Reminder — Coconino County Board of Supervisors to read proclamation at 6 p.m. Oct. 15 honoring life of CHAC founding member Miguel Vasquez

FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Board of Supervisors will read a proclamation at 6 pm. Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 honoring life of Miguel Vasquez, who passed away on Sunday, Oct. 6.

Vasquez Ph.D, Professor of Anthropology (Emeritus) Northern Arizona, was a founding member of the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC).

A native of San Francisco, he recently retired as an applied anthropologist who worked with Latino, Mayan, Native American, African American, and disabled adult communities for almost 50 years. He was recognized as an NAU President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow. In his 32 years at NAU, he taught nearly 12,000 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, according to his biography on the county’s CHAC website.

With extensive experience working with farmworkers in California, the Hopi Tribe here in Arizona, in Mayan communities in Guatemala and Mexico, and as consultant with the U.S. Department of Health &Human Services, he provided valuable cultural insights and technical assistance in community engagement, asset based community development, and program assessment.

He was a contributor to the World Health Organization Spanish-Language Manual on Disabilities, a past Board Member of the Society for Applied Anthropology, the Flagstaff Unified School District and the Museum of Northern Arizona.

He was married for more than 45 years to Marina Vasquez, a Mayan elder (now retired) with the NAU Native American Cultural Center. They have 2 sons, (District 2 Supervisor) Jeronimo and Francisco Vasquez, and 7 wonderful grandchildren.

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Also see community comments about Miguel Vasquez here at the Mayan Winds Flagstaff Coffee Shop Facebook page.

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