Tejano Voices Interviewees - By Region

Bill, Antonio - Kingsville/Alice (Interview date: 6/16/1998)

Born December 22, 1943, in Kerrville, Texas. Bill is a Member of the Alice Independent School District Board of Trustees and is a community activist in Kingsville and Alice, Texas.

Cavada, Viviana - Crystal City/Eagle Pass/Kingsville/Victoria (Interview date: 6/29/1998)

Born August 28, 1945, in Victoria, Texas, Ms. Cavada was an activist in the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) and the Raza Unida Party. She served on the Committee for Rural Democracy and was active in the Institute for Educational Development and the Voluntarios de Atzlán.

Hernández, Alex - Port Lavaca (Interview date: 11/30/1997)

Born in Monterrey, México, in 1951. Elected in 1986, Mr. Hernández was the first Mexican American county judge in Calhoun County, Texas.

Noyola, David - Nueces County (Interview date: 1/13/1998)

Born in 1957 in Corpus Christi, Texas, Mr. Noyola is the County Commissioner for Precinct 2 in Nueces County. He is the first Mexican American elected to public office from the Molina neighborood in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Rodríguez, Jr., Arnoldo - West Oso (Interview date: 6/23/1998)

West Oso Independent School District board member. Born July 3, 1974. Rodríguez attended Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, and is employed by the HEB grocery chain. He was elected to the West Oso ISD board at age 18. He was re-elected in 1997.

Rojas, Lorenzo - Robstown (Interview date: 6/23/1998)

Justice of the peace in Robstown, Texas. Judge Rojas was born April 30, 1936, in Robstown, and worked as a migrant farm laborer before holding political office.

Rojas III, Jesús - Robstown (Interview date: 6/23/1998)

Born December 25, 1978, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Graduated from Del Mar College in 1997. Elected vice-president of the Robstown, Texas, school board in 1998. Nephew of Judge Lorenzo Rojas (CMAS No. 80).

Serrata, Lidia - Victoria (Interview date: 2/2/1998)

Born 1947 in Victoria, Texas, Ms. Serrata was the first Mexican American female attorney and assistant district attorney in Victoria. She earned her B.A. in social work (1977) and her law degree at the University of Texas.

Tagle, Hilda - Corpus Christi (Interview date: 6/14/1998)

Born in 1946 in Corpus Christi, Texas, Judge Tagle is the first Mexican American woman United States District Judge for the Southern Judicial District of Texas (Brownsville). Earlier in her career she was elected to the 148th State District Court in Nueces County, was appointed judge for Nueces County Court at Law No. 3 in 1985 and elected to the post in 1986 and 1990, and served on the State Commission on Judicial Conduct from 1989 to 1994. She received her master's degree in Library Science from North Texas State University in 1971 and her Juris Doctor in 1977 from The University of Texas School of Law.

Truan, Carlos - Kingsville (Interview date: 6/17/1998)

Senator Carlos Truan was born June 9, 1935, in Kingsville, Texas. He received a B.B.A. from Texas A & I University in 1959. Truan was elected state representative for Nueces and Kleberg counties in 1968; after serving four terms he was elected state senator from District 20 in 1976. In addition to serving for more than 30 years in the Texas Legislature, Senator Truan has been a successful life insurance agent since 1960 and has been active in many organizations. He held local, state and national office in LULAC, served on the Texas Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights, and was named to the board of the National Council of La Raza.