Baca, Edward J., 1931-2016

Edward Baca, a Las Vegas minister and retired air conditioning insulation installer, was born on September 14, 1931. Baca grew up the son of a coal miner in Wyoming and spent his teenage years in Price, Utah. He worked a series of jobs in the coal mines of Utah and railroad jobs for the Southern Pacific Railroad before joining the military and being stationed in Greenland.

In his oral history Baca quickly covers his life growing up across the Mountain West and military service. He then moves on to discuss his life after the military including running a gas station in Southern California. He first came to Las Vegas in 1968 and began working as an air-conditioning insulation installer. He explains the process of insulation installation and various disputes with unions he experiences as a non-union laborer and later in management. He highlights the work he did for Palace Station and housing projects across Spring Valley.

Baca spends the majority of the interview focusing on his work as an evangelical minister. He highlights his first experience at an evangelical church in Las Vegas and how he was called to the ministry. He shares numerous stories from traveling missions, radio ministries, and evangelizing through music. He concludes the interview by sharing the story of how he met his wife in California and the role that faith has played in his life.