St. Mary's University Ends Year-long Observance of U.S. Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez' Accomplishments with Presentations, Party

By Morgan Montalvo

WOAI News


St. Mary's  University this evening concludes a 12-month centennial celebration of  the life and legacy of longtime Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez of San  Antonio.


The fete, called the Gran Final and sponsored by St. Mary's law school. takes place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the college's conference center on what would have been the iconic lawmaker's 101st birthday. Gonzalez graduated from St. Mary's Univ. School of Law in 1943. He died in late 2000.


Organizer and  St. Mary's history professor Teresa Van Hoy says the event features  speakers, presentations, a range of displays and memorabilia, and a  preliminary cut of a documentary film about Gonzalez, whose life of  public service included time as a chief probation officer, San Antonio  city councilman, state senator and nearly four decades as a member of  the U.S. House of Representatives.


Van Hoy says  over the past year her student researchers have chronicled countless  recollections from native San Antonians of Gonzalez' work as a lawmaker,  civil rights trailblazer, consensus builder, friend, family man and  role model. She  says many local residents interviewed shared how households across San  Antonio came to a standstill during Gonzalez' scheduled - usually  Saturday morning - television appearances to update constituents on  developments in Washington. D.C. and how legislation would affect their lives. 


Other  stories, she said, range from examples of Gonzalez' kindness and  encouragement to accounts of his famous 36-hour filibuster in the Texas  Senate during the 1950s to combat watered-down legislation crafted to  delay desegregation.


Following the  two-hour event attendees are invited to help recreate one of Gonzalez'  annual, and best-known, Washington, D.C. celebrations: a combination  birthday and Cinco de Mayo party featuring elements Gonzalez felt best  represented South Texas - tamales, Big Red soft drink, Lone Star Beer  and mariachis.


Van Hoy said Gonzalez' legacy is manifest in San Antonio's atmosphere of inclusion and tolerance.

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