Scope and Contents
Biographical / Historical
Preferred Citation
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Conditions Governing Use
Conditions Governing Access
Contributing Institution:
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Title: Anthony R. Soto papers
Identifier/Call Number: M0763
Physical Description:
5 Linear Feet
(8 manuscript boxes, 1 flat box)
Date (inclusive): 1950-1993
Abstract: The collection includes manuscripts, subject files, and newsclippings, primarily relating to Soto's research and teaching
on Hispanics in the Catholic Church and migrant workers in California.
Language of Material:
English
.
Scope and Contents
Manuscripts, subject files, and newsclippings, primarily relating to Soto's research and teaching on Hispanics in the Catholic
Church and migrant workers in California.
Biographical / Historical
Anthony R. Soto (1921-1996) was the first Chicano pastor of Santa Clara County. He went to a Franciscan seminary in California
after leaving Arizona, where he was born.
He acquired a degree in social science and philosophy at San Luis Rey College in 1944 and a Master's degree in sociology from
Catholic University of America in 1950. He later received his Doctorate in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley
(1978), where he specialized in ethnic and racial relations, deviance, the history of social theory, and the sociology of
religion.
In 1962, he became the founding pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in San Jose. At the time, he was also the first Chicano
pastor in Santa Clara County. He left the official church in 1972, but continued his ministry of serving the disadvantaged,
primarily by working with the Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) He taught at San Jose State University for over
twenty years, first as a lecturer in the Mexican American Graduate Studies Department, and then as a professor at the School
of Social Work.
Soto was also very active in civil rights movements, particularly regarding the rights of migrant laborers. He founded CET
(Center for Employment Training) with Russell Tershy to provide job training for seasonal farm workers. It has been active
for more than 50 years and has increasingly expanded its reach.
He married Phyllis Armas, also an educator and activist, in 1974.
Preferred Citation
Anthony R. Soto Papers. M0763. Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased, 1995.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the repository. Literary rights reside with the creators of the documents or their heirs. To obtain
permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Public Services Librarian of the Dept. of Special Collections.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Note that materials must be requested 36 hours in advance of intended use.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Migrant labor.
Mexican Americans