Americans
of Hispanic descent have made important and significant contributions
to the success and enrichment of our nation, state, and the University
of Houston Law Center. We are currently celebrating their
accomplishments, history, and culture during National Hispanic Heritage
Month — a 30-day period from September 15 to October 15. The observance
honors those whose ancestors came from Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico,
Dominican Republic, Spain, and Central and South America. President
Lyndon Johnson proclaimed a week-long observance in 1968 which was
expanded to the current period by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. The
date of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of
independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile
celebrate their independence days on September 16 and 18, respectively.
Also, October 12 is celebrated in many Spanish-speaking countries as Día
de la Raza. All these significant dates fall within this 30-day period.
Since
Tony Bonilla became the first Hispanic graduate of the UH Law Center in
1960, the percentage of Hispanic students, in recent entering classes,
has ranged from 15 percent to 23 percent.
This
year, I’d like to highlight one of our notable alumni who made history
in our state as the first Hispanic associate justice of the Texas
Supreme Court. Raul A. Gonzalez was the son of migrant workers who spent
his youth in the fields gathering vegetables and cotton. This
experience instilled in him the importance of education to advance his
circumstances. He enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin and
earned a B.A. in government in 1963. He earned his J.D. from the
University of Houston in 1966 and then went on to receive his LL.M. from
the University of Virginia.
Gonzalez’s
judicial career began as the presiding judge of the 103rd district
court of Texas, included serving as a justice on the Texas 13th Court of
Appeals, and wrapped up with fourteen years of dedicated time as a
justice on the Texas Supreme Court. His contributions to the legal
community have also involved time in both private practice and as an
assistant United States attorney.
Among
many other accolades and awards, Gonzalez was recognized as an
outstanding alumnus of the Law Center, and he has the distinct honor of
having an elementary school as his namesake in Weslaco, Texas. UHLC is
proud to have such impressive alumni serving our communities.
I would like to single out a few more notable examples here and then please take a moment to click through the slideshow
to see more about other Hispanic alumni who have made their mark at the
Law Center, in the judiciary, academia, the business world, the legal
profession, and society in general. Hispanics have played a major role
in the classrooms and administration of the Law Center, and alumni have
gone on to great success in courtrooms and boardrooms in Houston and
across the nation.
• | Tony Bonilla ’60: President, Bonilla & Chapa, P.C.; first Hispanic graduate |
• | Armando Rodriguez ’67: Retired, Justice of the Peace; first full-time Hispanic judge in Houston and Harris County (1973) |
• | Rosemary Saucillo Moreno ’65: Associate Judge for the Municipal Court Bench; first Hispanic woman judge in the City of Houston (1974) |
• | Raul A. Gonzalez, Jr. ’66:
First Hispanic Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court (1984);
first Hispanic law alumni to serve on the University of Houston Board of
Regents |
• | Fortunato Pedro "Pete" Benavides '72: Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; First Hispanic law alumni judge on the Fifth Circuit (1994) |
• | Dori Contreras ’90:
Chief Justice, Texas Thirteenth Court of Appeals; first woman to be
elected Chief Justice of the Texas Thirteenth Court of Appeals; second
Latina statewide to hold the office of Chief Justice |
• | Vilma Luna ’85: Attorney, HillCo Partners; first UHLC Hispanic woman alumni to serve in the Texas House of Representatives (1993-2006) |
• | Graciela Saenz ’86: First Hispanic woman elected at-large to Houston City Council |
• | Armando Walle ’14: Member, Texas House of Representatives, 2009-present |
• | Jorge Rangel: President, The Rangel Law Firm, P.C.; first Hispanic UHLC law professor (1975) |
• | J. Michael Solar ’80:
Founder and Managing Partner, The Law Offices of J. Michael Solar PLLC;
Founder/President, Hispanic Bar Association; former director of the
Federal Reserve Bank of Houston |
• | Doris Rodriguez ’80: Partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth; first Hispanic woman partner at a major Houston law firm |
• | Jacob "Jake" Monty ’93:
Managing Partner, Monty & Ramirez,LLP; Ranked fifth largest
immigration law firm in the Houston area in 2019 by Houston Business
Journal; Former UH System Board of Regents |
National
Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to focus on the great accomplishments
made and the successes yet to come for Hispanics at the Law Center, in
the City of Houston, in the State of Texas, and in the nation.
This
is but a start of the school’s project to collect stories and highlight
the accomplishments of all our graduates no matter their background. If
you know others who should be part of the slideshow, please let me
know.
