Oral history interview, William H. "Hank" Blazon, 2013 (video and transcript)

William (“Hank”) Blazon was born in Longmont, Colorado, in 1942 to a farming family. His father came to Longmont in 1927 from Avondale, Colorado, where he was born, and did various kinds of work, including owning a pool hall; In 1942, he bought a farm near Mead. Hank relates stories of his father being harassed by police and his uncles being refused service at a Longmont restaurant due to their being Latino, in spite of having served in the military during the Korean War. Hank graduated from Mead High School, was trained in electronics and as a machinist; worked for Beech Aircraft, Rocky Flats, and IBM. He tells of family traditions and also discusses changes for Latinos in Longmont that were brought about by affirmative action and the efforts of the Chicano movement and the 1980 murder of two young men and how it led to the formation of El Comitè.