University of Arizona

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Bruce Cole papers

1976 to 2008
MS 759
Collection Guide
A black and white photograph of Richard Heakin, a gay man murdered in a Tucson hate crime in 1976 and a pamphlet of LGBTQ resources from the organization Wingspan.

The Bruce Cole papers contain information on the Richard Heakin Murder (a hate crime committed against a gay man in 1970s Tucson), Wingspan Anti Violence Project, and the Tucson Commission on (GLBT). Bruce Cole, a Tucsonan who witnessed the Richard Heakin murder, was a member of the Richard Heakin Memorial Committee, and was involved with the LGBTQ community. This collection is part of the Arizona Queer Archives (AQA), a community-focused archive through the Institute for LGBT Studies at the University of Arizona. It was transferred to Special Collections in 2020.

Included materials:
Correspondence
Photographs
Newspaper clippings
Ephemera
Subject Area:
LGBTQ
Political Affairs
Collection Area:
Arizona Queer Archives

Land Acknowledgement

We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples. Today, Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized tribes, with Tucson being home to the O’odham and the Yaqui. Committed to diversity and inclusion, the University strives to build sustainable relationships with sovereign Native Nations and Indigenous communities through education offerings, partnerships, and community service.