This column tells the stories of the people whose faces appear on “A Colorado Panorama: A People’s History,” a two-block-long tile mural on the southeast side of the Colorado Convention Center. Inspired by Howard Zinn’s groundbreaking book, “A People’s History of the United States,” the mural was created by artist Barbara Jo Revelle in 1989 to celebrate those who rarely make it into the history books, but who have nonetheless had a profound impact on the history of our state. This week we’re featuring profiles of Hazel Rhoads Gates and Sam Vigil.
Hazel Rhoads Gates — Denver Philanthropist, (1891-1972)
In 1910, Denver native Hazel Rhoads married businessman John Gates. The following year they founded Gates Rubber Company, which was destined to become the nation’s sixth-largest producer of rubber products, and the largest producer of v-belts and hoses in the world. Initially serving as unpaid clerical help for her husband, Mrs. Gates became company director upon his death in 1961. She was famous for the Christmas parties she threw for the children of the company’s employees, and it was due largely to her influence that Gates Rubber instituted comprehensive health care, tuition, and career development opportunities for its workers. Together with her husband and his brother, John, she helped create the Gates Family Foundation, dedicated to “advancing excellence, innovation, and self-sufficiency in education, and promoting healthy lifestyles.” While raising the family’s seven children, Mrs. Gates found time to participate in a number of civic and cultural organizations including the Central City Opera House Association and the Denver Symphony Society, where she served as a board member.
Sam Vigil — Huerfano County Coal Miner, Farmer, Water Commissioner (1892-1987)
A lifelong resident of Huerfano County, Sam Vigil was born in Rouse, about twelve miles southeast of Walsenburg. His father worked as a miner during the winters, and in summers raised crops and livestock. Sam attended school in the coal camps and was able to complete seventh grade before his father put him to work in the mines running the pumps and weighing slack. Since he was fluent in English and Spanish, he was put in charge of the laborers who came up from Mexico to work the mines. At age 25, Sam, along with 60 other men from the county, was drafted and sent to Europe to serve during World War I. After his return, he married the former Ruby Martinez and purchased a small farm in North La Veta, west of Walsenburg. He was later appointed County Water Commissioner. A member of American Legion Post #16, he served as Post Commander, where he also assumed the duties of the organization’s chaplaincy.