La Voz de Austin October 2010abc.pmd - La Voz Newspapers

Austin, Buda, Del Valle, Kyle, San Marcos 

Volume 5 Number 10 

A Bilingual Publication 

October, 2010 

La Voz 

Opening Ceremonies for the Mexican 

American Firsts TRAILBLAZERS 

at the Austin History Center 

Free Gratis 

www.lavoznewspapers.com (512) 944-4123 

Johnny Treviño 

Mike Miller 

Sylvia Orozco 

Gloria Espitia 

Susana Almanaza 

Mike Martinez 

For more information see page 5

Page 2 

Cristina ends 

run on Univision 

After more than 20 years on 

Univision, “El Show de Cristina” will 

be airing its final episode on 

Monday, Nov. 1st, at the beginning 

of sweeps. A company press 

release states Cristina Saralegui 

will continue to be part of the 

Univision family and will host future 

specials for the network. 

“El Show de Cristina” started as 

a daily afternoon talk show and after 

many years, moved to a weekly time 

slot on Monday evenings. The final 

show will celebrate her 20 years as 

the queen of talk on Univision. 

Navarrette laid off 

at The San Diego 

Union-Tribune 

Nationally syndicated columnist 

Ruben Navarrette was among 35 

newsroom employees laid off at 

The San Diego Union-Tribune. 

While the paper has announced the 

layoffs, it is also hiring - for entrylevel 

reporting jobs @ 35K a year. 

A Harvard grad, Ruben began a 

freelance writing career before 

joining the staff of The Arizona 

Republic in 1997, first as a reporter 

and then as a twice-weekly 

columnist. He left in 1999 to go back 

to school, earning a master’s in 

public administration from 

Harvard’s Kennedy School of 

Government. He joined the editorial 

board of The Dallas Morning News 

in July 2000, and in 2005, moved to 

the Union-Tribune. His column has 

been in syndication since 2001. 

Nicole M. Guidotti- 

Hernández, Ph.D., 

Comes to UT 

The Center for Mexican 

American Studies (CMAS) 

welcomes Nicole M. Guidotti- 

Hernández, Ph.D., as a CMAS 

Research Fellow for the 2010/2011 

academic year. 

Professor Guidotti-Hernández 

is an Associate Professor of Gender 

and Women’s Studies She received 

her doctoral degree from Cornell 

University in English, with a 

graduate minor in Latina/o Studies 

in 2004. 

Professor Guidotti-Hernández’s 

first book is entitled Unspeakable 

Violence: Narratives of Citizenship 

Mourning and Loss in Chicana/o 

and U.S. Mexico National 

Imaginaries and is forthcoming from 

Duke University Press (Spring 

2011). 

Professor Guidotti-Hernández 

will work on three projects while in 

residence as a research fellow at 

CMAS. and teach one 

undergraduate course in the fall 

semester 2010 and give a public 

lecture on her research in the spring 

semester 2011. 

La Voz de Austin October, 2010 

People in the News 

Ramirez Tapped to 

Lead Texas A&M 

Corps of Cadets 

Texas A&M University named 

Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez Jr. to lead 

the Corps of Cadets. Ramirez, a 

native of Houston who currently is 

Deputy Director, J5 Plans, Policy 

and Strategy for the U.S. 

European Command, will be the 

first Hispanic commandant to lead 

the corps. He is a 1979 graduate of 

A&M and has served in the Army 

since. 

He was endorsed by the Texas 

A&M Hispanic Network, an alumni 

group dedicated to increasing 

Hispanic enrollment at the College 

Station campus. Francisco 

Maldonado, president of the group 

and a lawyer from San Antonio, 

wrote A&M President R. Bowen 

Loftin last month, praising Ramirez 

for his “enthusiasm, vision and plan 

for achieving the Corps goals in the 

areas of recruiting, retention and 

academics.” 

Ramirez, 53, will begin work Nov. 

1. As commandant, he not only will 

lead the university’s most visible 

student group — the Corps but also 

will serve on Loftin’s executive 

team. 

During his military career, he 

received numerous awards, 

including Legion of Merit and 

Meritorious Service Medal. He 

received a master’s degree in 

management from Webster 

University in St. Louis and a 

master’s degree in strategic studies 

from the U.S. Army War College 

Lisa Guerrero 

returns to 

“Inside Edition” 

Lisa Guerrero returns to “Inside 

Edition” as its Chief Investigative 

Correspondent. She previously 

worked for the newsmagazine from 

2006 to 2008 as West Coast Correspondent. 

Lisa worked one season as a 

sportscaster for Monday Night 

Football in 2003. Before that, she 

also covered sports for Fox Network 

and KCBS-2 and KTTV-11 in Los 

Angeles. She has also hosted the 

weekend edition of “Extra.” 

Lisa is also an actress who has 

had roles in several TV shows, 

including “Frasier” and “The 

George Lopez Show.” She was 

born in Chicago and raised in San 

Diego where her parents worked for 

the Salvation Army. 

Alurista Comes to 

Austin, Texas 

The Center for Mexican 

American Studies and Austin 

Community College are pleased to 

host a reading and book signing by 

renowned veterano Chicano poet, 

alurista. 

Alurista is one of the seminal and 

most influential voices in the history 

of Chicano Literature. A pioneering 

poet of the Chicano Movement in 

the late 60s and 70s, he broke down 

barriers in the publishing world with 

his use of bilingual and multilingual 

writings in Spanish, English, Nahuatl 

and Maya. 

A scholar, activist, editor, 

organizer and philosopher, he holds 

a Ph.D in Spanish and Latin 

American Literature from the 

University of California at San 

Diego and is the author of ten books 

including Floricanto en Aztlán 

(1971), Timespace Huracán (1976), 

Spik in Glyph? (1981) and Z Eros 

(1995). His book, Et Tú Raza?, won 

the Before Columbus Foundation 

National Book Award in Poetry in 

1996. Author of “El Plan Espiritual 

de Aztlán,” he is a key figure in the 

reclaiming of the MeXicano cultural 

identity, history and heritage through 

his integration of American Indian 

language, symbols and spirituality 

in his writings. 

Tunaluna is classic alurista: 

passionate, sensuous, and political. 

alurista’s tenth book of poetry is a 

collection of 52 poems that takes us 

on a time trip through the first 

decade of the 21st century where he 

bears witness to the “Dubya” wars, 

terrorism, oil and $4 gallons of gas, 

slavery, and ultimately spiritual 

transformation and salvation. 

The “Word Wizard of Aztlan” is at 

his razor-sharp best, playing with his 

palabras as well as with our senses 

and sensibilities. alurista is a Xicano 

poet for the ages and a chronicler 

of la Nueva Raza Cózmica. 

The reading and signing will take 

place in the Building 8000 

Multipurpose Room of the Austin 

Community College Eastview 

Campus on October 14, 2010 • 6:30 

PM. The event is free and open to 

the public.

PRODUCTION 

Editor & Publisher 

Alfredo Santos c/s 

Managing Editors 

Yleana Santos 

Kaitlyn Theiss 

Graphics 

Juan Gallo 

Distribution 

El Team 

Contributing Writers 

Dr. Cynthia Orozco 

Gus Wayne Chavez 

Ramon Hector Hernandez Tijerina 

Marisa Cano 

Franco Martinez 

PUBLISHER’S 

STATEMENT 

La Voz de Austin is a monthly 

publication. The editorial and 

business address is P.O. Box 

19457 Austin, Texas 78760. 

The telephone number is 

(512) 944-4123. The use, reproduction 

or distribution of 

any or part of this publication 

is strongly encouraged. But do 

call and let us know what you 

are using. Letters to the editor 

are most welcome. 

Por cualquier 

pregunta, 

llamanos: 

291-9060 

944-4123 

Pensamientos para octubre 

In this issue of La Voz, we join 

with the Austin History Center 

in publizing their Mexican American 

Firsts Trailblazer Project. 

This effort to identify and remember 

those who have worked over 

the years to improve the Mexican 

American community deserves 

our attention and respect. 

Too often those who work in 

the area of community affairs by 

attending meetings, speaking before 

public officials, and organizing 

their neighbors, do not get the 

recognition and respect they deserve. 

Thanks to the work of 

Gloria Espitia, neighborhood liaison 

with the Austin Public Library, 

32 individuals have been 

identified and had their community 

work documented. 

In the several pages of this issue 

of La Voz you will find their 

photos and stories. While some 

have already passed away, others 

are still very much alive. If you 

see them at a meeting or hanging 

out at Flacos” on South Congress, 

shake their hand and tell 

them thank you. 

Cambiando de Tema 

In San Marcos, Texas there is 

movement in the Mexican American 

community. Fidencio Leija, 

a student at Texas State University, 

has been organizing people 

and will be hosting the “1 st Annual 

Community Hispanic 

Heritage Month Celebration” 

under the auspices of an organization 

called UNO. The event 


which expected to draw 1,500 

people, is billed as The 1 st Annual 

Community Hispanic 

Heritage Month Celebration 

and is a cultural enrichment experience 

for all the student body, 

faculty, staff and the community. 

This one-day event will expose 

all attendees to Hispanic Heritage 

Month and reinforces the diversity 

of the Latino culture 

through the real life interactive 

experience of Past, Present and 

Future artists, musicians, dancers 

and active leaders. The event 

starts on Saturday, October 9th, 

2010 at 10:00am st the Embassy 

Suites, is open to the public 

and free. 

Cambiando de Tema 

In the last two weeks I have attended 

two 40th year celebrations/anniversaries. 

The first was 

in Berkeley, California. The second 

was in Uvalde, Texas. 

Forty years ago I was suppose 

to have graduated from high 

school, but I didn’t. I had dropped 

out in 1969 and took off for the 

Job Corps in Kingman, Arizona. 

 

In the fall, I decided to give high 

school another chance and so I 

came back to Uvalde. I remember 

going over my transcripts with 

the Vice-Principal and being told 

that I had enough credits to be a 

“high sophomore.” 

I told myself that I would 

straighten up and do good this 

time around. The Chicano Movement 

was gaining strength 

around the country and Uvalde 

was not immune to its influence. 

The students in nearby Crystal 

City started a school walkout in 

the fall. 

In April of 1970, we began a 

walkout in Uvalde. We were protesting 

the lack of Mexican American 

teachers, relevant textbooks 

and other things we felt were important 

at the time. We stayed out 

of school for 6 weeks and in the 

end, we were not successful. 

