Public historian to speak about the Chile Pepper King

According to CSC Professor Dr. Tom Smith, Kopp blends scholarly significance and storytelling in his presentations. Kopp is an Associate Professor of History and Co-Director of the Public History and Museum Studies Program at the University of Colorado-Denver. Kopp has specialties in the history of agriculture and the environment.

Kopp’s exploration of Garcia connects specific details of the local chile pepper to national and global markets, processes, and people. According to Smith, Garcia developed chile pepper horticultural techniques during a five-decade long career that launched the industry in New Mexico, including the Hatch Chile brand, and impacted the physical landscape on both sides of the border, from Florida to Baja California.

Garcia, an orphan in Chihuahua, Mexico, immigrated to New Mexico, where he became a U.S. citizen in the late 19th century. Throughout his life, Garcia achieved several groundbreaking milestones. In 1894, he became the first Hispanic graduate of what is now known as New Mexico State University. He earned a master’s degree from the institution in 1906. He also made history as the first Hispanic appointed director of agricultural research at a U.S. land grant university, a role he had for three decades.

Despite his contributions, Garcia encountered prejudice. His legacy has remained largely overlooked in mainstream history. It wasn’t until 2021 that he was honored by the National Agricultural Center’s Hall of Fame, becoming the first Hispanic person to receive that distinction.

Kopp’s first book, Hoptopia: A World of Agriculture and Beer in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, won the American Historical Association’s Pacific Coast Branch 2017 Book Award for first-time authors. In the book, Kopp demonstrated how the Willamette Valley hops industry promoted its local agricultural uniqueness through the global marketplace.

While at CSC, Kopp will meet with faculty in the History Department to discuss their proposed Public History minor, including best practices, mapping community partnerships, surveying post-graduate options, and reviewing other items about how to propose and conduct a successful public history program.