The Los Angeles Plaza: Sacred and Contested Space

Acknowledgements

xiii Ac k n o w l e d g m e n t s This is but a partial list of all the people and institutions whose knowing and unknowing contributions helped me to reach this long-sought goal, a project that my two children in their youthful wit once reminded me began in the last century. With apologies to those unnamed, I wish to thank the following. For institutional support, I am grateful to the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation/Historical Society of Southern California for two generous research grants in 2004–2005. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, where I serve as Curator of History, provided tremendous support, resources, and encouragement for this project. The museum’s Seaver Center for Western History research is among the best collections on Los Angeles. I am particularly grateful to Jane Pisano, Margaret Hardin, Tom Sitton, Janet Fireman, Bill Mertz, John Cahoon, Beth Werling, Brent Riggs, Betty Uyeda, Jacqueline Morin, Jim Gilson, Tom Jacobson, María Ponce, Salena Small, Karen Wise, and Terri Togiai. Other institutions whose contributions cannot be overstated are the Huntington Library; El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument; the Regional History Center at the University of Southern California; Los Angeles Public Library; the California Room of the Rosemead Library, which is among the overlooked research treasures in xiv ˚ the los angeles plaza the area; Los Angeles City Archives; Bancroft Libraryat the Universityof California , Berkeley; Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research; the Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles; A. C. Bilbrew Library’s Black Resource Center; the Japanese American National Museum; and East Los Angeles Public Library’s Chicano Resource Center. For judicious intellectual mentoring, Bill Mason, more than any other person, was the inspiration for this book. In a career than spanned more than forty years, he was the guiding hand and generous wealth of knowledge for numerous scholars, graduate and undergraduate students, and anyone else seeking new insight concerning our city’s history. For him, the story of Los Angeles began at the Plaza, and he understood the complex transformations and intimate social history of the site more than any scholar of his generation. Several other scholars read the entire manuscript at various stages and generously shared their ideas about Los Angeles and the Plaza: Devra Weber, Leornard Pitt, Juan Gómez-Quiñones, Paul Bryan Gray, Jean Bruce Poole, Doug Monroy, Thomas Hines, Ed Soja, and Setha Low were there from the beginning and offered expertise and encouragement. Don Parson, Suellen Cheng, Michael Engh, Arthè Anthony, Raul Villa, Shifra Goldman, Sojin Kim, William Deverell, James Rojas, Robert Garcia,Gloria Lothrop, and John Bengtson were always available by telephone, for a cup of coffee, or through email to discuss ideas. Other scholars who shared their knowledge and advice include: Gloria Miranda, Tim Tangerlini, Rudy Acuña, Luis Arroyo, Lisbeth Haas, Tevvy Ball, Diego Vigil, Vicki Ruiz, Victor Valle, Mary Ryan, Judy Branf­man, Jan Lin, Mary Yeager, Marta Lopez Garza, Glenn Price, Cecilia Rasmussen, Roberta Greenwood, Greg Howell, Steve Loza, Raúl Ruiz, Roberto Garza, Edward Escobar, Antonio Ríos-Bustamante, Daniel Arreola, Lisa See, Greg Hise, Howard Shorr, and David Ayón. It was a pleasure working with people of the University of Texas Press— Theresa May, Lynne Chapman, Tana Silva, and Jan McInroy. For invaluable assistance during various phases of document and photograph research, I am grateful to Jennifer Watts, Hynda Rudd, Jay Jones, Dan Lewis, Dace Taube, Beth Krupshaw, Carolyn Cole, Sarah Cooper, Bob Arconti, Don Sloper, Frank Damon, Ezekiel Tarango, Tom Yoneda, Jason LaBau, and Amelia Estrada. I am also indebted to the many people, some of whom are no longer with us, who agreed to be interviewed and share their insights and personal Acknowledgments ˚ xv experiences. It is through their memories that the Plaza reveals its human face. No writing project can be complete without the love and support of family and close friends. For lifelong inspiration I am grateful to my parents, Rudolph and Lillian Estrada, who introduced me to the Plaza. I am thankful also to my children, Amelia and David Estrada, as well as Dennis Melendez, Manuel and Belen De La Rosa, Ernesto Collosi, Virginia Escalante, Joe Salas Jr., Angel Cervantes, and Glenn Benton, and all of my friends at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, especially thewonderful volunteerdocents , Las Angelitas del Pueblo. Finally, I wish to thank my...