Biographical Brief

(In describing the ethnicity of El Rio employees, the term "Anglo" is used for employees who are without another known ethnicity as that term generally prevailed at the clinic. For most El Rio employees, people fell into one of five categories: Hispanic or Mexican-American, African-American, Native American, Oriental or Anglo. Individual employees, however, were more specific when they described themselves.)

Abalos, Isabel

Before working at El Rio, Isabel Abalos, a Mexican-American, did volunteer work which involved designating the markets and liquor stores which carried farm products harvested by scabs. At the time, Caesar Chavez sought to organize the migrant farm workers in California.

Before coming to El Rio, Abalos worked at Southern Arizona Planned Parenthood in Tucson, Arizona.

Abalos was married and had one son.

At El Rio, she served as union Secretary and on a Negotiating Committee.

Abrams, Herb (MD)

Dr. Herb Abrams, who was Jewish, graduated from the University of Illinois, College of Medicine and interned at the Cook County Hospital in Chicago. While in Chicago, he developed the Martin Luther King Neighborhood Health Center for the poor, as part of the Federal Office of Economic Opportunity anti-poverty program. Prior to that, Abrams built and administered the Union Health Service of Chicago serving 25,000 union members and their families' dependents. Abrams also served as the Chair and Professor of Preventive Medicine at Chicago Medical School, and Director of Outpatient Care for Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Abrams came to Tucson to organize the Department of Community Medicine at the new University of Arizona Medical Center. He served as El Rio's first Project Director. He was often referred to as the "founding father of El Rio."

Abrams has an impressive background. In addition to his role at El Rio, he has been a prominent leader in the area of Occupational Health and Safety and was also highly esteemed for his contributions in public health at an international level.

As a consultant to the International Chemical Workers Union, Abrams had a major impact on workers' health through a column he authored for years in the union's newspaper.

Baldenegro, Salomon

Salomon Baldenegro, who called himself a "Chicano" came into this world in 1943 and grew up in Tucson's Barrio Hollywood. As a youth, he dropped out of high school joined a gang known as the "Untouchables." According to a newspaper article which quoted Baldenegro, he said "I must have been arrested 75 times." He landed in a reform school known as Fort Grant.

Shortly after he got out of reform school, he got into trouble again as an adult with a felony charge against him. Baldenegro avoided a trip to the state prison by pleading guilty to a lesser charge and promising to return to high school. At age 22 he managed to complete high school and went on to the University of Arizona. At the university he joined a Chicano student group but had to leave the group because he had become too controversial. After running unsuccessfully for the Tucson City Council, he worked in several social service jobs and in 1973 became the Director of the Youth Service Bureau.

Baldenegro was one of the most controversial board members in El Rio's history.

In 1989, Baldenegro found employment at the University of Arizona as its assistant dean of Hispanic affairs. Nine years later, in the summer of 1998, the university decided not to renew his contract. Baldenegro stated that the university administration based its decision on three factors: (1) Baldenegro's failure to focus on programming, (2) his lack of community support, and (3) his lack of sufficient diplomacy. Ultimately, Baldenegro was rehired as Senior Research Analysis for the Multi Cultural Academic Student Affairs at the university.

Earlier, Baldenegro received a Jefferson Award from the Arizona Daily Star.

Bemis, Bill

Bemis, an Anglo, was born and grew up in the Detroit area. In 1969, he graduated from Grinnell College and then came to Arizona. At the University of Arizona, after completing studies for Master's Degree in history in 1972, Bemis went on to also receive his Master's Degree in social work in 1979.

Bemis remained in Tucson after leaving El Rio. He eventually married, Rebecca, the sister of one of the activist physicians, Dr. Josh Freeman. Although Bemis never returned to El Rio, years later El Rio hired his wife and she worked as a Nurse Midwife while Bemis pursued his career at the University Medical Center working with a group known as University Physicians.

Through the years, Bemis maintained contact and a friendship with several other El Rio alumni.

Bishop, Virginia (FNP)

Bishop, a Mexican-American, grew up in the Model Cities service area in a neighborhood known as Menlo Park. Because of strict family rules, she did not socialize with the people in the neighborhood.

From 1962 to 1968, Bishop worked for the Pima County Hospital as a registered nurse.

Bishop understood Spanish because she often heard her grandparents speak the language but she had not been fluent in Spanish when her employment began at El Rio. After being hired, Bishop took classes in Spanish medical terminology.

