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home :: spirit awards :: 2004 recipients
2004 Spirit Awards Recipients
Spirit of Culture
Nivia Gonzalez
Nivia Gonzalez is one of the most important Latina artists of her time. She lived and worked in many U.S. cities before settling in Austin in 2001. Her honors and awards include "Outstanding Acheivement in the Arts" awarded by the Mexican-American Women's National Association, Hispanic Magazine's "Woman of the Year", and induction into the Hispanic Women in Leadership Hall of Fame. Her artwork has appeared on book covers including "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros, and "Daughters of the Fifth Sun: A Collection of Latina Fiction and Poetry".
Spirit of Community
Texas Representative Pete Gallego
State Representative Pete Gallego is a seven-term member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 74. An Alpine native, Gallego graduated from Sul Ross State University in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in political science. In 1985, and he earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence from The University of Texas School of Law. Elected in 1990, Representative Gallego is the first Hispanic to represent this vast border district. In 1991, he became the first freshman member and the first ethnic minority member ever elected as chair of the House Democratic Caucus, a post he held until January of 2001. In January of 2001, Representative Gallego was unanimously elected by his colleagues to serve as chair of the Mexican-American Legislative Caucus.
In the Legislature, Representative Gallego is known as an expert on appropriations, law enforcement, criminal justice, campaign finance reform and victims' rights. He has received numerous awards, including the "Advocate for Justice" award from a coalition of Texas victims' groups and the "Star of Texas" public service award by Common Cause of Texas. Following the 1999 session, he was selected as one of Texas Monthly's "Ten Best" legislators. He has also been honored by the Texas State University System, The University of Texas System, and the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas in appreciation for his support of higher education.
At home, Representative Gallego has also been recognized by the Department of Public Safety's Division of Emergency Management as an Honorary Emergency Manager for his service during the massive flooding in Val Verde County and by the Heart of Texas Regional Advisory Council for his efforts to improve emergency response systems both at home and across the state.
Spirit of Leadership
Dean William C. Powers, Jr.
William C. Powers, Jr. is currently dean of The University of Texas School of Law where he also holds the John Jeffers Research Chair in Law and the Hines H. Baker and Thelma Kelley Baker Chair in Law at The University of Texas School of Law, teaching Torts, Products Liability, Jurisprudence, Legal Process, Civil Procedure, and Contracts. He is a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers and holds the title of University Distinguished Teaching Professor.
In addition to these numerous academic accolades, Dean Powers is also known for his role in expanding the Hispanic enrollment at UT law school. He has supported various South Texas initiatives, including pre-law institutes located in highly populated Hispanic areas including El Paso, San Antonio, and the Rio Grande Valley. These recruiting efforts have propelled UT law school to rebound its minority enrollment to pre-Hopwood levels.
Spirit of Education
Norma V. Cantu
For eight years, Norma V. Cantú served as the Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights in the Clinton Administration, where she was responsible for enforcing the Federal civil rights statutes that protect the rights of students to an equal educational opportunity without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age to help all persons in making the most of their individual capacities and talents.
Prior to her service as the nation's chief civil rights enforcer in the educational arena, Professor Cantu was an attorney at the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. In that capacity, she litigated scores of important cases affecting educational funding, disability rights, student disciplinary policies, access to special services for English-language learners, and racially hostile environments.
She now is a professor with joint appointment in the Education and Law Schools at UT., where she teaches a new generation of students in the areas of disability law as well as leading writing seminars on Changing American Schools and classes in Performance Management in Education.
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