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The birth of Luis Valdez
Luis was born on June 26 1940 in Delano, California into a family of farmworkers who were migrants. -
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Still alive
Luis Valdez is still alive till this day -
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His early life
Around the age of 6 he began to work in fields with his family and because of this, his education was sometimes interrupted due to moving around in California San Fernando valley. Although his education was interrupted he ended up graduating high school -
Graduating highschool
He graduated James Lick high school in San Jose and attended San jose State University on a scholarship for math and physics. -
While in college
Valdez switched majors in his second year of college, he switched to English. This year he also won a playwriting contest with his one-act-play "The Theft". -
First play
Valdez created his first play this year called "The Shrunken head of Pancho villa" it was produced by the drama department at his college -
Later Career
Luis established a Chicano cultural center in del Rey, California -
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Valdez's career after college
After graduation he made a Chicano cultural center in del Rey, California. from there he moved both theater and cultural center to Fresno where they stayed for about 2 years. He made many films here and even taught at Fresno State College and created TENAZ which is the national Chicano theater organization. -
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Los Angeles Drama Critics Awards
Valdez received an award in 1968, 1969, 1972, and 1978 from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Awards -
Theater
Valdez moved the theater one more time to San Juan Bautista, south of San Fransisco. Which is combines now with the other cultural center called El Centro Campesino Cultural. -
La carpe de los Rasquachis
He wrote/directed this play -
Publishing a poem
He published a poem called "Pensamiento Serpentino which drew Mayan and Aztec concepts and discussed ways of indigenous, spiritual, and liberation of Chicanos/Chicanas -
El fin del Mundo
wrote/directed this play in the Hispanic experience -
Emmy Award
He won an Emmy award this year -
Zoot suit
wrote/directed this play in the Hispanic experience -
Tibercio Vasquez
wrote/directed this play in the Hispanic experience -
Award
Luis got rewarded by the San Francisco Bay Critics Circle for best musical. In the same year, he was also honored by president Reagans Committee on Arts and Humanities. -
La Bamba
Directed the Box-office smash movie La Bamba -
Hollywood
Valdez and other people from the Hispanic academy of media arts and sciences and Nosotros formed the Latino writers group which was to improve opportunities and pay for Latino writers in Hollywood. -
National Medal of Arts
He was awarded this medal by Obama -
Valley of the Heart
Valley of the Heart was his recent play that was debuted at the Mark taper Forum in LA. -
