Tejano Voices Interviewees - By Region

Castillo, John - Houston (Interview date: 2/13/1998)

Born on September 20, 1938, in Houston, Texas, as Juan Felipe Espinosa Castillo. Mr. Castillo is a city councilman in Houston and has been active in Houston politics since the formation of PASO. He was an organizer and strategist for the farm workers who marched from the the Rio Grande Valley to Austin in 1966. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Houston in 1965.

Cruz, Lauro - Beaumont (Interview date: 12/10/1998)

Born on May 20, 1933, in Beaumont, Texas. Mr. Cruz is the first Mexican American state representative from Houston to the Texas Legislature. He earned his B. A. in Political Science from the University of Houston.

Dávila, Diana - Houston (Interview date: 6/13/1998)

Diana Dávila was a state representative from District 145 in Houston, and was a former legislative aide to State Representative Roman Martinez. Ms. Dávila earned her B.A. in Anthropology from Harvard University.

Gallegos, Mario - Houston/Harris County (Interview date: 6/2/1998)

Born September 8, 1950, Senator Gallegos was the first Mexican American to hold the position of state senator from Harris County, Texas. He was elected to the state senate in 1994, having previously served as state representative in 1990 and 1992.

García, Sylvia - Houston (Interview date: 7/22/1999)

Born in 1950 in San Diego, Texas. Ms. García was the first Mexican American woman elected Controller for the City of Houston and is Houston's Chief Financial Officer. She received her degree in social work from Texas Woman's University and her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. Ms. García has been the recipient of numerous public service awards for her work with the community.

González, Angel - Dallas/Austin/Houston/Crystal City (Interview date: 7/1/1996)

Born November 18, 1929, in Edinburg, Texas. One of the first Chicano school superintendents in Texas, Mr. González has held top administrative positions in the public schools in Crystal City, Houston and Dallas, and has worked for the Texas Education Agency. He also worked as the Branch Chief in the Office of Education for Bilingual Education in Washington, D.C. In 1976, he ran for Congress in the Rio Grande Valley. He retired from active employment and resides in Dallas.

Jiménez, María - Houston (Interview date: 6/14/1998)

Ms. Jiménez was born August 2, 1950, in Castanos, Coahuila, México. She received her B.A. in 1975 from the University of Houston. Ms. Jiménez has worked for the American Friends Service Committee since 1987 as director of the Mexico-U.S. Border Program Immigration Law Enforcement Monitoring Project (ILEMP) and has served on several public service advisory boards involving immigrant and refugee issues during her career.

Martínez, Román - Harris County (Interview date: 6/26/1996)

Born 1958 in Cuero, Texas, Mr. Martínez was among the first group of Mexican American state representatives elected in Harris County. He was re-elected for five additional terms. Among his many legislative accomplishments was to obtain line item funding for the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston.

Mindiola, Tatcho - Houston (Interview date: 7/22/1999)

Anastacio "Tatcho" Mindiola, Jr., was born in Houston in 1939. He studied at the University of Houston from 1962-1970, receiving an undergraduate business degree and a master's degree in sociology. He received his Ph.D. from Brown University in 1978. Mindiola is an associate professor of sociology at UH and has been director of the UH Center for Mexican American Studies since 1980.

Mindiola, Tatcho - Houston (Interview date: 11/3/1997)

Anastacio "Tatcho" Mindiola, Jr., was born in Houston in 1939. He studied at the University of Houston from 1962-1970, receiving an undergraduate business degree and a master's degree in sociology. He received his Ph.D. from Brown University in 1978. Mindiola is an associate professor of sociology at UH and has been director of he UH Center for Mexican American Studies since 1980.

Nieto, Ernesto - Austin/Houston (Interview date: 2/2/1998)

Born in 1940 in Houston, Texas, Ernesto Nieto is the president and founder of the National Hispanic Institute. A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, he holds a B.S. in special education. He completed his Master's work at the University of Houston and is a recipient of an Honorary Ph.D. in Humane Letters from Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas. Mr. Nieto holds numerous awards and honors including a Citation of Merit Award, a Distinguished Alumnus Award, and the Human Relations Award from the National Association of College Admissions Counselors.

Peña, Emil - Houston/SanAntonio/Austin (Interview date: 6/19/1998)

Born in 1954 in San Benito, Texas, Mr. Peña is the first Chicano lobbyist with major national clients.

Romero, Cipriano - Houston (Interview date: 1/18/1998)

Born December 4, 1970, in Houston, Texas, Mr. Romero is a graduate of the University of Houston (B.S., 1993) and the University of Houston Law Center (1996). Mr. Romero began serving as Mayor of South Houston, Texas in July, 1996. He was re-elected as mayor in 1997 and is the second Mexican American to hold this position. Mr. Romero was first elected to the city council of South Houston, Texas, at the age of 24 in 1995.

Salinas, Lupe - Houston (Interview date: 6/17/1998)

Guadalupe Salinas was born in 1948 in McAllen, Texas. He received a B.A. in political science in 1970 and a J.D. in 1972, both from the University of Houston. Judge Salinas' career highlights include positions in the Harris County District Attorney's office, the U.S. Attorney's office, and the U.S. Department of Justice. He was elected district judge in 1988 but was defeated for re-election in 1996. At the time of this interview he was a visiting judge for the State of Texas.

Treviño, Victor - Houston/Harris County (Interview date: 1/22/1998)

Born December 13, 1951, in Pesqueria Chica, Nuevo León, México. Mr. Trevino was a constable of Harris County and the first naturalized Mexican citizen to win elective office in Houston. He was a police officer with the Houston Police Department and active with the Hispanic Peace Officers association prior to his election.