I left that summer to go work in 

the fields in California. I was a 

high school drop out and did not 

know what my future held. One 

day I heard on the radio that one 

could go to college in California 

as long as they were over 18. I 

had just turned 18. 

I went to the local community 

to find out more. It turned out to 

be true and I soon found myself 

enrolled in classes. But I was very 

broken academically speaking 

and had to go to school day and 

night and summer. I also had to 

get a lot of tutoring. 

I was finally able to graduate 

Page 3 

Editorial 

Alfredo R. Santos c/s 

Editor & Publisher 

from San Joaquin Delta College 

and transferred to the University 

of California at Berkeley. I was 

going to live in the dorm when by 

chance I found out about a group 

of students who had pooled their 

money and started a Chicano 

Student Coop House one block 

from campus. They had opened 

the house in 1970. 

I went and checked it out and 

decided to move in. I lived at this 

house until I graduated from Berkeley 

in 1974. In my senior year, 

I was the house manager. 

So two weeks ago I went back 

to Berkeley to help celebrate the 

40th Anniversary of Casa 

Joaquin Murriete Student 

Coop. In the 40 years since it has 

existed, more than 2,000 students 

have lived there. 

Last week I went back to 

Uvalde to celebrate the 40th Anniversary 

of when I was suppose 

to have graduated from high 

school. It was indeed a strange 

twist of fate when I stopped and 

thought about it. 

se habla español 

ROGELIO TREVINO MD 

Geriatric Fellowship 

Board Certified in Family Medicine 

NADIA GUTIERREZ RN 

GEORGETOWN FAMILY & GERIATRIC MEDICINE 

103 THOUSAND OAKS BLVD. • GEORGETOWN 

tel (512) 869-4800 

fax (512) 869-4807 

Virginia Raymond 

info@texasafterviolence.org

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Page 4 


 

 

 

Mile 

Station 

Signupforfreecentspermileinsurance*and 

getvalid“ProofofInsurance”cards 

atno$$costforawholeyear! 

Mile Station buys miles of insurance** monthly in advance for car owners who: 

Seek only minimum liability insurance, 

Have an email account for submitting monthly odometer readings, and 

Drive to Mile Station for odometer photos at signup and at the 6-months 

renewal time. 

October signup is at 3110 Manor Rd (½ block east of Airport Blvd) Ste E 

8 (Friday) 9 (Sat.) 10 (Sun.) 11 (Mon.) 

3pm-7pm 10am-2pm 10am-2pm 3pm-7pm 

Check www.MileStation.com for November signup days 

Questions? Call Patrick at (512) 695-5136 

* Paid for by non-profit Mile Station, a research project aiming to show how using centsper-mile 

rates in the minimum insurance market makes it possible to keep all cars 

insured year-round. 

** The insurance company used by Mile Station charges about 4¢ per mile in advance 

for minimum liability on cars with adult drivers. This means that each time 1,000 miles 

of insurance is added to your car’s odometer, Mile Station pays the company $40 

online by credit card. 

DareCo Realtors 

Thinking of buying a house, then think of me. I have been 

in the real estate business for more than 20 years. I can 

help you realize your dream of owning your own home. 

(512) 826-7569 

Dan Arellano 

Quality Vision Eyewear 

2 pairs of 

Eyeglasses 

Eva Longoria was the last celebrity 

to grace the cover of the final issue 

of Hispanic magazine. The magazine, 

which was founded in 1987 and 

was billed as the largest subscriptionbased 

Hispanic publication, has come 

to an end, with the Apr/May issue being 

its last. 

$89 

Marco, lentes y 

transición 

para visión 

sencilla 

Hablamos Español 

2800 S. (IH-35) salida en Oltorf 

Mon - Fri 8:30am until 5:30pm 

Saturday from 10am until 3:00pm 

Hispanic was taken over by 

Editorial Televisa in Nov. 2004. The 

Mexican company changed its name 

to Televisa Publishing in July of 2007. 

The magazine’s most recent editor, Marissa Rodríguez, left in February to 

become Editorial Director of Vista magazine. 

Eye Exam 

$99 $30. 

Su amigo el oftalmólogo 

Valentino Luna, 

con gusto lo atenderá 

462-0001 

Televisa Pulls the Plug 

on Hispanic Magazine 

443-8800 

Si no cabe en su casa, 

833.LaVoz.A927.pdf 

hay espacio en la nuestra 

443-8800 

Get the second month free 

If it doesn’t fit in your house, 

there is more space in ours 

1905 East William Cannon Dr. Austin, Texas 78744 

Peggy Vasquez 

Back on the Air 

After a brief break, Peggy 

Vasquez returns to television 

on Wednesdays at 

9:00pm. Vasquez, who 

can often be seen at 

community events with a 

camera crew and microphones 

can be seen on 

TV CHANNEL 16. For 

more information about 

Peggy’s show call (512) 

587-9971 

darellano@austin.rr.com


Page 5 

These photos were taken by Gilberto Rivera, a long time community activist 

who himself was identified as a Trailblazer for the Austin History Center Project. 

For more information about this project call (512) 974-7498 

ABOVE: Gloria Espitia, organizer of the Trailblazer Project, addresses the more 

than 300 people who showed up on the opening day back in August. 

ABOVE and BELOW: As can be seen from these photo, the hallway and conference room were overflowing 

with people on August 21, 2010, during the opening ceremonies of the groundbreaking Austin History 

Center exhibit, “Mexican American Firsts: Trailblazers of Austin and Travis County.” The exhibit celebrates 

the lives of Mexican Americans who were the first to make advancements within their communities 

in education, politics, business, social and public services, health and medicine, communication, 

entertainment, science and technology, and sports. 

Dr. Cynthia E. Orzozco and Dr. Emilio Zamora 

at the State LULAC Convention in Austin, Texas 

ABOVE: Gilberto Rivera, Gus Garcia and Susana Almanaza 

ABOVE: Richard Moya, Gilberto Rivera and Johnny Treviño

Page # 6 


“Latinos a Salvo” 

Enhancing Emergency 

Communication Strategies 

Mejorando las estrategias de comunicación 

durante situaciones de emergencia 

Central Texas Region Forum 

November 5, 2010; from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.; 

LBJ Student Center Texas State University—San Marcos 

Forum hosted by the Center for the Study of Latino 

Media & Markets 

GOALS 

• Assess the emergency communication policies and practices 

pertaining to non-English-speaking populations 

• Explore practical ideas for short-term and long-term solutions 

• Foment collaborative plans of action to improve emergency 

communication policies & practices 

JUSTIFICATION 

A recent study titled “An Achilles Heel in Emergency Communications,” 

conducted by Texas State University professor Dr. Federico Subervi, has 

documented major limitations and shortfalls in the current emergency 

communication policies and practices related particularly to Spanish 

speakers in Central Texas—an area that encompasses communities from 

Williamson to Bexar counties. Government generated communiqués, 

including website-based information, is incomplete and inadequate. 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND 

• Representatives of government offices that deal with public emergencies 

and crises situations 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Representatives of first-responder organizations during public 

emergencies/crises 

• Managers and journalists of Spanishlanguage 

media and any other Latinooriented 

media 

• Community leaders interested in 

improving the safety of the residents of their 

communities 

• Insurance companies whose business 

depends on reducing the risks faced by 

their clients 

For additional information,contact: 

 

 

 

Dr. Federico Subervi, (512) 245-5267 

academic office, 965-5267 cell, 

subervi@txstate.edu


Page # 7 

Former National LULAC President 

Passes Away in Houston, Texas 

One of the authors 

Former Judge Alfred J. Hernandez was a longtime 

community activist and a three-time president of the 

national LULAC organization. 

David Montejano 

In the mid-1960s, San Antonio was a 

segregated city governed by an entrenched 

Anglo social and business elite. The 

Mexican American barrios of the west and 

south sides were characterized by 

substandard housing and experienced 

seasonal flooding. Gang warfare broke out 

regularly. Then the striking farmworkers of South Texas 

marched through the city and set off a social movement that 

transformed the barrios and ultimately brought down the old 

Anglo oligarchy. In Quixote’s Soldiers: A Local History of the 

Chicano Movement, 1966–1981, David Montejano uses a 

wealth of previously untapped sources, including the 

congressional papers of Henry B. Gonzalez, to present an 

intriguing and highly readable account of this turbulent period. 

Montejano, a native San Antonian, is 

Professor of Ethnic Studies at The 

University of California, Berkeley. His 

fields of specialization include community 

studies, historical and political sociology, 

and race and ethnic relations. He is the 

author of the award-winning Anglos and 

Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836– 

1986 and the editor of Chicano Politics and 

Society in the Late Twentieth Century 

I want to thank all 

the voters of Travis 

County for their 

continued support 

over the years. 

Please vote in the 

General Election on 

November 2, 2010. 

Dolores Ortega Carter 

Former Judge Alfred J. 

Hernandez, a native of Mexico 

whose political voice and influence 

spanned some 50 years and 

stretched from Houston’s near 

northside to the White House, died 

on September 4th, 2010. He was 

93. 

Hernandez — the first Hispanic 

to take the bench in Houston - was 

a driven activist determined to 

improve life for others, namely those 

of Mexican and Latino heritage, said 

longtime friend Dorothy Caram. 

“He was a quiet man with a 

forceful voice, who represented 

Mexican-Americans well,” Caram 

said. “He was a great model who 

understood that change required 

work, determination, planning and 

education.” 

Where there was an issue, march 

or strike devoted to Mexican- 

Americans - in Houston or 

elsewhere in the nation - 

Hernandez was likely involved, 

Caram said. Hernandez, a World 

War II veteran who earned U.S. 

citizenship while serving the country, 

was a leader in virtually every 

organization focusing on issues 

important to Hispanics. 

‘LULAC 60’ member 

A three-time president of the 

national League of United Latin 

American Citizens, Hernandez 

has been celebrated as one of the 

group’s strongest activists. He was 

among the so-called “LULAC 60,” 

accompanying the Houston Police 

Department’s first Latino officer to 

apply for work in 1950. 

Judge Alfred J. Hernandez 

“Judge Alfred Hernandez was 

a true beacon for the Mexican- 

American community in Houston,” 

Harris County Precinct 2 

Commissioner Sylvia Garcia said. 

