latino LGBTQ+ community • Margaret Sena and increasing staff capacity • Working with the Guiding Concilio • Challenges of space and budgets • Advocates on campus, including Jerry Porras, Noé Lozano, John Etchemendy, Ray Bacchetti • Alumni support for El Centro • Graduate Scholars in Residence program • Retirement plans and projects
Description
| Type of resource | sound recording-nonmusical, text, still image |
|---|---|
| Extent | 1 audio file; 1 text file; 1 photograph |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | January 21, 2020 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Morales, Frances | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Morales, Frances | |
| Interviewer | Lozano, Noé Pablo | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Stanford University. Graduate School of Education |
|---|---|
| Subject | Mexican American college administrators |
| Subject | Stanford University. Students > 1980s |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Transcript |
|
|---|---|
| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/kw623sb1354 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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