José Roberto Juárez
| José Roberto "Beto" Juárez, Sr.
(Historian of South Texas, Mexico, and the Catholic Church) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Born | December 18, 1934 Laredo, Texas, USA | ||
| Died | September 13, 2019 (aged 84)
Resting place: | ||
| Political Party | Democrat | ||
| Spouse | María Antonia "Toni" Martínez Juárez Children: | ||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||
José Roberto Juárez, Sr., known as Beto Juárez (December 18, 1934 – September 13, 2019), was an Hispanic scholar and historian in his native Laredo, Texas. A Roman Catholic, he was also an advocate for civil rights, gender equality, and farm workers.
Background
Juárez was a son of Manuel Jesús Juárez, Sr., and the former María Juana (Juanita) de León, a native of Bustamante, Nuevo León, Mexico. [1] At an early age, he helped at Casa Juárez Restaurant Supply Company, the business that his father launched in 1935.[2] He graduated as the valedictorian from St. Augustine High School, a Catholic institution at which he met his wife, the former María Antonia "Toni" Martínez. Juárez obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Catholic St. Edward's University in the capital city of Austin. Thereafter, he procured his Master of Arts and Ph.D. from the University of Texas, also in Austin.[1]
Career
Juárez launched his teaching career as a history professor at St. Edward's University, of which he was susbsequently a member of the board of trustees. He was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a Fulbright Scholar. His historical speciality was the history of the Catholic Church in south Texas and Mexico. He lived with his family for several years in Guadalajara and Mexico City while he was conducting research in the Mexican archives. [1]
In 1970, he began teaching at the University of California at Davis, at which he was one of the first Mexican-American professors. Juárez was the first Hispanic to chair the history department at UC-D. He taught some of the first university-level courses in Mexican-American history. In 1975, Juárez returned to Laredo as the academic dean and later the vice-president for academic affairs at the two-year Laredo College, established in 1947 as Laredo Junior College. In his later career, he was a member of the history faculty at the four-year Texas A&M International University.[1]
Juárez authored scholarly articles on Latin American and Mexican-American history, and, after retiring from TAMIU, he completed a book on the history of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Guadalajara. A descendant of early residents of Laredo in the 18th century, Juárez created an extensive genealogy for his family and his in-laws. He wrote a history of his family’s ranch. He helped found the Villa San Agustín de Laredo Genealogical Society. He researched the history of the Catholic Church for the Laredo Diocese and published articles on Laredo and Catholic history in local media. He was an active member and former president of the Webb County Heritage Foundation. He was also a former president of the Texas Catholic Historical Society and the Texas State Historical Association. He played the piano at mass and modeled his family on the beatitudes.[1]
Later years
Returning to Laredo enabled the couple the opportunity to care for their parents. Juárez was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease soon after Toni died of a heart attack in 2012 at the age of seventy-six.[3]He remained as active as he could in many endeavors despite the progression of the disease. The staffs at the Laredo Food Bank and Casa de Misericordia allowed him to remain active during those years as a volunteer. He took daily walks at North Central Park or inside at Mall del Norte in Laredo.[1]
After Juárez's funeral mass on September 21, 2019, at his home congregation, San Martin de Porres Catholic Church, he was interred alongside Toni at Calvary Catholic Cemetery.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Dr. José Roberto "Beto" Juárez, Sr. obituary. The Laredo Morning Times (September 19, 2019). Retrieved on October 17, 2019.
- ↑ Casa Juarez Restaurant Supply Company. Casajuarezrestaurantsupplies. Retrieved on October 17, 2019.
- ↑ Juarez obituary. The Laredo Morning Times (April 9, 2012). Retrieved on October 17, 2019.