“He was truly a man who set the 

standard for service. From his 

humble beginnings as a child of 

migrant farm workers from Mexico, 

the fact that he rose to become an 

esteemed attorney, judge and civic 

leader is testament to the type of 

man he was.” 

Hernandez was born in 

Monterrey, Mexico, in 1917. When 

he was 4, his family moved to a tiny 

house just north of downtown 

Houston. He spoke only Spanish - 

perhaps an impetus behind his 

literacy program endorsed by 

President Lyndon B. Johnson that 

years later evolved into Head Start. 

Hernandez’s motivation for 

change in the community came from 

his personal experiences as the 

subject of discrimination, said his 

son, Alfred J. Hernandez Jr. He 

trusted education as the key to his 

future, the way to fight for fairness 

for himself and others - earning a 

degree from the University of 

Houston on the GI Bill, and a law 

degree from South Texas College 

of Law. 

Hernandez started practicing 

law in 1953, continuing into his 80s. 

In the 1960s and 1970s, Hernandez 

served as an alternate judge in 

district and municipal courts. 

Precinct 6 Constable Victor 

Treviño remembers interviewing 

Hernandez about 20 years ago for 

a college paper on a local 

community leader. “He was just a 

very humble guy. He never acted as 

important as we saw him,” Treviño 

said. “He’s definitely a role model 

whose memory will, in my opinion, 

live forever.” 

High work ethic 

Hernandez was a devoted 

husband and father who taught the 

value of hard work, and expected his 

teenagers to obey a midnight curfew 

-down to the moment, Alfred Jr. 

recalled. “It served me well,” said his 

son, now a Houston physician. 

Hernandez had a signature phrase, 

which his son remembers him citing 

in Spanish: “El flojo trabaja doble” 

or “The lazy man works twice as 

hard.” 

“My father had a very high work 

ethic,” he said. “He thought it was 

important for everyone to be 

productive. He was not one to 

lounge around.” 

In addition to his son, Hernandez 

is survived by his wife, Minnie 

Casas; daughter, Anna Juarez; and 

five grandchildren. 

Travis County Treasurer 

Paid political adv. by the candidate

Page 8 La Voz de Austin October, 2010 

MEXICAN AMERICAN FIRSTS: 

TRAILBLAZERS OF Austin and Travis County 

Alemán, Arturo López 

Born on January 7, 1897 in 

LaBlanca, Zacatecas, Mexico 

Died on November 23, 1977 in 

Austin, Texas. Arturo López 

Alemán, immigrated to Travis 

County from Mexico in May 1911 

at the age of fourteen. Mr. Aleman 

made lasting contributions within the 

Mexican American community in 

Austin beginning in 1925 when he 

became involved in civic and 

community affairs. 

Mr. Aleman’s character and 

personal qualities are further 

exemplified by his life long 

membership and services as a 

steward in the Mexican Methodist 

Church of Austin beginning in 

1923 when the church was 

reorganized until his death in 1977. 

Mr. Aleman was an active layman 

and became licensed as a 

Methodist lay preacher in 1933. As 

church historian, he wrote a book 

regarding the history of the 

Methodist Church for the Mexican 

American Community in Austin. 

Susana Almanza 

Susana Almanza was born in 

1952 in Austin, Texas. Growing up 

in East Austin, Susana has always 

made it a commitment to making her 

community to better place to live. At 

a very early age, she participated in 

the Economy Furniture Workers 

strike in the mid-1960’s and later in 

the lettuce boycott as a freshman 

in high school. It was through the 

cultural prejudice, educational 

inequality, social and economic 

injustices which have motivated her 

to become a community activist in 

Austin. 

As a Brown Beret member and 

co-chair from 1974-1978, she 

worked with the community to bring 

focus to civil rights issues in Austin, 

such as police brutality, lack of 

activities for youth, housing, 

education and other needed 

services in East Austin. During this 

time period she traveled throughout 

the state of Texas organizing and 

supporting other Mexican American 

communities in the state. 

In May 1991, Susana Almanza 

along with several other local 

individuals formed PODER (People 

Organized in Defense of Earth and 

her Defenses). As a founding 

member and Executive Director of 

PODER, she has worked to 

empower the community to address 

environmental and social justice 

issues as basic human rights. 

Daniel Camacho 

Born on November 23, 1913 in 

Waelder, Texas. Died on July 10, 

2001 in Austin, Texas 

Daniel Camacho was the first 

Hispanic carpenter to be accepted 

into the United Brotherhood of 

Carpenter’s Local 1266 and 

encouraged many other men to 

follow suit. He sponsored several 

men to become apprentice 

carpenters over the years and gain 

their union license. 

Mr. Camacho was an active 

member in various Austin 

Independent School District 

Parent Teacher Organizations. 

He was also a Board of Director 

member of the Pan American 

Recreation Center; a member of 

the Freemasons; Member the East 

Austin Lion’s Club; Co-President 

of the Austin Syroco Social Club 

and numerous other local 

organizations. 

Lorraine Camacho 

Born on August 21, 1917 in 

Austin, Texas. Passed away on 

December 29, 1999 in Austin. 

During her early childhood, her 

parents moved the family to Taylor, 

Texas. As a young person, she was 

very social and involved in various 

organizations in her community. In 

1933 and 1935, she was elected La 

Reyna de Diez y Seis de 

Septiembre in Taylor. On January 

1, 1940, she married Daniel 

Camacho and later they moved to 

Austin. 

Lorraine Camacho was a 

stronger believer that we should 

“always think about the younger 

generation that is coming ahead of 

you”. It was for this reason that she 

was active in the Austin 

Independent School District as a 

room mother at Metz Elementary 

School and president of the 

Johnston High School PTA from 

1968-1970. Worked for AISD at 

Metz and Zavala Elementary as 

cafeteria cashier and also served as 

a tireless volunteer with the Reading 

is Fundamental Program at Metz 

Elementary until her death and 

volunteered her home as a McGruff 

safe house. 

Because of her involvement with 

youth in East Austin and community, 

she was affectionately called 

“Grandma Camacho”. Mrs. 

Camacho was also very active in 

the East Austin political arena. 

She was one of the founding 

members of the East First Street 

Neighborhood Advisory Committee 

in the late 1960’s . 

Arthur G. Cardenas 

Born on September 3, 1962 in 

San Antonio, Texas. Upon 

graduation from St. Anthony High 

School Seminary in San Antonio, 

Arthur received an academic 

scholarship and attended the 

University of Texas at Austin from 

1980 to 1982. 

In 1984 Arthur joined the Travis 

County Sheriff’s Office as 

corrections officer. He is one of the 

department’s most highly decorated 

officers and has worked his way up 

the ranks. While at the Sheriff’s 

Office, Arthur has held supervisory 

positions in SWAT, Patrol Services, 

and the Major Crimes Unit. He 

currently holds the rank of captain 

assigned to the Law Enforcement 

Bureau. Captain Cardenas has 

participated in more than 100 SWAT 

missions including the 1993 Mt. 

Carmel standoff in Waco, Texas. 

Eustasio Alcocer Cepeda 

Born on March 28, 1897 in Mexico 

Died on October 14, 1972 in Austin, 

Texas. Prior to moving to Austin, 

Texas, Eustasio Cepeda was a 

school teacher in Miquihuana, 

Tamaulipas, Mexico between 1910 

to 1914. 

Eustasio Cepeda emigrated to 

Austin in the 1926 to escape the 

Mexican Revolution. In the 1930’s, 

he opened a small grocery store 

which was located on Red River 

Street and later sold real estate. 

He was a member of Our Lady of 

Guadalupe Church all of his life. 

Although not in the official 

capacity, Mr. Cepeda is considered 

to be the first Mexican Consul for 

the City of Austin. Prior to the 

Mexican Consulate Office being 

established in Austin in February 

1940, Mr. Cepeda personally took 

his monthly reports to the Consul 

General of Mexico in San Antonio 

which then had jurisdiction over 

Austin and its neighboring counties. 

He prepared official documents for 

many residents to become U.S. 

citizens, to establish legal residency 

and obtain passports. Eustacio 

Cepeda is credited for advocating 

a need to establish a Mexican 

Consulate Office here in Austin.


Page 9 



Juan Estanislao Cotera 

Born November 13, 1936 in El 

Paso, Texas Mr. Cotera, a 

registered architect in Texas 

founded Cotera + Reed Architects 

with Phillip Reed after twenty nine 

years as the founding partner in 

Cotera, Kolar, Negrete & Reed 

firm. He received his Bachelors of 

Architecture and Master of Urban 

and Regional Planning degrees 

from the University of Texas at 

Austin. In 1961, he married Martha 

Piña Valdez. 

Juan Cotera has done extensive 

pro-bono work as an Architect here 

in Austin since 1961 on behalf of 

the Latino community. A passionate 

humanist, Cotera believes in every 

individual’s right to experience 

architecture in its finest expression, 

and has worked for five decades to 

elevate people and place, 

regardless of their resources, to this 

ideal. 

His volunteer services in 

facilities planning have benefited 

the Austin Symphony, Austin Lyric 

Opera, Mexic Arte Museum, La 

Pena Gallery, Santa Cruz Theater 

and the Mexican American 

Cultural Arts Center. 

Juan Cotera’s list of 

accomplishments, awards and 

acknowledgments are numerous. 

His work has bettered the lives of 

countless people and their 

communities in Austin and South 

Texas with special dedication and 

love for the most vulnerable. 

Mario Juarez Cruz 

Born on July 22, 1940 in San 

Angelo, Texas 

After completing his Master’s 

Degree in Guidance and 

Counseling from Texas Tech, Mario 

Cruz noticed that education had 

made him a changed person. He 

was more political, vocal and 

radical. 

In 1971, Mario was hired by the 

Austin Independent School 

District to become the first Hispanic 

School Counselor for the district. 

His first assignment was Johnston 

High School which had a 

predominantly Chicano student 

body at the time. 

As a community leader and 

school counselor, Mr. Cruz became 

involved with a small group of local 

Brown Beret members. Working 

together with other teachers, 

students, parents and community 

activists, Johnston High 

administration were petitioned to 

include Chicano History in all Social 

Studies classes and to annually 

celebrate Chicano culture and 

achievements. 

