by Jackie Flores

Bringing his hands up he showed me how big the Cudahy Lard pails were.  Frank talked about growing up with very little in his home.

Everyday I would see my mom go downstairs and she would come up with her potatoes, and a pan of beans and flour. Everyday all we had was potatoes, beans, and hot tortillas. We didn’t care we thought that was great. All my friends would come up and we would wait at the table. My mom would make the hot tortilla and they would put butter on it.

Frank was born in 1941 to working class Mexican parents in Denver Colorado. Although there was not much to go around the house he also had the necessities until he joined the Navy in 1959.  The Navy brought him out to California and because there were more jobs in California than Denver he settled down.

And got a job in Norwalk and started going to Cerritos College.  From Cerritos College I went on to get my BA at Cal State Fullerton. I got my masters at USC.

At his job in Norwalk Frank met a nurse that pushed him to enroll in college.

So I did it for her, I didn’t do it for myself. She believed in me so I went and signed up for the class. I walked around and there were no Chicanos (smirk) at Cerritos College in 1962. It was pretty much all whites. So I looked around and saw all these white people carrying their books and acting all studious and I just said you know what I can do this!

School was never Frank’s favorite thing to do but he soon realized that he could make a change in people’s lives through education. Frank became a teacher after graduating from USC and later a principle at Pomona High School in California.  He used his career as an educator to help encourage students to work hard and continue their education. In talking with students Frank saw the need for Chicano studies at Pomona High so he worked to create a 5-unit course for the school and started a club.

When I first got to Pomona High School I started the first MEChA club that took place out here in 1971. It was the first MEChA club anywhere and we took it to all the high schools, Gary High and Dejah high. Then we had a big MEChA central.

Frank used his connections to the Chicano Movement to bring about change in his Pomona community. Not only did Frank start Chicano Studies at Pomona High School but he also encouraged the local dA art gallery to create a Chicano art exhibit, “you’re right in the middle of Pomona and a large Hispanic area and I see no Chicano art. And I see them walk by but they don’t come in, what’s up?! They said, we don’t have the expertise why don’t you throw a Chicano art show up”. Frank found local Chicano artist to help create a Chicano art exhibit.  The exhibit was a great success and it is up and running every year.

Frank worked hard to be able to use his connections to better his community.  He believes that at the end of the day he has lived the American Dream.