Video directed and written by Chris Wooley. Director of photography: Wayne Dickmann. Produced by the Historical League. Narrated by Pat McMahon. Made possible by a financial grant from Dr. Edward B. Diethrich. MP4 tape conversion made possible by Londen Family of KAZTV.
Adam Diaz dedicated his life toward improving the quality of life for Mexican Americans and to educating other Arizonans about the significance of the Hispanic heritage. Although his parents were originally from Mexico, Adam was born in Flagstaff on September 2, 1909, and moved with his family to Phoenix in 1910. His father built a cement-block house in a predominately Mexican American neighborhood between Seventh and Sixteenth Streets south of Van Buren. He acknowledges that his family labored long hours and lived in meager surroundings, but he remembers a beautiful childhood.
As a youth, Mr. Diaz was troubled by discrimination against Hispanics, especially in school and church, and he vowed to work hard at changing this inequality. Adam was also inspired by his mother, a religious woman who did not accept the segregation of Hispanic children in the local Roman Catholic churches, and was instrumental in founding the Immaculate Heart Church at Ninth Street and Washington.
Adam Diaz was thirteen when he left school to support his family after his father’s death. Later, he enrolled in night business school to learn communication skills. Upon meeting George Luhrs, Jr. in the 1920s, Adam was hired as an elevator operator in the Luhrs Building, eventually becoming a building manager for the Luhrs Properties. He worked his entire employed life for Mr. Luhrs, with one exception. At the age of eighty, Mr. Diaz and his wife were encouraged by their granddaughter, a McDonald’s executive, to work at one of the restaurants. They did this for six years, showing the world that it is possible for senior citizens to be contributing members of the work force.
Known as a consensus builder, Adam Diaz was the first Hispanic elected to the Phoenix Elementary School District Number One Governing Board, and the first Hispanic elected to the Phoenix City Council, where he served as vice mayor for one year. He was also a founding member of the Charter Government Committee in Phoenix. His involvement in Friendly House, Vesta and several Latin American clubs helped reduce discrimination against Hispanics. He contributed his time and talent to many boards, including the Boy Scouts, Arizona Medical School Study Commission, the Conference on Christians and Jews, the Governor’s Conference on Youth and the Governor’s Commission on Aging. Presidential politics highlighted Mr. Diaz as local chairman of the “Viva Kennedy” campaign, and later, as a spokesperson for Democrats for Goldwater. Adam attributes his accomplishments to the support he received from Mr. Luhrs, who encouraged him to join community organizations and allowed him time off from his job to do so.
Widowed and remarried, Adam Diaz raised three daughters and one son. Educated and holding professional positions, his children and grandchildren follow his example of caring for those less fortunate. His children affectionately recall their father's many "missions of mercy," as they came to call them, when he would change direction on a family outing to assist someone in need, as well as the "midnight phone calls” to help resolve an immigrant’s problem with the law or an illness.
Adam Diaz's determination to care for those less fortunate through the promotion of education and scholarships for Hispanics have touched many lives. Adam Diaz is a true humanitarian.
Historymaker Adam Diaz biography published in 1999
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