Garcia, Lawrence D.; Culver, Sara (storyteller/facilitator). 204 South Main Street, Wichita, 10/31/2009

File — Interview-ID: MBY005906

Interview Description

Lawrence "Larry "Garcia is interviewed by facilitator, Sara Culver about his childhood in rural Kansas, his service in the Marine Corps and how he became the fire chief in Wichita, KS for 22 years.

Facilitator Subject Log

1:01 born in 1936 in small community in Western Kansas; father could hardly speak English

4:25 only two of his siblings graduated from high school; interpreting for their father

15:40 Marine Corps was a real turn around; decision not to go to college; summer jobs working the harvest; served four years in the Marine Corps

22:00 seeing fire trucks race past him to a fire; watched the fire fighters work the fire; little lady trying to get out; saved the little lady and the fire chief saw him

33:40 assigned to an all-white station; Marine Corps was integrated; Chief planned to integrate using Larry first and putting him a white station