From 1971 to the present time, 

Mr. Cruz has worked tirelessly to 

make this community a better place 

to live and to ensure that students 

regardless of whatever ethnicity and 

culture are given an opportunity to 

be equal. On May 2002, Mario Cruz 

retired from Austin Independent 

School 

Dr. Alberto Gonzalo Garcia 

Born in Zacatecas, Mexico on 

February 11, 1889 Died September 

22, 1962 in Austin, Texas 

In 1898, Alberto Garcia and his 

sister, Isabel came to the United 

States and were placed in the 

Haskell Home, an orphan asylum 

and boarding school. In 1903, 

Alberto went to live in the home of 

Dr. John Hervey Kellogg in Battle 

Creek, Michigan. On June 27, 1906, 

he received a diploma from Battle 

Creek College and on June 14, 

1910, he graduated from the 

American Medical Missionary 

College in Battle Creek with a 

doctor of medicine degree. 

He received his second M.D. 

degree from the Tulane University 

Medical School in New Orleans in 

1914. He returned to Mexico but 

after a short stay, he permanently 

settled in Austin in 1915 where he 

became the first Mexican American 

to set up medical practice. He 

attended classes at the University 

of Texas School of Journalism, 

and in 1920-1921, he and his wife 

published La Vanguardia, one of 

Austin’s first Spanish-language 

newspapers which was used to 

discuss the social and political 

concerns of Mexican Americans and 

to encourage them to participate in 

local affairs. 

In 1921, after becoming a 

naturalized citizen, he encouraged 

others to acquire citizenship and 

exercise the right to vote. He helped 

establish Obreros Mexicanos, a 

workers’ group and the local chapter 

of the Comisión Honorífícas 

Mexicanas, which represented 

Mexican nationals in the United 

States. 

Dr. Garcia was active in Austin’s 

civic affairs. He became a leader in 

the efforts to improve Brackenridge 

Hospital, where he was a staff 

member. He supported the building 

of the Austin Public Library and 

advocated better educational 

opportunities for Mexican 

Americans. He was also active on 

behalf of the American Red Cross. 

He was an honorary staff member 

at Holy Cross Hospital and a 

member of the American Medical 

Association, the Travis County 

Medical Association and the 

Texas Medical Association. 

TOM GUEDA, Sr. 

Born on June 10, 1904 in Mexico 

Deceased July 4, 1989 in Austin, TX 

Tom Gueda, Sr. spent much of 

his early childhood in Dallas, TX. 

Through difficult financial struggles, 

Gueda attended school up to junior 

high. While in Dallas, he got work 

as a dental technician, married his 

wife and had 4 sons all before 

moving to Austin in 1941. He worked 

for Dr. C.H. Roper and later for Dr. 

Hightower for several years while 

living downtown on West 5 th Street. 

In 1950, he moved his family to 

South Austin and left the dental 

industry to open a grocery chain. In 

1950 he first co-owned Gueda’s 

Store at East 1 st and Monroe 

Streets, and by 1951, he had bought 

out his partner. In 1957, he opened 

another Gueda’s on the 1500 block 

of S. 1 st street, and then in 1962 

another at 1471 S. 1 st street. Gueda 

was a kind and friendly community 

store owner; he allowed customer’s 

to buy on credit and make payments 

as they could afford to in order to 

feed their families. 

He was remembered also for 

raising and selling bunny rabbits to 

young children at Easter time each 

year. He brought the young 

community together on weekends 

when each Saturday night he 

showed rented movies on the back 

wall of his store in order to keep 

young kids off the streets. 

Gueda is most known for his 

involvement in establishing the Pan 

American Golf Association in 

1957, the first Hispanic golf 

association in Austin. He was 

elected president of the Austin 

chapter and today the club boasts 

a clubhouse and large enrollment: 

from the opening day’s 10 member 

enrollment to today’s at over 4,000. 

In 1955, he also managed the first 

Hispanic semi-professional 

baseball team in Austin, The 

Aztecs, and they were the first 

Hispanic team to play at Zaragosa 

Park where they played for many 

years. 

He was also highly recognized for 

his work as an active donator and 

community volunteer with the 

Capital Area Food Bank. In 1960, 

he was awarded by the East Austin 

Lion’s Club, and in 1979 & 1985 

was given certificates of 

appreciation by the Retired Senior 

Volunteer Program. He has a 

sterling record of community 

development and involvement that 

lasted his entire able-bodied life. 

Continued on page 12

Page # 10 La Voz de Austin October, 2010 

HopeFest ’10 

FESTIVAL DE 

ESPERANZA 

www.hopefestaustin.org 

Reagan High School 

Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010 

9:30 am - 3 pm 

A Family Festival / Un Festival Para La Familia 

•Dental and Health Screenings 

•Immunizations 

•Medical Insurance Help 

•Education Fair 

•Employment Assistance 

•Children’s Clothing 

•Free Children’s Books 

•Live Music 

•Games for Kids, Food 

FREE / GRATIS 

•Chequeos Dentales y de la Salud 

•Vacunas 

•Ayuda con el Seguro Médico 

•Feria de Educacíon 

•Ayuda para Conseguir Trabajo 

•Ropa de Niños 

•Pañales y Libros para Niños 

•Musica en Vivo 

•Juegos para los Niños, Comida 

For Information, Call / Para Más Información, llame al 653-4935 or e-mail hopefest@austin.rr.com 

St. John Community 

School Alliance 

Sponsored By Local Churches and Community Groups, with help from 

ABBA 

Austin Association of 

Health Underwriters 

Partners in Hope 

Amaya’s 

The bell rang, everyone rushed out the 

classroom including me. It was a sunny Friday and 

school was over. All I wanted to do is go home lay 

down and watch TV. I walked a little slow that day 

because I had my new sneakers on and I wanted 

to keep them clean. Unfortunately, I walked too 

slow and realized my bus was long gone on the 

way to freedom, I’m stuck at school. “What a good 

way to start my weekend,” I told myself. In order 

for me to get home I had to take three city buses 

and wait fifteen minutes for each bus. 

I started walking to the first bus stop. As I was 

walking I tripped over the sidewalk and scuffed my 

new shoes, exactly what I was trying to avoid. An old man was sitting on the bench. I 

walked up and sat down. “Good day huh?” He asked me. I nodded my head yes and 

thought about how long it was going to take to get home. “Nice kicks.” He added “Thanks” 

I replied. I looked down at his, they looked like he had walked through a forest, a swamp, 

and a white gravel trail. He smelled like it too. I assumed he was homeless, at the same 

time he assumed I was having a bad day. 

“Having a bad day?” He asked “Yea” I responded “We all have ‘em” He told me “I 

remember when I was your age…” He hesitated. “How old are you?” he asked me. 

“Sixteen.” I told him 

What I learned from a 

man on the street 

by Franco Martinez 

He looked away and smiled with an old tired smile. I could see his wrinkles under his 

long, gray wiry beard and mustache. We talked for a while; he told me his name was 

Guy. He told me that his wife and kids had left him after he came back from Vietnam 

because he had random breakdowns. I could tell how much he cared for and missed 

them by the sudden change of tone. He quickly opened up to me like a grandson or 

family friend. I was just a random boy waiting at the bus stop. He told me that he just sits 

on that bus stop and just reminisces about “Back in the day”. How everything was perfect 

before he had gotten drafted. 

That day I learned that you need to be positive 

to make it through life. Even when it sucks you up, 

chews on you, and spits you out. You need to be 

grateful it didn’t eat you. I also learned that each 

and every person on this world has a story to tell. 

Therefore, I no longer have the “wall” up that 

prevents me from talking to a stranger. Because 

it’s simply impossible make friends if you don’t talk 

to them. 

This event changed the way I look at people. I 

wish that one day everyone sees things the way I 

do and breaks down those “walls”. It makes me 

want to talk to everyone but some people still have 

that “wall” up and don’t wish to connect with other 

people. Because at the end of your life it’s not about 

what you did it’s who you knew and who you 

affected. 

Political advertisement paid for the Dr. Donna Campbell for U.S. Congress Committee 

Franco Martinez is a senior at 

Travis High School in Austin, Texas


Page # 11 

“Unidos tenemos el poder” 

Paid Pol. Ad. by the Amalia Rodriguez-Mendoza Campaign




DR. GONZALO GARZA 

Born on January 10, 1927 in New 

Braunfels, Texas 

Dr. Gonzalo Garza, today known 

as the Horatio Alger of education, 

once spoke of his upbringing and 

first days at school: “Anglos 

sometimes tell me how they 

overcame poverty. I tell them they 

at least were on first base. I had two 

strikes against me before I got to 

bat. I was the son of migrant 

farmers, and Mexicans weren’t 

supposed to educated.” 

His schooling did not begin until 

the age of ten when he attended the 

Schumannsville Mexican School. 

It was here that he first learned to 

speak English. Though starting late, 

he learned fast, and in his first seven 

years of schooling— despite 

changing schools eleven times—he 

managed to skip two grade levels. 

In 1944, Garza enlisted in the 

United States Marine Corps and 

served the next three years in the 

South Pacific. Once discharged he 

attended Del Mar Junior College 

in Corpus Christi for two years 

while supporting himself as a hotel 

pantryman. From Del Mar he moved 

on to St. Mary’s University in San 

Antonio and was pursuing a history 

degree when he was once again 

called back to the Marine Corps to 

serve in the Korean War. 

Once again, Garza served with 

impressive soldierly ability and 

earned a Bronze Star for saving the 

life of a fellow soldier under heavy 

enemy fire. Upon his return from 

Korea, he finished his bachelor’s 

degree in history and went on to 

pursue a Master’s in Education 

from Our Lady of the Lake 

University. 

During his final year of his 

Master’s education in 1953, started 

teaching sixth graders at 

Edgewood ISD in San Antonio. In 

1970 he was hired as the Area V 

superintendent for the Houston 

Independent School District. In 

1976, he had managed to fit in a 

Doctoral degree in Education from 

the University of Texas. Later he 

became superintendents in both 

San Marcos, once again the first 

Hispanic to hold such a position 

within the District, and Eagle Pass 

ISDs. In 1982 he returned to Austin 

to serve as Associate 

Superintendent for AISD and in 

1990 served for two years as Acting, 

Interim Superintendent before finally 

retiring in 1992. 

In 1998 a new high school was 

given his name, Gonzalo Garza 

Independence High School. 

