United Farm Workers (UFW) Flag

 

This flag was signed by Cesar Chavez and given to me and my son Andrew on 11-14-1992 at Valdez Bookstore in Whittier, California.. Cesar Chavez would die the following year on April 23, 1993. It was one of the great honors of my life to meet him, shake his hand and receive this flag. The signature has faded over the years but it is one of my prized possessions.

Cesar Chavez Day 2013

It seems as if I've worked hard my entire life, but I have but I never had to pick fruits or vegetables as a farm worker. My wife Jeri did just that when she was a little girl, along with her parents, in Texas and in California. She still remembers getting up at 3:30 in the morning to pick strawberries. my father, on his own at the age of nine followed the crops throughout the southwest. My mother did this as well when she was in her teens. So did my friend Frank Baltazar. I'm proud of all of them!

Today, March 31, 2013 is Cesar Chavez birthday (not to be confused with Julio Cesar Chavez), it is also Cesar Chavez Day, a California State Holiday. Chavez was one of my heroes when I was younger, he still is. Both my son and I shook his hand many years ago. A truly humble man endowed with greatness and leadership. An honest to goodness American Hero! Where have all the Cesar Chavez' gone? Chavez died on April 23,1993.