South Colton Oral History Project Collection
Document Type
Video
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Publication Date
3-6-2015
Summary
Tom Rivera interviews Eddie Cortez, a man who has lived almost all of his life in Colton. In the interview, Cortez discusses his parents. His father and mother traveled to Colton from Texas in order to get work. The man then goes on to recollect his youth, such as being in grade school and seeing the army recruiters to then eventually joining the National Guard for a short time. That then led to his later job working in the fire department as the first Mexican-American hired there, where the connections to his military services remained. Subsequently, Cortez explains that after his time in the fire department and while in a paramedic program, more Mexican-Americans were hired in the department. He was happy to see the way things had changed and then recognized the danger he was in during his time as a paramedic. By the end of the interview, Cortez closes of by telling Rivera a final story during his time as a paramedic having to cuss in order to save someone’s life.
Recommended Citation
CSUSB, "Eddie Cortez" (2015). South Colton Oral History Project Collection. 53.
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/colton-history/53