Independence High practices 

methods inspired by Garza’s 

methods: giving students the 

schooling as well as real life training 

to achieve independence and 

confidence in the world beyond the 

halls of education. 

Jorge Guerra 

Born in Nuevo León, Mexico in 

1932, Jorge Guerra attended 

elementary school before spending 

three years studying bookkeeping 

and stenography at a business 

school in Monterey, La Academia 

Mercantil de Monterrey. 

After graduating he moved to 

Reynosa to work in a restaurant 

owned by his uncle. In 1953, he 

went to Philadelphia to work for 

another uncle as a busboy, and 

learned English by taking night 

classes. 

Shortly thereafter, he enlisted in 

the Marine Corps beginning an 

eleven year term in military service. 

After three years he was honorably 

discharged and reenlisted this time 

into the Air Force. He served in 

active duty for the Air Force for the 

next 8 years doing work in 

communications and electronics. 

While stationed in Austin he and his 

wife Ninfa opened El Azteca 

Restaurant. 

Guerra began his work in the 

community when he joined the 

American GI Forum. He then 

joined the League of United Latin 

American Citizens and once 

served as the President of the 

Govalle Elementary PTA. His 

community service went beyond just 

being a member, he took an active 

role and became a leader in efforts 

to improve conditions for the 

Mexican American community in 

East Austin. In 1968, he was the 

spokesperson for the Govalle 

Community when they petitioned 

the city for structural neighborhood 

improvements such as paving 

streets, improving drainage ducts to 

prevent repeated flooding of Boggy 

Creek. “It is time for the community 

to decide its own fate, not for others 

to do so for us,” he stated to 

reporters and City Council members 

alike. 

He has won awards from the 

American GI Forum, the Human 

Opportunities Corporation of 

Travis County and AISD for his 

work in 1983 to pass several school 

bond initiatives. Community 

members have often encouraged 

and offered to financial support his 

run for city council, to which Guerra 

declines and casually responds, “I 

want nothing more than to work with 

just causes for the betterment of 

humanity as my health, economy 

and time allow.” 

Roy Lozano 

Born on February 22, 1954 in 

Alice, TX Deceased: Mar 4, 1994 

Buried at Assumption Cemetery in 

Austin, TX 

A second generation Mexican 

American, Roy Lozano was born in 

1954 in Alice, TX. Growing up, he 

spent his summers in Mexico 

watching his father play baseball, 

but of particular interest to him in 

childhood was Mexican music and 

dance. 

He began formally studying 

folklorico dance at the age of 15. In 

1975, he enrolled at the University 

of Texas to study biology and 

dance. As a freshman he cofounded 

the UT Ballet Folklorico 

student group. While a student in 

1977, he attended the performance 

of a troupe from Mexico City 

directed by the famous Amalia 

Hernandez. 

The story goes that after the show 

Lozano snuck backstage and 

fearlessly asked Hernandez for an 

audition. Impressed by his 

undaunted charisma, she approved 

his request and he was soon in 

Mexico City as one of her principal 

dancers. He stayed with the Ballet 

Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia 

Hernandez until 1981. 

In 1982 he returned to Austin, 

this time with the ambition of starting 

up his own dance company. He 

worked for months as a waiter to 

finance the studio costs and the 

company’s wardrobe, for which he 

paid in cash from tips and savings. 

From 1982-1994 he realized his 

dream by serving as Artistic Director 

of Roy Lozano’s Ballet Folklorico 

de Texas. Classes began at Allan 

Elementary School in East Austin, 

but soon the company was training 

in their own studio. His company 

was a startling success. To keep the 

company innovative and disciplined, 

Lozano returned every year to 

Mexico to study new dance styles, 

forms and history in order to 

cultivate all aspects of the dance for 

himself and his students. The troupe 

brought Mexican folk culture to all 

of Austin and taught to as many 

community members as possible. 

By 1985 he was offering children’s 

classes and later a performance 

class for adults. 

In 1988, the company performed 

for the first time during the Fiesta 

festival at the Paramount Theater 

in downtown Austin. In May of 

1990, Lozano’s company was 

invited to perform during an historic 

visit by Her Majesty Queen 

Elizabeth at a reception at the state 

capitol building. 

On August 22, 1992, Mayor 

Bruce Todd declared a city holiday: 

Roy Lozano’s Ballet Folklorico De 

Texas Day. In 1993, the company 

celebrated its Tenth Anniversary at 

the Zilker Hillside Theater and 

continues to perform there every 

summer. 

Tragically, just after his fortieth 

birthday, Roy Lozano passed away 

due to AIDS-related pneumonia.


Page 13 



Fuentes, Santos (Sandy) 

Santos “Sandy” Acosta 

Fuentes was born on April 21, 

1916, in Buda, Texas and died on 

Oct. 19, 2001, Austin 

Fuentes opened the 1 st beauty 

shop for Mexican American women 

in Austin, Texas in 1942. After 

working as a beautician at Lorraine 

and Hage Beauty Shops, Fuentes 

opened Sandy’s Beauty Shop on 

E. 7 th St., becoming one of the first 

Mexican American woman business 

owners in Austin. She eventually 

came to own 2 locations. In 1944, 

Sandy met Toby Fuentes, a sailor, 

through her friend Lorraine 

Camacho, and after a whirlwind 

romance, they married shortly 

before Toby shipped off to war. They 

were married for 56 years and had 

5 children. As a business owner, 

Fuentes served as a role model to 

Mexican American women. She 

hired, trained, and mentored young 

women in the beauty business and 

helped many go on to start 

businesses of their own. Fuentes 

ran Sandy’s Beauty Shop until 

1979. 

Manuel “Cowboy” Donley 

Manuel “Cowboy” Donley was 

born in Durango, Mexico on July 

26 in 1927. His father, Ramon 

Donley, had been a violinist in the 

Durango orquestra, and continued 

to play to support the family when 

they moved to Austin. Ramon 

made a living walking from their 

home on South Congress and 

Slaughter all the way to Second 

Street and Colorado, the 

entertainment district of the time, to 

play with a small string group at any 

venue that would hire them. 

Manuel Donley attended school 

up to the junior high level. During 

his studies, he always had a creative 

outlet through drawing and painting 

cartoons. He was even hired to paint 

small crafts and “knickknacks” for 

one of his teachers, and while 

working at her house one day he 

heard a beautiful guitar playing on 

the radio. From there, Donley says, 

“I didn’t want to see another brush,” 

and he quit school to get a job 

washing dishes to afford his first 

guitar. 

Manuel is a self-taught musician. 

He learned guitar by “sitting in 

alleyways late at night playing with 

old guys.” When his father finally 

bought his barbershop, it became 

the venue for late night jam and 

practice sessions with his brother 

Ramon, Jr. By the age of 17, 

Manuel was playing seven nights a 

week in the Dueto Juarez. By 21, 

in 1949, he had joined a large group 

of musicians called Los 

Heartbreakers. The band consisted 

of a classically trained stand-up 

bass player, drummer, maraca 

player, two saxes, and Manuel on 

the requinto guitar. 

The band achieved local 

success, and even played at the 

Varsity Grill on the Drag, which was 

a rarity for a Mexican band at the 

time. It was a primarily instrumental 

band until one night Donley sang 

“La Mucura,” which became an 

immediate hit. Donley laughs as he 

remembers, “I didn’t want to sing. 

My bag was guitar. But when I 

started to sing, they wouldn’t leave 

me alone.” 

From there the group started 

covering songs by George 

Gershwin, Xavier Cugat, and 

Carmen Miranda. It was during his 

early years with Los Heartbreakers 

that Donley began experimenting 

with orquestra-rock-and-roll fusion. 

It worked! The band became the first 

Mexican-American band to play 

rock & roll and rhythm & blues in 

Austin 

Inspired by his experience with 

Los Heartbreakers, Donley 

continued to push the limit of the 

fusion of rock & roll and orquestra 

sounds, no longer content to cover 

songs and emulate what had been 

done before. Donley wanted to 

create new music. In 1955, Donley 

formed his own 6-man band, Las 

Estrellas. As band leader, he began 

to compose music combining 

classic orquestra base and tempo 

while mixing complex rock n’roll and 

blues riffs on his guitar and other 

instruments in the band. 

To accomplish this, Donley had to 

learn not only to read and write 

music, but to understand the sounds 

and capabilities of all instruments in 

his band. Reading music was also 

requirement for all members of Las 

Estrellas. Donley described a snap 

shot of his sheet music as looking 

like “a bunch of grapes.” Such 

complex musical composition from 

a self-taught musician and 

composer attests to Donley’s 

brilliant appreciation for and 

dominion over his craft. 

Another signature of Donley’s 

was his front and centered stance 

on stage amid the orquestra, 

earning him the nickname “Cowboy” 

for his emulating popular country 

guitarists of the time like Elvis 

Presley and Johnny Cash. It was 

a notable and important departure 

from the typical orquestra 

arrangement, says Isidro Lopez, 

once a musician himself and 

longtime radio deejay, “You cannot 

underestimate what that did. That 

performance style made it more 

loose, made Las Estrellas more 

accessible to the public. It also 

helped break the stereotype of 

orquestra music being rigid. You 

have to remember, we were all 

working people, blue collar workers 

so it was a question of attitude and 

perception. Manuel and others 

before him took the best of both 

worlds: the sophistication of 

orquestra and the enthusiasm of 

conjunto. The result is Tejano.” 

By this and several other 

accounts, Donley has been 

acknowledged as the “Godfather of 

Tejano Music.” Donley played with 

and mentored countless locally and 

nationally known artists who went on 

to lucrative and successful careers 

in music. Long time friend, Leon 

Hernandez remembers that, “there 

would be a lot of musicians that 

Manuel would bring in, break them 

in, and then they’d go play with other 

groups or start their own bands.” 

Through the 60s he kept the 

group relevant by adding slower 

ballads than their traditional fastbased 

Tejano style. Las Estrellas 

were asked to perform at the 

Smithsonian Institute for the 

National Bicentennial 

Celebration. Donley was even 

asked to write arrangements for 

several movies including the 

Remember the Alamo! (1954), Os 

Imigrantes (1971), and more 

recently Los Mineros (1991). 

Donley describes what it felt like 

during the days at the peak of his 

career from the 50s to early 70s, 

“We were hotter than a 

firecracker…Hotter than hell.” 