Bishop was married and had two children, a boy and a girl.

Celaya, Ed (RPh)

Ed Celaya, a Mexican-American, grew up in the small town of Florence, Arizona. In 1960, after completing high school, he went to the University of Arizona. In 1963 Celaya entered Pharmacy College. After he graduated, in 1966 he married and by 1971 he had a daughter. The marriage lasted eighteen years. Celaya remarried in 1993.

Celaya began working at El Rio in 1981. Shortly after he began work at El Rio he joined the union and became an active member. He served on both the Education and Negotiation Committees. Celaya also served as a very effective steward.

While at El Rio Celaya volunteered at the Arizona Children's Home. He would go there once a week to help make sure the medications were correct. Celaya worked out appropriate dosages with a staff person.

For many years, Celaya remained an avid golfer and frequently played in tournaments.

Elenez, Dolores

Dolores Elenez, a Yaqui Indian woman, lived in the Model Cities area and participated in the program's early activities. Elenez, overcoming serious physical problems, graduated from Pima Community College. Six months after her graduation in October of 1970, she began work at the El Rio clinic.

Elenez served on both the Health and Safety Committee and the Education Committee. Elenez felt proud of her role in helping to develop the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) credentialing program at El Rio.

Elenez was married and had one son.

Evans, Gay (FNP)

Gay Evans, an Anglo, was married and had two children.

Evans came to El Rio in the early 1970s. She served on both the Career Ladder and Negotiations Committees. During negotiations, Evans strongly advocated family nurse practitioners' issues.

Evans has been recognized by numerous local, state and national organizations for her work in developing and contributing to women's homeless health education projects.

Figueroa, Ray

Ray Figueroa, a Mexican-American, worked as a union organizer in California before coming to Tucson. He left that position because his family had been threatened.

Figueroa came to El Rio during the early 1980s and worked at El Rio first as a janitor and later as a supervisor. Figueroa strongly promoted the union and served on the Negotiations Committee when he worked as a janitor before being placed outside of the bargaining unit.

In 1982, Figueroa left El Rio to work for the Tucson Unified School District and later he found employment at AFSCME in Tucson. In this capacity, he sometimes serviced the El Rio employees. Eventually, Figueroa became the director of the southeastern Arizona AFSCME office.

Josh Freeman, (MD)

A native of New York City, Freeman studied political science at Cornell University. After he graduated, he became involved in a "free clinic" which provided health care services to people who could not otherwise afford health care services. This led to his interest in medicine so he studied at Loyola University School of Medicine in Chicago and then he completed the Family Practice Residency program at Chicago's Cook County Hospital. Freeman, employed by the National Health Service Corp., remained a firm believer in the principals that advocated the highest quality of medical and preventive health care should be available to all, regardless of one's ability to pay. Freeman was a long time member of the American Public Health Association.

Dr. Freeman married Dr. Kathy Kallal, another El Rio employee, and 1978 they had a son.

Gallardo, Alice

Gallardo, a Mexican-American, was married and had six children. The couple raised two additional related youngsters.

Gallardo had also been very active in the Catholic Church and she had served as a charismatic prayer leader at St. Holy Family Church in Tucson.

Gallardo left employment at El Rio because of family needs. She had been an outspoken advocate for the patients and when she wanted to return to El Rio in the mid 1980's, they would not rehire her. Years later, she did return to employment at El Rio.

Garcia, Isabel (JD)

Born in 1954 and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Isabel Garcia, a Mexican-American, grew up as the daughter of community activists.

After graduation from Pueblo High School in 1971, Garcia began her studies at the University of Arizona where she received her Bachelor of Arts in education and political science in 1975. She gained her Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1978. Subsequently, Garcia gained admittance to the Arizona Bar in October 1978 and the Texas Bar in May 1979. Additionally, Garcia received a fellowship from the Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellowship Program.

Isabel interest in Tucson community issues began at a young age, when she worked with her parents and a variety of community organizations. While at University of Arizona College of Law, she became involved in the issue of immigration and worked as an advocate and organizer for Manzo Area Council.

From August 1978 to June 1980, Garcia worked as a staff attorney with Texas Rural Legal Aid, Inc., in Del Rio, Texas. Here she worked on many community problems facing the working people of Del Rio and became aware of the almost total lack of health services to the poor. While in Texas, Garcia organized a 15-member Board of Directors and created Buena Salud Health Systems, Inc. for the purpose of establishing a community health clinic which (D)HEW funded under the Rural Health Initiative Program. Isabel served as Program Coordinator and Director until her return to Tucson in June 1980.

