|
You are viewing
Volume 41, Issue 6
November 11, 2003
To return to the current issue please click
here.
|
 |
November
11 , 2003
Former teacher honored
for life of civic duty
Dan
Smith
Mesa Legend
Communtiy invovement place teacher
in Hall of Fame
 |
| Dan Smith Mesa Legend |
| Gilbert Orrantia holds one of the many awards
he received for performing community service throughout his career. |
Being a bomber pilot, a civil rights activist and an MCC teacher have
landed Gilbert Orrantia in the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame.
He is being honored not only for his military career but also for the
years of civic service that followed.
According to nominee guidelines, inductees into the Hall are “recognized
for significant contributions at the local, state or national level, and
by excellence achieved through actions above and beyond the call of duty
in their selected field or profession.”
After performing 50 bombing missions over Africa and Italy during World
War II, Orrantia returned to Mesa to become the first Hispanic teacher
at MCC. He taught Spanish and eventually became the head of the department
before retiring in 1983.
Orrantia was born in Arizona after his father came to the United States
from Mexico in 1890.
Working at mines or in smelting plants were common ways to make a living
during the time when Orranita was growing up, but he wanted something
different so he decided to go to college.
In the 1930s being a student of Mexican descent at Arizona State Teacher’s
College (now ASU) was rare, but Orrantia was one of those few students,
and while there he helped lay groundwork for Mexican-American rights.
He helped the formation of Los Conquistadores in 1937. The goal of the
group was to help Mexican-Americans realize “that we too needed
opportunities, we too were here, and we deserved as citizens the rights
and privileges afforded to everybody … which wasn’t the case,”
said Orrantia.
With the motto, “Progress through education,” Los Conquistadores
fought for education reform, rights on and off campus and for an increase
in Mexican-Americans attending college.
“A lot of people didn’t think we belonged here,” said
Orrantia, “So we organized in order to create a better communication
with the other guys, to better the situation.”
After forming the group Orrantia joined the Army Air Corp and was sent
in 1943 to fight in World War II.
While there he earned an Air Medal with nine oak leaf clusters while piloting
B-25 bombers. With shot-out landing gear, Orrantia had to twice land planes
on their bellies. He modestly declared the procedure “was no big
deal; it happened all the time.”
Upon return from his tour he finished college and eventually began teaching
for MCC in 1967.
Orrantia spent about 30 years of teaching. Seventeen of those were spent
at MCC, where he found pleasure in his occupation. “I really enjoyed
teaching at MCC; I enjoyed the students. I liked to think I had something
to do with what they did with their lives.”
Being one of the few minority teachers, Orrantia took the challenge of
being an example to the underrepresented population.
“Education was always talking about role models, but they weren’t
supplying any of those role models. It was difficult for minorities to
get jobs teaching,” he said.
Plaques decorate the walls of Orrantia’s home from various acts
stemming from his obvious belief in civic duty.
Orrantia’s three children have also been following the path to community
involvement. He has one daughter that teaches at MCC, another who is a
counselor at Red Mountain High School and a son who works for the FBI
terrorism squad.
Back to Top
| Previous Page | Home
|
|
|
