Originally published October 3, 2014
By Daniel Perez
UTEP News Service
In a small room in The University of Texas at El Paso’s Centennial Museum, away from the hundreds of revelers celebrating the University Partners Convocation, Ray Mancera’s voice cracked as he spoke about UTEP’s impact on him and his family.
Mancera had just received an award on behalf of the El Paso-chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) for its role in a statewide effort in the 1980s along with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund to fight funding disparities and graduate program constraints at Texas public universities.
The ensuing lawsuit helped increase the number of doctoral programs at UTEP from one in 1990 to 20 in 2014. One of today’s doctoral students is Mancera’s wife, Bibiana, who is earning her degree in health sciences.
The University honored 86 people, programs, organizations and institutions during a trio of events Sept. 30 starting with an afternoon convocation ceremony in Magoffin Auditorium, a reception at the Centennial Museum and a VIP dinner at Hoover House.
Approximately 400 people attended the ceremony and received a history lesson of the many and varied partners who helped the University and its students achieve artistically, culturally, economically and academically. The common threads through each story were faith, trust and unselfishness.
“I was the first in my family to get a degree,” said Mancera, who earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in 1979. Now he has lost count of the number of degrees his family and extended family have earned from UTEP. “I cried the day I took my last exam because I had done something that very few people think about, but I did it. That’s what drove me to LULAC – to make sure others had that feeling of joy and accomplishment.”
Honorees in different categories were called onto the Magoffin stage decorated by green plants with orange and blue bows and banners representing the University, its Centennial Celebration and its colleges and schools. Seated on the stage were University officials and representatives of UTEP’s Centennial Committee. Those recognized – many of whom were University graduates – were greeted by UTEP President Diana Natalicio, and presented with a limited-edition framed photograph of the iconic Mining Minds sculpture and the number “100.”
“On behalf of The University of Texas at El Paso, I express our lasting gratitude to each of our honorees,” President Natalicio said. “As we move forward together, the optimism, resolve and synergy that you demonstrate as a network of University partners will continue to invigorate our work, strengthen our resolve and shape our future.”
Afterward, many of the participants crossed University Avenue to enjoy light hors d’oeuvres and a special performance by The Flautistas student ensemble led by Melissa Colgin-Abeln, D.M.A., associate professor of flute, at a reception at the Centennial Museum.
Longtime El Paso businessman Maynard Haddad, owner of H&H Car Wash and Coffee Shop, 701 E. Yandell Drive, chuckled at being honored in the National Visibility category for his support for the University.
“This is beyond anything we would have dreamed of,” said Haddad, who was accompanied by his wife, Anita. The business, established in 1958, is decorated with Miner memorabilia and Haddad often can be found wearing UTEP shirts. “What we do for the University is because we love it. We’re grateful for what we’re able to do to show what a gorgeous campus this is.”
Barbara Hooten Clawson and her brother, Bill Hooten Jr., accepted the award for their great-grandfather Richard Burges, an El Paso lawyer and former Texas state representative who advocated for the creation of the El Paso campus despite opposition from other house members.
Clawson, a 1979 alumna who earned a Bachelor of Business Administration, said she was honored that UTEP recognized the contribution of her ancestor who also served on the relocation committee after the fire destroyed much of the first campus near Fort Bliss, and helped with the decision to build the new campus using Bhutanese architecture.
“It means a lot to us that the school spent time investigating his role in the history of the University,” Clawson said. “(Burges) was among those who planted the seeds for this place.”
Harold Howell, a retired Army sergeant major, represented the El Paso chapter of the NAACP at the event. UTEP and the chapter celebrated their 100th birthdays in 2014.
The NAACP, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, has a history of advocating for academic, social, political and economic equality. In 1955, the group’s El Paso chapter helped Thelma White challenge the Texas Constitution’s segregation clause that kept African-Americans from enrolling at Texas Western College (now UTEP). A federal district judge ruled the clause unconstitutional.
“We’ve come a long way and grown together,” Howell said.
As a research partner, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has helped build and sustain UTEP’s research infrastructure for years. The NSF enhanced the University’s capacity through a host of programs that raised interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) among students who are traditionally underrepresented. The NSF’s strategic investments have boosted the number of minority students participating in STEM research.
Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Ph.D., assistant director of the NSF’s directorate for Education and Human Resources, said she was delighted to represent her organization at the convocation.
“The NSF has had a strong series of investments at The University of Texas at El Paso for many, many years. There’s been a lot of great work done here,” Ferrini-Mundy said. “I congratulate the University on its wonderful efforts and for its incredible, inclusive culture that is making a difference for Hispanic students here and across the country.”
Among the Pioneering Partners honored was the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce. The chamber gathered the support of 80 businesses to back the purchase of the buildings at the first campus for $50,000, or $1.2 million in 2014 dollars. The organization was recognized for understanding that education is a driver for economic development.
Richard Dayoub, chamber president and CEO, said he was proud of that initial leap of faith by those visionary individuals.
“It is an overwhelming feeling,” Dayoub said. “It means a lot to us that our predecessors had the foresight to recognize the importance of having an institution of higher education here. We’re the beneficiaries of that legacy.”
For a photo gallery of the event, please click here.