By the 1970s, however, Tejano 

nearly evaporated due to a complex 

set of reasons, according to Donley: 

the rising popularity of easy listening 

music, the gas crisis that kept fans 

from driving long distances to hear 

the music, the low number of radio 

stations and labels willing to record 

and play Tejano, venues requiring 

smaller bands or a single DJ, the 

rise of synthesizers, all resulting in 

the low demand for a large 

orquestra. 

By the time Tejano had its rebirth, 

Donley was already in his 50s, and 

the style had already changed 

dramatically. He still wishes for more 

Big-band style Tejano bands. Even 

those that are willing to cover his 

music often simplify his riffs or cut 

out sections altogether for lack of 

enough musicians. 

Despite the near disappearance 

of Tejano music and the break-up 

of Las Estrellas, Donley remained 

a true musician. He continued to 

teach and mentor the coming 

generation of musicians by 

teaching for many years in the Music 

Department at Huston-Tillotson 

University. 

In 1986 he was inducted into the 

Tejano Music Hall of Fame at the 

Henry B. Gonzales Convention 

Center in San Antonio. His past 

compositions inspired up-andcoming 

successful musicians like 

Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey. In 

the late 90s he cut a new album with 

Las Estrellas with La Plaga 

Productions called Adios Chiquito, 

Exitos de Ayer y Hoy. The band was 

then invited to play at the first event 

for Austin’s Mexican American 

Culture Center in 2007. Donley is 

not only an inductee of the Austin 

Latino Music Association (ALMA) 

but he was included in the historic 

Trail of Tejano Legends.




Duran, Fidencio 

Fidencio Duran was born in 

Lockhart, Texas on July 31st 1961 

and is a painter, mural artist, and art 

educator whose work has been 

recognized nationally. 

As a teenager he was inspired to 

pursue a career in art through the 

Arts in Education program at 

Lockhart High School. He 

completed a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts 

from UT in 1984 and opened a 

studio in Austin. He has exhibited 

his paintings at many museums and 

galleries across the county, but he 

has a special connection to Mexic- 

Arte Museum where he is a regular 

exhibitor as well as a partner in 

many art education programs. 

Perhaps stemming from his own 

inspiration, Duran is an ardent 

supporter of arts education and 

worked for the Arts in Education 

program as an artist in residence in 

numerous Texas cities for more 

than a dozen years. He is perhaps 

best known for his mural work, 

completing murals in Lockhart 

(Lockhart Mural), Brownsville (La 

Esperanza), and Austin 

(Zaragosa), among others, and he 

almost always involves students 

from the area in his mural projects. 

For most of his paintings, Duran 

likes to depict everyday scenes in 

vivid colors with cartoonish figures, 

usually acrylic on canvas. He draws 

from the fantastic to his own life for 

his inspiration. His work has 

received numerous awards, 

including the Dallas Museum of 

Art’s Clare Hart Degolyer 

Memorial Fund Award (1983), the 

Juror’s Choice Award at AVAA’s 

Splash! (1986), and the City of 

Austin’s Cultural Arts Award 

(1988). 

Moreno, Gloria 

Gloria Gutierrez Moreno was 

born in Taylor, Texas in 1931. She 

graduated from Austin High 

School in 1948; married Antonio 

(Tony) Moreno in 1950 and had 2 

children. In 1963, she reenrolled at 

UT, graduating in 1969 with a BA in 

elementary education., and later 

received a Master of Education and 

certification in counseling and 

guidance from Southwest Texas 

State in 1974. She was a member 

of Phi Lambda Theta, a 

professional and honorary 

education society for women. 

In 1969 she began a 25 year 

career as a teacher and counselor 

in AISD, working at Casis, 

Blackshear, Becker, Sanchez, and 

Palm Elementary Schools and 

Burnet Middle School. During the 

early years of her career, she was 

working during the court-ordered 

desegregation of Austin schools, 

being one of the “white” teachers 

assigned to black elementary 

schools. She took a special interest 

in working to improve the education 

system for minority students. She 

implemented a test-taking skills 

program that is still in use is some 

East Austin schools and 

coordinated workshops on 

classroom management, crisis 

management, learning disabilities, 

and campus parental involvement. 

She also coordinated a pilot 

program for after-school care at 

Becker Elementary that was the 

foundation for the Extend-a-Care 

program that now serves Austin, 

Del Valle, and Hays ISDs. For her 

efforts, she was inducted into the 

AISD Alumni Hall of Fame in 2006. 

Salinas, Raul 

“raulsalines,” was born on March 

17, 1934 and passed away on 

February 13, 2008. He was pioneer 

of Chicano pinto poetry, making 

poetry an integral part of the 

Chicano movement. 

He published many books of his 

poetry and writings: Viaje/Trip 

(1973), Un Trip Through the Mind 

Jail y Otras Excursions: Poems 

(1980), East of the Freeway: 

Reflections de me Pueblo: Poems 

(1988), Raulsalinas and the Jail 

Machine: My Weapon is My Pen: 

Selected Writings (2006), and Indio 

Trails: A Xicano Odyssey Through 

Indian Country (2006). He also 

served as editor of Aztlan de 

Leavenworth and New Era 

magazines and created a poem 

compilation recited on CD, with 

music, in Beyond the Beaten Path 

(2002). 

Salinas grew up in Austin until 

he was 17, when an ultimatum from 

the juvenile court led him to leave 

town. He moved to Los Angeles 

and became fully ingratiated in the 

hipster or pachuco lifestyle. An 

arrest for marijuana possession led 

to his first stint in prison, a stay at 

the Soledad State Penitentiary in 

California. In all, Salinas would 

spend nearly 12 years in prison, 

serving time in Huntsville, Texas, 

Leavenworth, Kansas, and 

Marion, Illinois. 

His time in prison mirrored a time 

of an active social justice movement 

happening in and out of prisons 

across the country – race relations, 

war, the farm workers movement, 

the Chicano movement, and Native 

American movements.. It was his 

time in prison where Salinas 

developed intellectually, politically, 

and spiritually, growing his skills as 

a writer and using those skills to 

move from being a social rebel to a 

committed activist for social and 

political justice. 

After leaving prison, Salinas 

settled in Seattle, Washington, 

where he continued his writing and 

activism. He worked with El Centro 

de la Raza, a civil rights and social 

services agency. He also became 

involved with the Payallup-Nisqually 

tribes, and the American Indian 

Movement, fighting for Native 

American fishing rights and other 

causes. 

In 1980, Salinas returned to his 

hometown. He worked as an 

instructor in English and 

communications for UT and St. 

Edwards University. He also 

opened Resistencia Bookstore/ 

Casa de Red Salmon Press in 

1983. For Salinas, Resistencia 

was more than a bookstore, but a 

“resource center, cultural oasis, 

community center for solidarity 

work, [and] a center of resistance” 

His work has garnered many 

awards and accolades. In 2002, La 

Causa and the Dark Souls 

Collective (Amherst College, MA) 

awarded Salinas with the Louis 

Reyes Rivera Lifetime 

Achievement Award. In 2004, the 

National Association of Latino 

Arts and Culture awarded him a 

Lifetime Achievement Award. In 

2006, he received the Veterano 

Writer Award from Con Tinta, a 

coalition of Chicano/a Latino/a 

writers. 

Gloria Mata Pennington 

Gloria Mata was born in 

Galveston, Texas on January 17, 

1938. She married Mel Pennington 

in 1958. In 1965 Gloria and her 

husband Mel moved to Austin. She 

volunteered with the AISD, serving 

as President of Gullett Elementary 

PTA. Later she became a member 

of City Council of PTAs. 

She participated in political 

campaigns for John Trevino, 

Richard Moya, and Gonzalo 

Barrientos. In 1972 Mrs. 

Pennington worked in the Texas 

McGovern campaign, where she 

met Bill Clinton. 

She joined the Travis County 

Democratic Women’s 

Organization where she became a 

known expert in issues on the 

elderly. She went on the air on 

Channel 36, as the host of “Senior 

Forum”, becoming the first Hispanic 

woman on Austin television; the 

program ran for 23 years. In 1995, 

she was appointed to represent the 

congressional district at the White 

House Conference on aging.


Page 15 



Rodolfo Mendez Gilberto Cortez Rivera 

Valentino Luna John N. Vasquez Fidel Estrada 

Rodolfo Mendez was born 

on October 27, 1944 and grew up 

in East Austin. He went to 

Guadalupe Parochial school, 

where he became first interested in 

Spanish dances. At the age of 15, 

he became serious about learning 

to dance and went to the Pan 

American Recreation Center. He 

learned flamenco with teachers from 

Laredo and studied at the Austin 

Civic Ballet. 

As a senior at Johnson High 

School, he won first place with his 

flamenco dance in the state 

Distributive Education talent 

competition. He later joined the 

Peace Corps theater group and 

went to teach ballet in Costa Rica 

and Chile. Mendez received a 

Fulbright Scholarship to study 

Flamenco dance and culture in 

Spain. He worked for City of Austin 

Parks and Recreation department 

as a program specialist from June 

1978 to July 2000. He is the founder 

of Ballet East Dance Theater, 

where he has choreographed over 

40 original works and implemented 

the “Preservation of Texas 

Choreography” series. 

Gilberto Rivera was born on 

October 4, 1947 in Austin, Texas. 

He graduated from Johnston High 

School and received his Graduate 

Degree in social work from the 

University of Washington. 

Gilberto’s parents worked as 

farm workers, migrating to western 

Michigan each summer. Growing 

up in poverty and working in the 

fields taught him life lessons at a 

very early age. One of his first jobs 

was working for the Travis County 

Mental Health and Mental 

Retardation Department. While at 

TCMHMR, he observed the way 

Chicano youth were being treated. 

From his experience, he has 

become a voice and an activist for 

the community that he is proud to 

call home. 

In 1974, Gilberto founded the 

Austin Chapter of the Brown 

Berets as a way to promote social 

justice and defend barrio residents 

from harassment and 

discrimination, in particular from the 

local police force. He also served 

as President of the League of 

United Chicano Artists (LUChA), 

a group dedicated to promoting the 

artists of the barrio and their works 

of art. 

In 1983, as a producer and 

Community Liaison for Austin 

Community Television, he 

produced two local documentaries: 

“We Will Always Be Here” and “The 

Day The Klan Marched.” 