After returning from Texas, Garcia worked many years in Tucson for the Pima County Public Defenders office but she also maintained a strong interest in immigration laws and how they affected Mexicans who wish to come to the United States.

Garcia, Jorge

Jorge Garcia, a Mexican-American, has a degree in Sociology from the Arizona State University. With his degree in sociology he secured a position at El Rio as the personnel manager. Garcia came to El Rio sometime in the late 1979s.

After El Rio, Garcia worked for the Pasqua Indian Tribe (aka Yaqui Indians) as their Director of Social Services. He also served one term as the District 11 Representative in the Arizona State Legislature. Two years later he ran unsuccessfully for the Arizona State Senate.

Gaxiola, Fernando (JD)

Fernando Gaxiola, a Mexican-American, was born in California and raised in Mexico. His father had been involved in union organizing in Mexico where the young boy would learn some powerful lessons. When Fernando Gaxiola reached his late teens, he returned to the United States.

Although a conscientious objector, he served in a non-combat area of the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1971. Gaxiola assumed the position of counselor at the military prison where he altered and improved the situation for the soldiers. After the army, Gaxiola returned to Los Angeles and got a job as a janitor. In a short time he went from janitor to assistant teacher to union organizer and finally found himself in management.

By 1972 he married Blanca began a family and went to night school seven years to get his Bachelors Degree. With the degree in hand and some help from his father who then lived in Arizona, Gaxiola entered University of Arizona College of Law. While a law student, he served as the President of the Minority Law Student Association and Secretary to the Student Bar Association. He also started a newspaper publication, El Aguila. After graduation, Gaxiola established a small law firm that specialized in immigration law.

Gaxiola enjoyed board experiences in community service. Among those experiences were his work for Headstart, the Boy's Club, Operation SER, Project STEP and the Cleland House of Neighborly Services in California.

Gaxiola became aware of the problems at El Rio from his wife Blanca who worked at El Rio while Gaxiola went to law school.

Gomez, Robert

Robert Gomez, a Mexican-American, was born in the mid 1940's.

He came to El Rio to serve as the Chief Executive Officer during the clinic's most dire financial crises. He successfully devised strategies that pulled the clinic out of its financial decline. Gomez' experiences prior to coming to El Rio involved working with migrant farm workers, heading a clinic in McAllen, Texas, working in San Francisco as a health consultant and also in San Francisco working as a management consultant for a hospital.

Gomez was married and brought his family with him from San Francisco.

Gonzales, Gloria

Gloria Gonzales, Yaqui Native American, grew up in the Model Cities area of Tucson, Arizona. She has two sisters who had been involved in the civil rights movement. Gonzales went to Tucson High School and later to Howard University. Both were cultural jumps. Gonzales also served time in the military in Washington, D.C. where she gained some familiarity with protocol and change of command "kind of things."

At El Rio, Gonzales worked as a dental hygienist.

She became an active member of the union and served as Chief Steward and on the Negotiation Committee.

After leaving El Rio, she secured her Master's Degree.

Gonzales, Mary Lou (FNP)

A first generation American, Mary Lou Gonzales was the daughter of Mexican immigrants. As a young girl, she grew up in the rural community of Winslow, Arizona. Gonzales had several siblings but was especially influence by an older sister, who led her into the world of advanced education.

Religiously and spiritually active within the Catholic Church, Gonzales became active with a prayer healing ministry.

One of the "Magnificent Seven," the first nurse practitioners in Arizona, Gonzales

maintained a strong commitment to both patients and to her fellow employees. She found it very difficult to deal with dishonesty whether in response to the actions of the board, with the El Rio administration or within the union.

Gonzales, and the other magnificent seven, traveled the state to meet with members of other professional nursing groups and from this they helped plan the curriculum for future groups of nurse practitioners. Gonzales also helped establish the first nurse practitioners occupational interest group on the auspices of the Arizona State Nurses' Association, which was instrumental in bringing state certification for nurse practitioners. This program served as a model for nurse practitioners in other states.

About 1983, Gonzales received her national certification from the American Nurses Association.

In addition to her professional responsibilities, Gonzales remained actively involved in patient care issues and issues affecting her co-workers.

