David Franquero Oral History, Part 2/2

Descriptive

Part OfDavid Franquero Oral HistoryIntervieweeFranquero, DavidInterviewerMcBride, JoyceBrowse TopicBusiness and IndustryCommunity GroupsEducationGovernment and PoliticsLand, Environment, and Natural ResourcesSociety and CultureSubjectCommunity Service--Arizona--HistoryCity mayors--ArizonaEducators--Arizona--BiographyDescriptionBy January 1969, when David graduated from NAU, he was married and his wife was pregnant. Besides school, he was working for the Coors Brewing Distributors in Flagstaff. David returned to Globe to work with his father in the family business. Adolph Franquero believed in community involvement and set the example for son David as he actively participated in the Lions, VFW, and American Legion. David joined the Rotary Club and became active in the Chamber of Commerce and the Rodeos. He sponsored two memorial softball tournaments in memory of Gina McBride and Ken Dzera. He also remembers fondly the annual Menudo Cook offs, and as a member of the JCs supported the community in a variety of ways. As an active Rotarian, he supported The Salvation Army by ringing bells, etc., and as a member of the Knights of Columbus, worked in the annual Tootsie Roll campaigns. Consequently, in 1983 David Franquero was voted Globe-Miami Citizen of the Year. Adolph Franquero died in 1974. David was in his mid-twenties when he inherited the responsibilities of running the family business. He expanded the warehouse, thereby doubling the storage capacity, and moved their recycling center. The warehouse served in subsequent years as a meeting place for such clubs such as the Bass Fishing Club and for the Rodeo Committee. That year David joined the Volunteer Fire Department in honor of his father and served as a volunteer firefighter for 13 years. After a long downturn in the economy, David reluctantly sold Purity Brands in 1987. He went to work as a probation officer working with kids. The City Manager and several council members approached David on becoming a City Councilman, which he did that next June. As the mines laid off employees, David went to Congress to testify for the Mining Act. Also, when Carlotta was trying to get a permit, he spoke at public hearings on their behalf. David and his wife divorced and he became a single father, depending upon his aunt and widowed mother for help. In 1992, the incumbent mayor decided not to run again, so David ran and was elected. The City Council accomplished a lot of good things in those years, such as annexations, Stan Gibson’s Round Mountain Park, Councilman Aguirre’s Besh ba Gowah, and the Christmas Light Parade. David remained involved in his church, working with the youth, singing in the choir, He reached the highest level of achievement one gets in the Knights of Columbus, and ended up the president of the Rotary Club. He was also active in the rodeos, sponsored charity golf tournaments, and volunteered as a coach on the Little League and Minor League. David served as mayor of the City of Globe for 8 years before stepping down. He had taken a job working for Jerry DeRose in the County Attorney’s office as a Criminal Investigator and when Jerry lost the 2000 election, David decided not to run again for mayor. He also left the County Attorney’s office and moved back to being a probation officer. The high school principal at that time approached David to volunteer to teach the Constitution in Government class. So David coached the “We the People” competition and taught a class called “Street Law,” which was a practical law class. He volunteered to lead the Mock Trials. And simultaneously, he volunteered to coach JV football, basketball and baseball. This really wore him out. In 2002, when they went to State Finals and lost to Coolidge, David had a heart attack and had to cut back on coaching basketball, but he continued coaching JV football and baseball. In 2008, BHP laid off thousands of miners. David went to work helping dislocated workers in what was then called REPAC Consortium. After a little over 5 years now He’s , He still works here. Retirement is looming, and so he’s thinking of retiring soon, at least part time. He still attends Economic Development meetings the Chamber of Commerce board meetings, and is instrumental in job fairs as a part of his job. David recaps his life by summarizing the types of public service he’s done, but can’t prioritize which is his favorite. He’s been a successful athlete and a relentless coach, a devoted educator, a probation officer and youth worker, a civic leader, 8-year City mayor, and a volunteer for countless community events. His last lingering hunger is to see our community bounce back again to a variation of its former robust economy.Audio Length00:25:59Date Original2014-07-19Date Range1970s (1970-1979)1980s (1980-1989)1990s (1990-1999)2000s (2000-2009)2010s (2010-2019)TypeSound- NonmusicalOriginal FormatOral historiesLanguageEnglishContributing InstitutionGila County Historical MuseumCollectionOral Histories of Globe High SchoolRights StatementThe opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and interviewer only. They do not represent the views of the Gila County Historical Society of Globe High School. Please contact the Gila County Historical Society Museum, located at 1330 North Broad Street, Globe, AZ 85501; call 928-425-7385 or email [email protected] with questions concerning content or the use and reproduction of this resource.

Geographic

City or TownGlobeCountyGila CountyStateArizonaCountryUnited StatesGeoNames URIhttps://sws.geonames.org/5296013

Oral HistoryDavid Franquero

Administrative

IdentifierDavid Franquero, Part 2.mp3Date Digitized2014-07-19Digital FormatMP3

4.mp3