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This interview is conducted at 1936 West Summit, August 24th, 1981. Ruis interviewing Mr. Henry Montes. Mr. Henry Montes is another young aspiring artist. Mr. Montes, uh, Would you give me some information about your early life, like, uh, where you were born and when? Uh, well, I

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was born in 1956, to this day, August 24th. And uh I was born in Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri. Missouri, uh-huh. Were your parents, your father and your mother, were they originally from here, both of them, or, or did they come from somewhere else? Well, I

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didn't know my father. I don't know my father, My mother, well, actually my grandmother was from Mexico, but I don't know, you know, like I think it's from, she's from Chihuahua, Chihuahua, but that's your mother's mother, yes, my grandmother, uh-huh, and your mother's side. Now your

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mother's name, uh, Mary Montes Mary Montes. Um, she was already living here, in other words, when you, when you were born. They were. Already Permanent residents here. Yes, they came, well, they came, uh, They moved to Chicago from Mexico, and that's where my mother was born.

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Oh, your mother was born in Chicago, in Chicago, yes. And then when she was young, they moved over here. That's when I was born. Um-hum. Now, um, She, um, You said she lived in Chicago and then came here. Was that here on the west side, or

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did you live in Kansas and then Missouri? No, I think it was the Missouri side, yes. All right. And did you, um, speak Spanish at home as a youngster? Uh, yes. That's my grandmother and my mother. They mostly speak Spanish. Speak Spanish. OK. OK. And what

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about your early life then? Did you go to elementary school then here, a Catholic school or public school here in Kansas City, Miss. You went to Switzerland? Uh-huh. OK. And then, uh, About the 4th grade, I went to a cathedral. They had a, they opened the

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school up, but it just lasted one year. Um-hum. And I went there and then I came right back to Switzer. Came back here. Um, you finished the elementary grades, in other words, here at Switzer. And then, uh, I went here to high school, West High. From

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Switzer you went on to, right away to the west? Yes, to west. Um-hum. And I was here till about the 10th grade. At that time, they didn't have the high school here. It was just the junior school, right? Uh, yeah. Switzer. OK. So, you went on

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through the 10th grade. Yes. And then from, from, uh, Switzer, then where did you go? Well, I went to, uh, I switched over to Westport. West Point, yes, and I was there. Uh. I stayed there till the 11th grade. And then I had, I quit school

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and I started working for a little bit. And then from there I went to the service. I went straight to the service. I see. You know, and I thought I'd get my GED and this and that, but it didn't work out that way. But you quit

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in the 11th grade? Yes. Um-hum. Uh-huh. OK. During those early years, um, is there something you recall about your early life? Some of the, like we were talking, you know, before the interview here, some of those early experiences or anything that stands out in, Uh, no,

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not really. OK. What, what was your mother doing? Was she working outside the home to. Yes. He support you? She was, yes, she was. What kind of work did she do? Um. She worked sewing, you know, making clothes. Uh-huh. Did she work for some company? Uh,

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Gay Gibson. Oh, uh-huh, company. And, uh. Well, did your grandmother live with you? Yes, too? Yes, it was my grandmother and my mother and my sister and me. Did you, um, were you interested in, uh, any special things as a youngster, any special sports or hobbies

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or? Well, I was into all sports. Were you? Yes, and. Even at that early age. I mean, in the elementary grades, um, like. Yeah, all sports, but my main thing was uh art. I was really into art. Um-hum. Even that, at that young age. Oh, yeah.

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You always. Since, oh, yeah. Since I can remember, I was really interested. Did you just start doodling or scribbling or. Yeah. Well, actually, I had, uh, two cousins that were, you know, older than me and they were really good and I wanted to be like them

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because, you know, I looked up to them. Uh-huh. And I really wanted to be like them and they would always draw, so I would, you know, I just kept it up. That's how I got started. Um. So, you got started because of them. You might say

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they had an influence on you. Oh yeah yeah. Yeah. Well, oh, thank you. Um-hum. Do you have, when, You were talking about your interest in art and how it came about and um how you at a very early age you you showed this interest and this

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tendency uh then you said you did have some training though. Did you have some when you were here at West, did you have an opportunity to take any classes in art or at uh Westport or yeah, I took the art classes. There really ain't. Just not.