As an active union member, Gonzales served on many Negotiation Committees. She also participated on the Career Ladder and Employee Assistance Program Committees. Gonzales also served as the Chair of the union, Steward and as editor of the union newsletter.

In 1988, Gonzales married Frances Leitner, who encourage the writing of this book. Leitner continued to support Gonzales both professionally and personally for the next eleven years until his death in 1999.

Greason, Shirlee (RN)

Shirley Greason came from a long line of Arizona Mexican-Americans and had very strong feelings about preserving both the cultural and environmental nature of Southern Arizona. Greason married Leon Greason and they had four daughters.

In 1969, Greason had been involved in the "Chicano Civil Rights Movement." At that time the movement was urging the University of Arizona to recruit and retain more Hispanic students and members of the faculty. Along with Baldenegro's first wife Elaine, Greason participated in efforts to develop both the El Rio Park and a bilingual pre-school and kindergarten.

Greason's employment at El Rio began in August of 1984. Her involvement in union activities started shortly after her employment began. Greason served several times as the Chair of the El Rio union and as an active representative on the AFSCME state organization, Council 97.

In the late 1980's, Greason ran for a seat on the Tucson City Council. She entered the race late and had not been expected to do well. Against all expectations, she came within a few votes of winning the primary elections.

In later years, Greason participated in the "Tucson Meet Yourself" program and the Pima County Blue Ribbon Health Commission.

Guerena, Josie

Josie Guerena, a 4^th generation Mexican-American, was the fifth of seven children. She went to Pueblo High School in Tucson but did not graduate. Eventually, Guerena took a few courses at Pima Community College and got her GED.

In 1963, Guerena married and then had three children, one girl and two boys. Before coming to El Rio, Guerena volunteered time to the Boy Scouts and served as a den mother.

In January of 1976, Guerena began working at El Rio as a pharmacy assistant, her first real job. Before long, she transferred to the Accounting Department where she worked as the payroll bookkeeper. By the late 1980's, her position was put outside of the union. Later she was moved from the Accounting to the Personnel Department.

While within the union she had served as the union's Secretary, Chief Steward and on the Time Clock Committee.

Hillary, Debra (JD)

Debra Hillary, an Anglo attorney, specialized in employee rights. Before advocating for the El Rio employees, Hillary had been actively involved in the Model Cities program and had some knowledge of the political scene in that area. Hillary had also been a former patient at El Rio.

Kathy Kallal, (MD)

Dr. Kallal, born in Texas, grew up in Delaware. After spending three years in nursing school, Kallal decided to study and practice medicine as a physician. She received her Medical Degree from Loyola University in Chicago and did her residency in internal medicine at Chicago's Cook County Hospital.

Dr. Kallal was married to El Rio physician, Dr. Josh Freeman and they had one son.

Larsen, Ethel

Ethel Bernstein-Larsen, born in January of 1938 in Brooklyn, New York was Jewish. Larsen lived in Brooklyn with her parents and an older brother until 1952 when she moved to California. She married Arno Larsen in 1956 and they eventually had two children. Before moving to Tucson in 1969, Larsen had been active in the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and in an advocacy group that attempted to bring Vietnamese orphans to California.

Shortly after moving to Tucson, Larsen enrolled at the University of Arizona. She graduated with distinction after completing her major in anthropology and after taking a few accounting and economic courses. Shortly after graduation she participated as a graduate student and teaching assistant in the development of a Judaic Studies program at the university.

Larsen began working at El Rio as a junior accountant in the summer of 1976, just a week before the move to the new facility. Her first few years at El Rio were quiet and uneventfully but after the termination of Maltos, Larsen joined with those employees who wanted change. Larsen served as the first Chair of the new union and also served on the Negotiations, Career Ladder and Time Clock Committees. She later served as the union's chief negotiator. Her most time consuming activity for the union, however, involved writing and publishing the union newsletter.

After Larsen left El Rio in the summer of 1986, she continued to work on different newsletters. Larsen edited newsletters for the Pima County Democratic Party, the Arizona Health Care Campaign, the Arizona Public Health Association and the Arizona Chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

Larsen also served as the Arizona State Coordinator for the Coalition of Labor Union Woman.

Maltos, Jose

When Jose Maltos, a Mexican-American, came to El Rio he was already the divorced father of several children. While at El Rio, he met and later married Jill Bundy, the Nursing Director. Together they had one child, a little girl.

