Chicano activist Marquez dies at 76
Kimberly Matas Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Thursday, May 13, 2010 12:00 am

A swing set, some picnic tables, maybe a basketball court - that's all Tucson civil-rights attorney Octavio G. "Tavy" Marquez wanted for residents of a west-side neighborhood in 1970, when he declared war on city lawmakers.

Marquez and other Chicano leaders launched protest marches and demonstrations, even staging the occupation of El Rio Golf Course in an effort to persuade the mayor and City Council to replace what protesters saw as an elitist, city-run country club in the heart of an impoverished neighborhood with a park that could benefit the 10,000 low-income residents living in the area.

It wasn't the first time - nor was it the last - that Marquez used inflammatory rhetoric, threats of violence and civil disobedience to garner social and racial equity for Tucsonans.

His lifelong fight will be remembered Friday after a Mass for Marquez, who had advanced dementia and died April 13 at age 76. The Mass, in English and Spanish, will begin at 10:30 a.m. at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, 801 N. Grande Ave., followed by a eulogy. The Arizona native will be buried in Clifton.

Marquez was born and raised in Morenci, Clifton's neighboring town, where his father worked in the mine for more than three decades, while Octavio's politically minded older brother was blackballed for being a union organizer.

"Uncle Tavy grew up in a very turbulent time," said his nephew, Edmund Marquez.

Around the kitchen table, the Marquez family discussed politics, workers' rights and neighborhood issues. It was these discussions and his witnessing inequity and injustice firsthand that prompted Marquez to become an attorney.

"He was incensed, he was angered by segregation. He grew up in Morenci, and he was very much in the thick of segregation," said his son, Tempe attorney Eugene Marquez.

At the urging of his older brother, Fred, Tavy Marquez went to barber school and practiced the trade to pay his way through Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, where he earned his law degree.

Specializing in social justice, Marquez took on many pro bono cases and spent much of his time on the streets advocating for civil rights.

"He largely internalized lots of his cases," his son said. "He was a man of causes, so he was very emotionally involved in his cases, his clients."

Speaking at a Tucson political event in 1969, Marquez said the Mexican-American "is awakening from his long siesta and he is very angry," according to an Arizona Daily Star article. He went on to blame the government, the Catholic Church and Chicanos themselves for the troubles they faced.

In 1970, he and other activists launched a war of words and actions against the city with the goal of converting El Rio Golf Course, on West Speedway near North Silverbell Road, into a public park.

According to the Tucson Citizen, Marquez told city councilmen, "You elect to serve the pleasures of 400 or 500 golfers, but you see poor kids looking over the fence and can't get in."

After unrelenting protests and myriad front-page articles, the city opted to maintain the golf course and build nearby El Rio Neighborhood Center and the 38-acre Joaquin Murrieta Park.

"He was very dedicated. Many times people thought he was rude, but he wanted to get things done," said longtime friend Rose Julia Nenninger. "Tavy could be controversial, but never forgot his first objective - helping out."

To suggest someone for Life Stories, contact reporter Kimberly Matas at kmatas@azstarnet.com or 573-4191
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