Valentino Luna started boxing at 

age 16. After only 2 bouts, he 

entered his first Golden Gloves 

state tournament in Fort Worth in 

1947, becoming the state champion 

in the bantam division. 

In 1949, he won the state 

tournament again, this time in the 

featherweight division. He nearly 

won the national title that same year, 

losing in a hard fight in the 5 th round. 

After his second state Golden 

Gloves title, Luna turned pro, joining 

a club in New Orleans. 

He retired with a career record of 

21-2 as a professional boxer. He 

was a hard hitting southpaw with a 

strong counterpunch. He has a long 

reach that gives him an advantage 

over many fighters in his weightclass, 

and his victories were often 

called “Valentine’s massacres.” 

Following his brief career as a 

pro boxer, he began coaching 

boxing, becoming a regular at the 

South Austin Recreation Center. 

In 1983, Austin boxers voted Luna 

the best boxer to ever come out of 

Austin. He passed away in 2008. 

John N. Vasquez was born on 

August 16, 1937 in Austin, Texas. 

In 1961, Vasquez applied for a 

police cadet position with the Austin 

Police Department but was turned 

down because APD claimed he was 

too small. He appealed the decision 

an became only the 4 th Hispanic on 

the APD force, and his appeal set 

the tenor for a career in law 

enforcement where Vasquez 

challenged the status quo. 

In 1966, he took the promotional 

exam for sergeant and passed with 

the 2 nd highest score and became 

the first Hispanic sergeant in Austin 

Police Department. He again 

bucked the system when he 

received the top score in the 

lieutenant’s exam in 1971. 

As a Lieutenant, he was assigned 

to the Recruiting Division where he 

worked tirelessly to create a more 

diverse police force. In 1979, he 

became the first APD police captain 

and headed the Criminal 

Investigations Bureau. Vasquez 

retired from APD in 1989 and was 

recognized by many community 

groups for integrating APD for 

Hispanic officers. After his 

retirement, he worked as a private 

investigator. He was also one of a 

few retired officers who petitioned 

the city for more citizen oversight of 

police internal affairs investigations, 

which let to the creation of the Office 

of the Police Monitor and the 

Citizens Review Committee. 

Fidel Estrada was born on March 

26, 1936 and grew up in Austin, 

living in the Santa Rita projects with 

9 brothers and sisters. No stranger 

to hard work, Estrada got his first 

job shining shoes when he was 6 

years old. He also caddied at the 

Lions Municipal Golf Course. 

When he was 11, the Estrada 

family began traveling to Michigan, 

Indiana, and Ohio for seasonal 

farm work. In 1960, with a $200 loan 

from his mother, Estrada bought a 

closed laundry business and 

opened Estrada Cleaners on E. 

7th. 

Estrada had worked for Austin 

Cleaners for a number of years 

before deciding to start his own 

business. Estrada Cleaners got off 

to a slow start, and he almost 

decided to close. When he added a 

delivery and pickup service, 

however, his business took off. He 

quickly developed a strong and loyal 

customer base and turned Estrada 

Cleaners into one of the most 

successful East Austin businesses, 

eventually expanding to 3 locations 

(one called Majestic Cleaners). In 

1976, he added tuxedo rental to the 

list of services he offered. 

Estrada was very active in the 

East Austin community, and he 

used his stature as a successful 

business owner to champion 

causes that improved life for East 

Austin residents. He was involved 

with the Economy Furniture Store




strike in the 1970s and has been an 

active member of LULAC and the 

GI Forum. He has adopted Govalle 

and Brown Elementary Schools 

through AISD’s adopt-a-school 

program, providing support and 

assistance. He also served on the 

board of Parque Zaragosa, helping 

to plan annual Cinco do Mayo and 

Diez y Seis de Septiembre events. 

Estrada has been an active 

member of St. Julia’s Catholic 

Church, including serving as the 

Grand Knight of the local Knights 

of Columbus chapter. Other 

organizations he has worked with 

and supported through the years are 

the Human Relations Board, 

Human Opportunities Corp., the 

East Austin Lions Club, and the 

Texas Dry Cleaners Association. 

In addition to his civic duties, 

Estrada has been very active in 

politics. Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos 

once commented that any politician 

who wanted the support of Austin 

Hispanics had to get support from 

Estrada. 

Emma Galindo 

Emma Galindo received her 

Bachelor Degree from Baylor 

University in 1953 and her Master 

in Education from the University of 

Texas at Austin in 1976. She 

began her twenty-four years as a 

teacher and administrator with the 

Austin Independent School 

District in 1958 where she taught 

at Palm, Brooke, and Zavala 

elementary schools and later 

serving as Assistant Principal at 

This exhibit celebrates the lives of thirty-two Mexican Americans who have resided 

in Austin and Travis County and were the first to blaze a trail in their 

respective communities of the Arts, Business, Media, Education, Public Health, 

Humanities, Politics, Public Service and Sports. Sixty individuals were nominated 

by the Austin community at large in 2009. A selection committee comprised 

of five local representatives from educational, cultural, and historical 

areas of expertise then selected the Trailblazers according to criteria designed 

for selection purposes. We hope this exhibit will encourage preservation and 

documentation for future generations of the many legacies of countless others 

who also deserve to be identified as Mexican American Trailblazers. The names 

listed below have been selected as Mexican American Firsts: Trailblazers of 

Austin and Travis County. 

Govalle and St. Elmo. In the 

1960’s while at Zavala, she was one 

of the key figures in initiating the first 

Bilingual Education Program for 

AISD. 

Later, Galindo would become the 

district’s first Bilingual Education 

Instructional Coordinator. In 1985, 

Galindo Elementary was named in 

her honor for her dedication and 

commitment as a leader, teacher 

and administrator. She passed away 

in 1983. 

Richard Moya 

Richard Moya was the first Mexican 

American elected to the Travis 

County Commissioners Court, 

representing Precinct 4. He served 

four full terms, or sixteen years, as 

County Commissioner from 1970 

to 1986. 

Moya’s political career spanned 

over 20 years in county and state 

governments, serving in both 

elected and appointed positions. 

Moya served as a delegate to the 

National Democratic Convention 

in 1972 and served as one of three 

Deputy Chiefs of Staff in Governor 

Ann Richard’s administration from 

1991 to 1995. 

However, his role as a community 

leader covers an even broader span 

of time. Moya has served as 

treasurer of the Austin Aces 

Athletic Club, the Pan-Am 

Advisory Board, as well as the 

Capital Area Planning Council 

and the Century Club. He has 

remained active in national, state, 

and local politics. 

Ramon Galindo 

Ramon Galindo is a man of 

many talents. At a young age, he 

dreamed of becoming a trained 

magician. 80 years later, he has 

earned the respect of the magic 

world by being honored on 

September 12, 2009 by the Texas 

Association of Magicians. 

As a businessman, he earned 

the reputation as a master tailor and 

a civic leader within the Mexican 

American community. Upon his 

return to Austin after serving in 

World War II with the Army 571 st 

Anti-Aircraft Artillery, he opened 

his first tailoring business in 1948, 

Galindo the Tailor located in 

downtown Austin. 

In 1968, he moved his business 

to 12 th street and changed the name 

to Ace Custom Tailors. Some of his 

clients were Lyndon B. Johnson, 

Willie Nelson and countless others. 

Trained in radio and photography 

during his years in the military, 

Galindo decided to document the 

history of Austin and its people. It 

was his quest to find out where his 

grandparents were from that he 

developed a passion to document 

and preserve history. 

Eva Carrillo y 

Gallardo de Garcia 

Maria de los Angeles 

Guadalupe Eva Carrillo y Gallardo 

de Garcia was a missionary, nurse, 

social-welfare volunteer, civil-rights 

activist and mother. She received 

her nursing degrees from Bethany 

Hospital and the Chicago Training 

School for City, Home and 

Foreign Missions. 

After graduating, she worked as 

a nurse at the Battle Creek 

Sanitarium in Battle Creek, 

Michigan. In 1915, she and her 

husband Dr. Alberto G. Garcia 

moved to Austin, and in 1920 they 

published the first Spanishlanguage 

newspaper in Austin, La 

Vanguardia. 

An activist in her community, she 

worked tirelessly to assure that the 

Mexican American community 

participated in local affairs. She was 

a founding member and leader of 

the Ladies League of the United 

Latin American Citizens in Austin 

as well as a volunteer in healtheducation 

drives and the United 

Service Organization during World 

War II. 

She helped found the Emmanuel 

Methodist Church. Eva fought for 

desegregation in public places and 

better education within the Austin 

public school system for Mexican 

American students before passing 

away in 1979.




Margarita Simon 

Margarita Simon moved to Austin 

from Eagle Pass, Texas to be with 

her husband Henry Muñoz in 1942. 

She quickly became involved in civic 

and community affairs, making 

significant strides as a ground 

breaking Latina activist in Austin. 

In the 1940s, she published a 

weekly Spanish language 

newspaper El Democrata, which 

remained in publication until 1950. 

During the 1950s, she began her 

career as a Spanish language radio 

commentator throughout Central 

Texas and was labeled as la “Reyna 

de la Radio” (Queen of Spanish 

Radio). Her career as a radio 

commentator lasted for over fifty 

years. 

Simon was a firm believer in 

community involvement and was a 

founding member of the Austin 

League of United Latin American 

Citizens, the G.I. Forum and the 

Mexican American Business and 

Professional Women’s 

Association. Simon will always be 

remembered for her unselfish 

devotion to her community and in 

believing that “the beauty of her 

culture was something to share and 

instill in the minds of new 

generations yet to come.” Simon 

passed away in 2008. 

Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez 

Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez came 

to school at the University of Texas 

at Austin from Devine, Texas. She 

earned her Ph.D. in mass 

communication from the University 

of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 

(1998), master’s degree from the 

Columbia University Graduate 

School of Journalism (1977) and 

a bachelor’s degree in journalism 

from the University of Texas at 

Austin (1976). 

She has worked for the Boston 

Globe, WFAA-TV in Dallas and the 

Dallas Morning News. In 1998, she 

joined the University of Texas at 

Austin School of Journalism as 

an Assistant Professor, and in 1999 

she initiated the U.S. Latino & 

Latina World War II Oral History 

Project. 

In 2007, she gained national 

prominence after taking an active 

stand against filmmaker Ken Burns 

and the Public Broadcasting 

Service on the documentary “The 

War,” a film that excluded the 

participation of Latinos during World 

War II. Through her determination 

to preserving the Hispanic Legacy 

and her dedication to paving the way 

for future Latino journalist, Rivas- 

Rodriguez has received numerous 

awards and recognition. 