Maltos served as El Rio's Director during the time of the transition from the first clinic to the new clinic on West Congress Street. When El Rio's Board of Directors terminated the popular Maltos, the major conflicts leading to unionization began.

After leaving El Rio, Maltos spent some time working in the San Francisco area.

Mason, Marsha (MD)

Marsha Mason, an Anglo was married and had one child while employed at El Rio.

She originally came from Wisconsin and received her education at the University of Minnesota and then the Wisconsin Medical School. She completed her three-year residency in Pediatrics at the Arizona Medical Center.

Mason demonstrated strong support of the union and served several times on the Negotiation Committee.

Mejia, Anibal

Anibal Mejia was an Hispanic from Honduras.

When he came to El Rio, Mejia had a Bachelor Degree in business administration from the University of Michigan, a Master's Degree in social worker and postgraduate work in Health Services Administration at the University of Washington. Many believed that his primary education credentials were in Counseling.

For three years before coming to El Rio, Mejia worked as the Executive Director of the Southeastern Arizona Behavioral Health Services. His other employment experiences include positions as Associate Director and Administrative Assistant for Health and Human Resources Organization in local and state government Executive Offices.

Mejia was married and had four children. At the time he started at El Rio, the oldest child had entered college, two were in high school and the youngest went to elementary school.

Mireles, Susan (RN)

Susan Mireles, a Mexican-American, born in 1954 in Tucson, Arizona, attended Sunnyside High School and later graduated from Pima Community College with an Associated Degree in Nursing.

Mireles had been married and divorced before coming to El Rio. She had two children from that marriage.

Mireles worked in home health at El Rio.

While at El Rio, she met and married the personnel manager, David Kohn.

Before the marriage, however, Mireles had been very active in union matters. She served as Chief Steward.

Morris, Pat

Pat Morris was an African-American. Before coming to El Rio, she worked at the County Hospital. Morris believed that compared with the County Hospital, El Rio looked good. While at El Rio she worked in the Dental Department.

By January of 1985, Morris served as an El Rio union steward.

Morris took a one year sabbatical leave of absence in 1989 but upon her physician's advice, she did not return to work and resigned her position in 1990.

Nichols, Andrew "Andy" (MD)

Dr. Nichols, an Anglo, first serviced El Rio as a part time staff physician. He also worked in the Family and Community Medicine at the University of Arizona. Later, Nichols headed the Rural Health Department for the university for a number of years. He also served several terms in the Arizona State legislature.

Nichols represented the university on the El Rio Board of Directors during the most tumultuous years.

Olson, Kris, (MD)

Olson, of Norwegian ethnicity, was married to an ethnic Sikh from India, a physician who specialized in Hematology and Oncology at the University Medical Center. After leaving El Rio, Olson assumed a position at another HMO in Tucson and continued to do administrative work. She eventually became the medical administrator for the state's AHCCCS program.

Patton, Elizabeth "Pat"

Pat Patton came from a wealthy Irish Catholic family. She grew up in Ireland among her many siblings. Her college level training included schooling at the Sorbonne in Paris which attracted young girls from wealthy families. She had no practical job training and had to learn skills after she immigrated to the United States. As an immigrant, Patton understood much of the Hispanic chagrin at anti-immigration laws.

After immigrating to the United States, Patton had a short marriage to a Texan. Her daughter came from this marriage.

Patton took her daughter to Tucson where she had a sister who taught English at the local

university. In Tucson Patton found secretarial work at St. Mary's Hospital and later at El Rio. After El Rio, Patton began an arduous climb up the career ladder to the position of buyer for a major corporation.

Reece, Jessie

Jessie Reece, an African-American with strong family ties in Texas, was perhaps the employee most beloved by her fellow workers. Still the focal point of her life appeared to be her family, especially her daughter, the family in Texas, and the church.

On the completion of her studies in business school, Reece ranked first in her class.

Reece originally lived in the Model Cities area but after years of employment at El Rio she bought a modest home further east in Tucson.

One of the earliest people to be hired, Reece was possibly El Rio's second employee. Employees respected Reece for her work as Personnel Specialist. Because she worked in Personnel, she fell outside the bargaining unit and so could not join the union.

Roth, Leigh

Leigh Roth, an Anglo, born in Alabama had spent most of her youth in California. Her travel and studies took her to the Caribbean, Europe, New York and Mexico.

