Lim, Lucy Estella

This interview covers the following themes:

  • Lucy’s paternal family from China and their immigration experiences. Chinese markets in Tucson and Lucy's father Don Lim.

  • Lucy’s maternal family—the Moragas—and their history from the De Anza expedition to living in the Mormon community of St. David, where Lucy's mother, Celi Vasquez Lim, grew up.

  • Interracial marriage in the 1940s and 50s and how it was perceived by southern Arizona’s Chinese and Mexican communities.

  • Childhood in the 1950s and life in a Chinese market. Chinese and Mexican traditions in one household and how Lucy’s parents negotiated food, religion, and language.

  • School at St. Martin, St. Augustine, Davis, John Spring, and Tucson High. Sports, hunting, and high school social life.

  • Closure of Lucy’s family market in 1967, a brief stint at the University of Arizona, and Lucy’s departure from Tucson in the late 1960s.

  • A conversation about race, tolerance, and immigration in 1950s and 1960s Arizona.

  • A gloss over Lucy’s life outside of Tucson from the 1970s to 2008, followed by Lucy’s retirement back to Tucson and how the city had changed in her absence.

The interview was recorded at the base of Tumamoc Hill in Tucson, Arizona on May 8th, 2017.

Aengus AndersonChiniese, Market, Small Business, Interracial Marriage, Mexican American, Hispanic, St. David, Mormon, Childhood, Medicine, Food, John Spring, Tucson High School, Race, Immigration