A Texas Tech trailblazer: Former University President, Cabinet Secretary Lauro Cavazos dies at 95
Lauro F. Cavazos, Jr., a pioneering education administrator who served as the first Mexican-American president of Texas Tech University and the first Hispanic person to hold a U.S. Cabinet position, died Tuesday in Concord, Massachusetts.
He was 95 years old.
Texas Tech released a statement late Wednesday, saying the Tech community is grieving Cavazos' passing.
“I am saddened to learn of the passing of my dear friend, Lauro Cavazos,” Tech president Lawrence Schovanec said in the statement. “Although Dr. Cavazos became a force in higher education, he came from a humble background, and he never forgot that or the impact his work had on students in similar circumstances. He came to Texas Tech in the early years after World War II and personally witnessed its growth. As Texas Tech’s president, decades later, he worked to preserve the university’s history while directing its continued development and progress. And as U.S. Secretary of Education, he strove to help young people like himself reach their full potential. His impact on this university cannot be overstated, nor can his embodiment of the values we hold dear to this day: the value of education, the importance of determination and the significance of giving back.”
A trailblazing career
Cavazos was born near Kingsville, Texas in 1927. He served as the president of Texas Tech University — the first Tech alumnus and first Hispanic person to do so — from 1980 until 1988 when then-President Ronald Reagan appointed him to serve as Secretary of Education. He held that position under Reagan and President George H.W. Bush until his resignation in 1990, according to Lubbock Avalanche-Journal archives. Cavazos is also the namesake of Lubbock ISD's Cavazos Middle School.
Read more: https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/news/2022/03/16/former-texas-tech-president-lauro-cavazos-dies-95/7064794001/
A notable death even if I disagreed with his policies.