Before coming to El Rio, Roth spent a year of midwifery at the University of Southern California's Women's Hospital in Los Angeles County where she delivered more than 200 babies. Roth's employment at El Rio started in 1979.

Her hobbies included skiing, hiking, biking, reading and playing with her parrot "Pato."

Sanchez, Lydia (RN)

Lydia Sanchez, a tall, solidly built Mexican-American woman, was born in the early 1940's in Tucson Arizona.

Sanchez got her Associate Degree in Nursing at Pima Community College in the mid 1970's. Although she had married, the couple had no children. Perhaps because Sanchez had no children of her own, she grew very close to her sibling's children and to her godchildren.

Characteristically, she expressed an abundance of politeness to patients. Many of her subordinates, however, saw her as a tyrant.

Sanchez contracted Lupus, an auto immune disease, and eventually died of this affliction.

Showalter, Jon

At the time Jon Showalter, an Anglo, began working with the El Rio union, he was married and had one child, a young daughter. Showalter had a brother who lived in the Philippine Islands and during the negotiations for the first contract he took a two-week vacation to attend his brother's wedding.

Showalter's concept of a good union involved a union which grew from the ground up. He lost his position with AFSCME when Local 449 fell seriously behind in the payment of taxes.

Showalter performed exordinarily well at the negotiation table as he was creative and a unique negotiator.

Soto, Julia

Julia Soto was married and had several children and many grandchildren.

Julia Soto had been an activist in the Mexican-American community before being hired at El Rio as the patient advocate. As part of her job as community liaison, she sat on many boards that made policy decisions that impacted health policy. Although she clearly sympathized with patient problems, she became management's advocate in the community. At El Rio, many employees saw her as anti-union.

She received the Jefferson Award from the Arizona Daily Star.

After one of her grandchildren died of cancer, Soto established a foundation in the child's memory.

Stringer, Tony

Little was known about the personal life of this soft-spoken, African-American man. Stringer worked for about two years at El Rio from May of 1981 until about May of 1983. During that time, he did not appear to have developed any close or lasting friendships at El Rio as he tended to be a loner.

Lionel Tapia, (MD)

Dr. Tapia was the first Mexican-American physician to serve as a Medical Director at El Rio. This well-liked physician had little or no administrative experience.

Before becoming Medical Director, Tapia served on and supported the union negotiating team. As Medical Director he helped lay the ground work for an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and also served on management's negotiating team.

Tapia had a wife and one child.

Tovar, Alicia

Tovar, the oldest of five children, had three sisters and one brother. Tovar grew up in a traditional and religious Mexan-American family and was a first generation American. She would eventually break from the church but she would also remain close and loyal to her family. Tovar graduated from Tucson High School in 1969 and took additional classes at Pima Community College and else where.

In her youth she traveled to both Cuba and the Soviet Union. What impressed her was that everyone had a job, medical care, housing and education.

Tovar was among the earliest employees hired. While at El Rio, she enter into a marriage which would not last long. From that marriage she gave birth to a baby girl. After many years, she married again and gave birth to a son.

After about fifteen years at El Rio, Tovar took a leave of absence to work for a government-funded agency that aided laid off miners. When that job ended, she did not return to El Rio. Instead she assumed a supervisory position for AHCCCS.

Tovar, a bright and effective union officer, enjoyed the respect of most employees. Tovar served many years as the Chief Steward and one term as the Chair. She additionally served on AFSCME's Council 97.

Underwood, Edith (RPh)

Edith Underwood, grew up in an Anglo, Baptist family in the town of Florence, Arizona. Underwood studied at the University of Arizona School of Pharmacy. She came to El Rio about 1985. While at El Rio she served one term as the Chief Steward. Additionally, she served on the union's Negotiating Committee.

Valenzuela, Herlinda

Valenzuela, a Yaqui Indian, had been active in the Model Cities program in Tucson. She also actively participated in her church and in the church's choir. Before accepting a job at El Rio in 1972, Valenzuela worked as a maid.

Valenzuela was married and had two children.

Vivian, Donald (MD)

Donald Vivian, an Anglo, had a degree from Boston University and did his residency in surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. His was married and had two sons.

When Vivian came to El Rio he had already served as a retired Brigadier General in the United States Air Force for 35 years and had held the title Director of Medical Inspection. In that position, he had the responsibility for the inspection of all the USAF medical facilities in the world. Before being the Director of Medical Inspection, Vivian managed 14 hospitals and 11 clinics in Europe.