Gustavo L. Garcia 

Gus Garcia came from Laredo, 

Texas to attend the University of 

Texas at Austin. He received his 

B.B.A from UT in 1954 and decided 

to stay. He has had an active role 

in Austin politics and government 

since the 1960’s. 

In 1972, he became the first 

Mexican American to be elected to 

the Austin Independent School 

District Board of Trustees, serving 

as President of the AISD Board 

during his second term of office. 

From 1991 to 2000, he served as 

a City Council Member. In 

November 2001, he was elected to 

fill the vacated seat of then Mayor 

Kirk Watson, making him the first 

elected Mexican American to serve 

as Mayor. He served as Mayor until 

June 2003. The Recipient of 

numerous awards and recognition, 

Garcia has been recognized for his 

dedication to his community by the 

naming of the Gus Garcia 

Recreation Center in 2008 and the 

naming of Gus Garcia Middle 

School in 2007. 

John Trevino, Jr. 

In 1975, John Trevino, Jr., was 

the first Hispanic elected to the 

Austin City Council. He served 13 

years on the Council with twenty 

council colleagues, three city 

managers and more than ten 

thousand municipal employees 

before retiring after over twenty-five 

years of public service. 

On April 2, 1983, he received the 

highest number of votes, 59,905, of 

any elected council member in the 

history of Austin at that time. Also 

in 1983, he became the first 

Hispanic to serve as Austin’s mayor 

when, as Mayor Pro Tem, he served 

as acting mayor after Carol Keeton 

Rylander resigned for a state 

appointment. 

A leader in the International 

Sister Cities Program, he was the 

first Texan to serve as an 

International Vice President. June 

9, 1988 was proclaimed as John 

Trevino Day in Austin in recognition 

and appreciation of his many 

contributions and for many years of 

service to the Austin. 

Page 17 

Mexican American 

Sources 

The collections of the Austin 

History Center contain valuable 

material about Austin’s Mexican 

American communities that is 

useful to researchers coming to 

the Center to locate information 

about people, places, events, 

and the history of the Mexican 

and Mexican-American 

communities in Travis County 

and Austin, Texas. 

The Austin History Center 

launched a new project: 

“Mexican American Firsts: 

Trailblazers of Austin and Travis 

County Exhibit Project” 

celebrating Mexican Americans 

from Austin/Travis County. See 

the Project page for more 

information. 

The 78-page Mexican American 

bibliography created by Irene 

Gonzales in 2004 updates the 

1977 edition and reflects the 

addition of many materials to the 

Austin History Center based on 

the recommendations and 

donations of many generous 

individuals and support groups. 

The bibliography is arranged 

first by collection unit of the 

Austin History Center. Within 

each collection unit, items are 

then arranged in shelf-list order. 

Researchers also find the card 

catalog invaluable to their 

research. The Austin History 

Center’s card catalog 

supplements the online 

computer catalog by providing 

analytical entries to information 

in periodicals and other materials 

in addition to listing collection 

holdings by author, title, and 

subject. These entries, although 

indexing ended in the 1990s, 

lead to specific articles and other 

information in History Center.


Calendar of Events 

October 8th, 2010 - MUSIC FOR A GOOD CAUSA Austin Tejano Music Coalition Celebrates 

5th Anniversary - Raises Funds for Young Musicians Featuring Music by Ruben Ramos & the 

Mexican Revolution and Salaman - H & H Ballroom, $10 Pre-Sale, $12 at the Door Pre-sale 

Tickets at Turntable Records, Estrada’s Cleaners, Mike’s Formal Wear, & The Lincoln Salon 

Valinda Bolton is 

Advocating for Us 

October 9th, 2010 - Hopefest at Reagan High School in Austin, Texas from 9:30am to 3:00pm 

For more information please call (512) 450-1880 

October 11th, 2010 - “The Bracero Story: Stolen Wages and the Struggle of Mexican Guest 

Workers” 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM • Hackett Room (SRH 1.313), Sid Richardson Hall, The University 

of Texas at Austin. The Bracero Program spanned 22 years, 1.5 million guest workers, and 

5 million contracts, making it the largest binational labor agreement in world history. The program 

shaped U.S. agriculture and U.S. immigration policies for decades to come, and the government-sponsored 

wage theft suffered by the Braceros is a testament to the predatory potential 

of future guest worker programs. 

October 11th, 2010 - Movie Showing of the Economy Furniture Strike and Reception at the 

Emma Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center 600 River Street in Austin, Texas. Events 

starts at 7:00pm 

October 12, 2010 - 7:00 PM to 10 PM – 25 th Annual Dia de la Raza Celebration Please mark 

your calendar and come to our free event. Sponsorships have kept this event free for 25 years. 

The sponsor deadline is October 10th to get your name in the program, a special name tag, and 

a chance to speak after the Raza Awards presentation. Contact Tejano Dem Sabino Pio Renteria 

at 478-6770 for more information. 

October 13th, 2010 - Austin Tejano Democrat monthly meeting at 5:30pm at Casa Garcia on 

Lamar. Todos estan invitados. For more information please call Fred Cantu at (512) 698-4805 

October 14, 2010 - Alurista Tunaluna Texas Book Tour 2010 • 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM • Building 

8000 Multipurpose Room, Austin Community College (Eastview Campus), 3401 Webberville 

Road, Austin, Texas 

October 16th, 2010 - A.L.M.A. PRESENTS: SANTANA-RAMA 2010 Saturday, 10 PM to 1 AM 

Maria Maria Restaurant - 415 Colorado St. Featuring Live Music By: Jonas Alvarez Vitera An All 

Star Santana Tribute Band Special Guests: Frank Gomez (Frank Gomez Band) & Candice Sanders 

(CandiLand) Also Celebrating: Maria Maria Restaurant’s 2nd Anniversary ONLY $5 For more 

information, visit: www.AustinLatinoMusic.com 

October 17th, 2010 - Somos Fuerza - Support Red Salman Arts Projects: Save Our Youth 

(SOY) & the Ex-Pinta Support Alliance Featuring Music By Joel Guzman & Sarah Fox with Special 

Guest Tradizion & Poetry by Jorge Antonio Renaud - Sunday, October 17, 7 PM Jovita’s, 

1619 S. 1st St., $10 Presale, $12 at the Door 

Lowering property taxes and 

tackling appraisals 

Valinda is working to lower our property taxes and 

standardize appraisals. She will re-file her bill to triple 

the homestead exemption and will work to create 

standardization in the appraisal process so that your 

home isn’t arbitrarily appraised at $1000s more than 

your neighbor’s. 

Solving transportation problems 

Valinda helped to expand lanes on dangerous 

portions of Highway 71 and created a safe crossing on 

FM 1826 for children walking to and from school. 

She recently brought home an additional $5 million 

to get the "Y" at Oak Hill project back on track. 

Standing up for students and teachers 

Valinda voted to reform standardized testing in public 

schools and to increase teacher pay. She strongly 

opposes any efforts to increase class sizes and is 

working to hold the line on college tuition rates. 

Early Vote: Oct. 18 – Oct. 29 

Election Day: Tues., Nov. 2 

www.ValindaBolton.com 

October 17th, 2010 - Las Calacas 2010: A Día de los Muertos Event • 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM • 

Theatre (UNB 2.228), Texas Union, The University of Texas at Austin Grupo Flor y Canto is 

pleased to host “Las Calacas 2010: A Dia de los Muertos Event” Las Calacas 2010 will serve as 

not only as an event that educates and celebrates the tradition of Día de los Muertos, but as an 

outreach event to groups in the community that value transmitting the importance of celebrating 

and maintaining cultural heritage through dance, theater and other art forms 

October 26th, 2010 - 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM – East Austin Early Vote Pachanga Join Senators 

Barrientos and Shapleigh along with Grammy Winner Ruben Ramos at Parque Zaragoza and 

help turn out the East Side! Free barbecue, drinks, and live music!! 

November 5th, 2010 - “Latinos a Salvo” Enhancing Emergency Communication Strategies 

Mejorando las estrategias de comunicación durante situaciones de emergencia Central Texas 

Region Forum from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.; LBJ Student Center Texas State University—San Marcos 

Forum hosted by the Center for the Study of Latino Media & Markets. For more information call: 

(512) 757-4907


Page 19 

Renenacie 

Hope Fest


Su Voto es Su Voz 

“Quiero expresar mi 

agradecimiento por el 

apoyo y la confianza que 

me han dado al travez de 

los años” 

ES RARA LA VEZ QUE LA DISCRIMINACIÓN SEA TAN OBVIA COMO EN 

ESTE CASO, PERO ES IGUAL DE REAL E IGUAL DE ILEGAL. 

Si el casero es evasivo o te dice: 

“No aceptamos niños.” 

“Ya se rentó el apartamento sobre el que usted pidió informes por teléfono.” 

“Solamente aceptamos gente que hable bien el inglés.” 

“No aceptamos adolescentes.” 

“El anuncio está equivocado: la renta en realidad es $50 más.” 

“No le puedo asignar un lugar de estacionamiento para gente discapacitada.” 

ESO PODRÍA CONSTITUIR DISCRIMINACIÓN EN VIVIENDA. 

La única manera de detener la discriminación en cuestiones de vivienda es 

reportándola, para que la podamos investigar. 

512.474.1961 AUSTIN TENANTS’ COUNCIL housing-rights.org 

La Ley de Equidad de Vivienda prohíbe la discriminación basada en 

la raza, el color, la religión, la nacionalidad,el sexo, el tipo de familia, y discapacidad. 

El trabajo que facilita la base para esta publicación fue apoyada por fondas de una concesión por el Departamento de la Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano 

(HUD en ingles). Los resultados y substancia del trabajo están dedicado al public. El escritor y publicador estará solamente responsable por la exactitud 

 

“I want to express my 

appreciation for the 

support and confidence 

you have given me over 

the years” 

Be Sure and Vote on November 2, 2010 

Raúl Arturo González 

Justice of the Peace 

Precinct 4 - Travis County 

Paid Political Ad by the Raul Arturo Gonzalez Campaign 

Tim Sulack

La Voz de Austin October 2010abc.pmd - La Voz Newspapers

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