Retired educator and Tucson native Yvonne Flores has spent decades sharing the city’s history through the lens of her own life, from growing up as a bilingual Hispanic child in the 1950s and 60s to teaching future generations about community and resilience.

Her reflections, recently featured at the Murphy-Wilmot Library’s 60th anniversary celebration, offered a deeply personal look at Tucson’s past and the role of libraries in shaping its sense of place.

The library, located at 530 N. Wilmot Road, hosted its diamond anniversary celebration earlier this month with a full slate of 1960s-themed events.

Flores served as keynote speaker for the event, recounting Tucson’s history through the lens of a Hispanic bilingual child growing up on the city’s west and east sides.

She shared stories about her time as a student at the all-girls Saint Joseph’s Academy, now Villa Carondelet High School, where she was taught by the late Sister Clare Dunn.

Flores talked about racial segregation and political assassinations, taking attendees on an audible tour of Tucson’s history that included Tanque Verde’s unpaved roads, the former and still-active plazas of Tucson’s west and midtown areas, and her childhood love of the Pima County Public Library’s Bookmobile.

She said those early experiences inspired her to become a teacher and fueled her desire to give back to the community.

“I wanted to work where I could make the greatest difference,” she told Tucson Spotlight. “I told (my bosses), ‘If I don’t think I’m doing a good job, I’ll quit. You won’t have to fire me.’”

Now retired, Flores remains in touch with many of her former students and their families. She continues to give back to the community by volunteering with various local groups and crocheting blankets for military families.

After Flores’ talk, families and children enjoyed a pop-up planetarium with a presentation on the 1960s space race and vintage arts and crafts, including pet rocks and yarn ornaments.

Attendees were also treated to cake and a performance by local band the Hardscrabble Road Trio.

The library opened in 1965 and embraced a new vision for public spaces, rejecting the traditional linoleum floors and bright lighting common in institutional libraries at the time.

Branch Manager Kathy Konecny said that while the library’s modern design was controversial at first, it was quickly embraced by the community.

“They opened this library with a collection size of 44,000 items, and the first year that it was open, the library checked out almost 600,000 items, so you can imagine the popularity of this library,” Konecny told Tucson Spotlight. “(It) inspired the south and west side of Tucson to advocate for their own regional libraries. It really inspired the Woods Memorial and Valencia libraries to be built.”

Konecny said it was heartening to see so many people come out to support the branch and share their own stories about growing up with the Murphy-Wilmot Library.

“It’s exciting to see all different people from our community visiting,” she said. “Every day at Murphy-Wilmot Library, we are changing lives with information and access to early literacy. Just watching parents bring their kids to a storytime is an amazing moment because we know we’re a part of that. Connecting people on the computers or with books or with our online resources. It’s amazing the impact it can have on people’s lives.”

Elias Bonilla is a journalism and political science major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact him at ebonilla1500@gmail.com.

Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation.