Part OfJosé Burruel Oral HistoryTranscriberAnna Quan LeonContributorScottsdale Public LibraryIntervieweeBurruel JoséDescriptionJosé Burruel was born in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1925. He relates what it was like growing up as a Mexican and Native American in a poor single-parent home in Scottsdale and Phoenix. Mr. Burruel talks of the communities and neighborhoods he grew up in and of the book he wrote on the topic, “Mexicans in Scottsdale.” He joined the U.S. Navy during high school but was discharged due to medical issues. Mr. Burruel attended the Arizona State Teachers College at Flagstaff (Now Northern Arizona University) before transferring to Arizona State University (ASU). He played baseball at ASU under Coach Ketchikawa. In 1949, he graduated with a degree in Education and taught in Phoenix and Arrowhead Ranch. He then moved to California and taught at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Mr. Burruel earned his Master's Degree at the University of Southern California (USC) and his Ph.D from ASU. Mr. Burruel taught English and Education classes at ASU, eventually becoming Assistant Dean. He also served as Chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights for the State of Arizona.SubjectScottsdale (Ariz.)Phoenix (Ariz.)Mexican Americans--ArizonaYakonan IndiansMayo IndiansScottsdale (Ariz.)--Social life and customsEducators--Arizona--BiographyUnited States Commission on Civil Rights. Arizona Advisory CommitteeDate Original2011-04-22Date Range1920s (1920-1929)1930s (1930-1939)1940s (1940-1949)1950s (1950-1959)1960s (1960-1969)1970s (1970-1979)1980s (1980-1989)1990s (1990-1999)2000s (2000-2009)TypeTextOriginal FormatTranscriptsLanguageEnglishContributing InstitutionState Archives- Arizona State Library, Archives and Public RecordsCollectionCapturing Arizona's StoriesRights StatementFrom the collection of the History and Archives Division, Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. Copyright and/or publication rights for all items in this collection are retained by this institution. For assistance with permission to re-use or other reference questions, please contact the Archives at [email protected]