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No. Not anything specific? Huh-uh. OK. You said then you just went through the 11th grade and were you also working in between there? Uh, yeah, I went, I was working at, uh, I, I don't know the name of the place. But I was working there for

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a few months, you know, and then, but I had joined the service. Oh, OK. And I was actually waiting, you know, to go. To go into the. Yeah, and then. What did you, what, uh, branch of the military? The Marine Corps. Marines. Uh-huh. Um-hum. So, you

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went where, to California? Yes. And what, uh, how long were you, Uh, 3 years, 3 years were you mostly based in this country, or did you, I didn't go overseas at all. Where were you mostly California? Yes, I liked it there. It's. And um, what about

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when you were in the service? What uh were you able to Pursue your. Art studies or at least. Well, yeah. Indulge in it in it anyway? I, OK, when I was in there, I did, uh, like portraits and stuff, you know, and I sold them. Oh,

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did you? Yeah. Uh-huh. Guys would give me their girlfriends, you know, and I would draw them and make 15 or $20. I kept drawing in there and I was trying to get in the art field in there. In California? Well, you know, in the service. In

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the service, uh-huh. Did you have a chance to. Well, everyone thought, you know, I was pretty good and, you know, my superiors and everything, but they wouldn't, they wouldn't let me go from there. I was in infantry. And it's hard to get out of there, so

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I was in there for a while. And about the last year, they told me if I would re-enlist that they would put me in the heart field and I said no. No. Um. You had surgery three years. Um-hum. Yeah. OK. So, um, in a way, you

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did pursue it because you. Oh, yeah. You, you, you kept at it, at any rate. And, it's like, at that time, OK, like before I went in the service, I didn't know what, Really what type of art I was really into. You just knew you liked

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it as a whole. Yeah, but you weren't specific. Yeah. And then there you did develop this idea of portraits or. No, there, uh Faces or I really started getting into the murals. Oh. The Latin art. Um-hum. And. That's because you saw a lot of it in

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California. Yeah. Different places, you know? Yeah. And did you start actually doing some of it yourself? You didn't, I didn't start that until I got here, you know. And I came back. Yeah. OK. And, um, Well, from there, uh, did you immediately return after those three

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years, you returned to Kansas City? Yes. What, what, uh, did you take a vacation or did you start working, or what did you do then? Well, I took a, a pretty long vacation, but I got married when I came back. Um-hum. Was this a, uh, Young

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lady from here, from where? No, she's from Mexico City. She's from Mexico City. Uh, coming. Uh-huh. And, uh, are you still married or do you have a family? You have a, I have two kids, two boys. Two boys. How old are they? Uh, once, 11 months.

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One. About two weeks. Two weeks? Yeah. OK. And so, does your wife speak English? Oh, yeah. She speaks English. She's been here about, uh, 1011 years. Oh, she's been here, And, uh, well, then, but then if you got married, you had to have a job, right?

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Yeah. So, you had to earn a living. So, what kind of work did you go into? Or did you? I've had a few jobs, you know, but they were just like temporary. I, I'm not working. Mm Or was it anything, nothing related to. To art? To

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art, to art. Uh, no. Hum-um. I'm trying to get into it, you know. Um-hum. Hopefully I can. Um-hum. Did you try to get any more formal training or did you try to go to school also when you came back from the service or when you got

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married? Well, I, I need my GED. Um-hum. When I get my GED, hopefully. You know, I, I've got a few years of college coming to me for this, you know, public service. Um. I want to get my GED first and, OK. So, then, uh, where along

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the way had you known, uh, your friend Ruben Garcia from here? Yeah. You had known him before you went into the service. Oh, yeah, I've known him, uh, Too long. No, long. Since we were really young. And so, what, uh, How was it that you teamed

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up with him in this art venture? Did you, um, well, we think about it, or did, since you both. Well, when we were younger, we really wasn't really good friends, but we knew each other each other and I knew he was into cartoons, but I was

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into like portrait more into the. And we really didn't get together until I came out of the service, you know, we started hanging around together a lot, and I started telling him about the murals and stuff over there and, you know, I'd like to see the

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west side like that. I'd like to see some of that here, yeah, and you really, he started getting into it and that's when, you know, we got that chance down there. So then for, for the record, then both of you, uh, went to the Guadalupe, um.

