federico pena had a huge vision for denver and he's back at home serving others. federico pena's regarded as one of the most prominent, political leaders in colorado >> politically, the person influencing those was president john f. kennedy, who asked all of us to do something for our country and made public service noble and that's when i got very interested in public service. >> pena was elected mayor in one of the most competitive races in denver's history. in 1983 at the age of 36, he was sworn in as the first latino mayor of denver. pena's mayoral tenure was the st of my work every day in what i was doing, affecting peoples' lives and rebuilding the economy and infrastructure. that was very rewarding and challenging. >> pena's impact as mayor was profound and worked successfully to improve air quality, and helped bring the colorado rockies to denver and most visibly, oversaw the planning and building of denver international airport, today a symbol of denver's growth and able to do that and it is my upbringing. my parents instilled in me a belief in myself, a