In a note to his boss, AFL-CIO president George Meany, Kircher explained that Chavez badly needed a full-time attorney: “We have investigated this thoroughly and I have found a young man who, in my opinion, ‘fits the bill.’ He is anxious to help farmworkers. He is married. He and his wife are both under 30 years of age. She too, wants to help.” At the Friday night meeting on May 12, 1967, Chavez introduced Jerry to the crowd at Filipino Hall. By loud acclaim, the members approved a motion to name Jerry the first general counsel for the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee. He had just turned twenty-six.”

excerpt from The Union Of Their Dreams