Vivian spent his leisure time playing tennis, swimming, reading and stamp collecting.

Warren, Barbara (MD)

Barbara Warren, a physician of Anglo-Saxon ancestry, came from a family which had lived in America for many generations. She grew up in Northern California with her parents and three siblings.

Warren went to medical school in Chicago. She had been profoundly affected by the demonstrations in Chicago at the time of the Democratic Convention. While in Chicago she worked with others and helped design a model program for occupational health.

Warren had three children, two boys and a girl.

In September of 1978, she came to El Rio. While at El Rio, in addition to her seeing patients, serving on medical committees, participating in union affairs, Warren commuted to Michigan where she worked to received her MPH degree. Warren was highly respected by other El Rio providers for her medical knowledge and skills.

In her early years at El Rio, Warren played a major role in supporting the union and encouraging other physicians to join. She helped organize the union and supported the newsletter. Warren also served as the union's Vice-Chair, and on several committees including negotiations and the health and safety. She left El Rio in the late 1980's and accepted a position at the University of Arizona Medical Center where she balanced administrative skills with direct patient care. Eventually Warren left Arizona and accepted work in Denver Colorado at a fully integrated public hospital/community health center network for managed Medicaid and a public employees' HMO program.

While in Tucson, Warren founded and remained an active member of the local branch of Physicians for Social Responsibility. She was also a founding member of a Tucson organization dedicated to the conversion of war production to peacetime production.

Warren held a black belt in Aikido.

Wolfe, Ava (MD)

Ava Wolfe, an Anglo, was a pediatrician.

After Wolfe worked with hospital employees in Local 1199 in Washington, D.C., she spent a number of years in Chinle, Arizona at the Navajo Reservation. At Chinle, Wolfe gained valuable experience working with nurse practitioners. When her oldest daughter reached high school age, Wolfe moved to Tucson where she secured employment at El Rio. This happened in 1978.

At El Rio, Wolfe was especially well liked and respected by her co-workers. Because she served as a member of the National Health Service Corp., she could not join the union. The termination of her employment at El Rio enraged many employees.

After El Rio, Wolfe worked at the Tucson Indian Alliance (TIA) a program that serviced Native Americans who resided in Tucson. While at the TIA, people associated with Baldenegro tried to get Wolfe fired. Because Wolfe had traveled to CUBA to inspect health care facilities in 1979, Baldenegro's group used red-baiting tactics. Wolfe believed that Baldenegro and his group were interested in taking control over the two health care facilities, TIA as well as El Rio.

Wolfe took pride in claiming that she did not have membership in the American Medical Association.

The student who helped Wolfe by putting leaflets in mail boxes later became an attorney.

Elizabeth Yang

Elizabeth Yang was an immigrant from the island of Formosa. In the days before the communist take over of mainland China, Yang's parents had been wealthy and her mother was related to Chinese royalty.

Elizabeth and her husband had one child, a son who was born in the United States.

Yang believed that she had been discriminated against at El Rio for being both Chinese and a woman.

Several years after leaving El Rio she expressed an interest in becoming a Buddhist nun and serving in Nepal. Ironically, that would place her in the same area as Barbara Warren's brother who was a practicing Buddhist priest.

Zemsky, Zora (FNP)

Zora Zemsky came from a Yugoslavian ethnic background and has family there. At El Rio, she was one of the original "Magnificent Seven." Zemsky would stay at El Rio until her retirement.

Zemsky was an early strong supporter of the union and she recruited many employees in the early days. Zemsky was looked upon favorably by many employees for her maternal warmth. As a union activist, Zemsky served on the Health and Safety Committee of the union for a number of years and eventually headed the committee. Zemsky was truly a survivor. At the employees costume anniversary party on

October 30, 1980, Mary Lou Gonzales and Zora Zemsky received the "Grand Survivor Award."

During her career, she was active in many professional organizations, one of which gave scholarships to nursing students. Mary Lou Gonzales, in her student days, was one of the recipients. Zemsky was also instrumental in helping found the Arizona state occupational interest group for nurse practitioners, and in establishing the Arizona's certification for nurse practitioners.

While at El Rio, Zemsky frequently took vacations that took her to many distant countries. This continued after her retirement. After Zemsky retired, she did volunteer work in support of Chinese-American relations.