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Center and, uh. Yeah. Or who suggested that you do the mural there or did the director. Yeah. Realize that you were interested in it? Yeah, well, I think he's from California and, you know, we would always. He's originally, but he's been to California. Yes, he's been

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around. But, uh, he asked, he knew that they needed, in other words, the, uh, youth center. Uh, part of the, um, Guadalupe Center did not have anything. It was very bare, and both of you had the idea that you could, You know. Dress it up or

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liven it up by doing something. And so you approached him. Uh-huh. And, uh, they, they look good. He was willing to give you a, a try at it even. Yeah. We didn't get paid for it, you know, but. You just, you just did it too. Yeah.

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To help the center and also to get experience? Oh yeah, yeah. And then what are some of the other things that you have done, you might tell us for that. Well, we're working together on that, uh. You and Ruben Garcia are working together. Program. And the,

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uh, oh, you're working for Channel Channel 99. Uh-huh. And, uh, after we do one, actually, we have three of them to do. Oh, but you have three to do for Channel 9. Yeah. Humira? Yes, yes. Oh, I didn't know that. See, that's why that needs to

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be clarified. Uh-huh. Now, these three are going to be at different locations or they would use one? Well, they're using all three at the same time. Oh, at the same time. No, like, one and then there's. The other. The, the corners, yeah. Oh, but the, the

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cameras would zoom at the different, uh, OK. And this is for the program called Rey Encuentro on Channel 9. Yes. And that's done, uh, once a month, did you say? Yeah, I think. Yeah. Once, uh, once a month every Sunday. Every Sunday? Yeah. Afternoon? Yeah, about

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2:30 or 3:00. OK. Now, you said that these would be the, Kind of a Mexican American, uh, motif or whatever you wish to call it, influenced Mexican American. Um Montes, we were talking about the mural that you're doing and the mural that you had already done,

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but perhaps for a little, uh, just a little clarification, you, how large was the one at the Guadalupe Center? That was just the one wall, right? Or was it all around? Yeah, it, it's about. 6 ft high, about 9 or 10 ft, you know why. And

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the other two are, what size of the other two? Um, They're 6 ft high. That's 6 ft high also. The uh About 7 ft 6 ft wide. No, but I think, uh, the one that where you said, But the, the main, uh, mural at the Channel

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9, but actually they will, that'll be part of three, right? Yes. You, in other words, you'll have the side walls, you might say, and the central one. Now these three will be used for the program as the program is aired. Um-hum. Once a month. And so

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the camera would zoom in on the main one, the central one. Yeah. Which you said was about, Uh, 6 ft high and about 10 or 10 to 12 ft wide, you know. Um-hum. And then you, but right now you're working on that center one. Yes. And

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then eventually you'll have to work on the two. Uh-huh. Side. And of course, there, you're doing this for the program. So you're, again, the, the Channel 9 is furnishing the materials, but you're not getting paid for that, are you? Right. You're just doing it for. Yeah.

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The, I'm trying. OK, eventually what Would you like to, um, Do I mean, as you look ahead to the future, I know you probably need to have full time employment, but would you like to have complete some kind of um art training or go into murals

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or portraits or both or what? Well, yeah, I'd like to go into both murals, you know, and the portraits and portraits, yes, there's a, there's gonna be a, an art exhibit up for the Latin Americans. It's in, uh, the federal building next month and I'm going

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to enter my stuff in there. In September in conjunction with the Hispanic. I forgot. Uh-huh. And the Hispanic, uh, week, uh-huh. Yeah. Now, uh, will they have like a contest, you know, in other words, or do you know? No, no, just you will just have an

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exhibition. You just have your exhibit there. Uh-huh. Well, they did it last year and we had our stuff there and they told us, you know, we would do it again this year. We said, yeah. In other words, you have some, some. Frames or things that you

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can display and, uh, so that's a good way to get some publicity. Oh, But, um, but I was saying, are you thinking of going to some actual formal training or, or studying some more? I know you had studied some in school, but are you thinking of

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going on to college later on after you get your GED? Yes, well, yeah, I'd like to. I don't, you know, I don't know much about college or nothing, but, you know, I'd like to, Look into it and see what I can. And um Is there something

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else you might wish to, to add. Uh at this point or something about your work or whatever else, you know, whatever other involvements you might, Uh be in? Anything else? Uh, no, not really. It's. Nothing else stands out in your mind. 104. OK, Mr. Montessor, I

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want to thank you for this interview, and this concludes the interview.