Gene Lariviere is a frequent presenter in the Sun Lakes area of historical topics. He enjoys researching and teaching about these topics.
Program on Arizona’s Orphan Abduction set for March 4
Andrea Hummel
In 1904 New York nuns brought 40 Irish children, ages two to six, to a remote Arizona mining community. From the list of adopting families, the nuns had been led to believe the families were Spanish Catholics. The families, however, were Mexican.
The Anglo residents of the time formed a vigilante group. They kidnapped many of the children.
The nuns chose legal methods and filed suit to get the children back. The case ended up going to the territorial Supreme Court and then to the United States Supreme Court.
How did the case turn out? What happened to the children?
Learn the answers on March 4 at 10:00 a.m. when the Robson Friends of the Library will host Gene Lariviere as he presents a program titled, “The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction.” It will take place in the Lecky Room, the room next to the Robson Library on Riggs Road in Sun Lakes.
Gene Lariviere is a retired pediatrician who lives in New Hampshire and winters in Sun Lakes. In retirement he took up teaching in community education programs, primarily about historical topics, as a hobby. He has been a frequent program leader at New Adventures in Learning.
The information presented will be based in large part on the book by Linda Gordon of the same title, but other sources will also be used. Copies of Gordon’s book are available in the Maricopa library system.