88S10177 BK-D
By: Menéndez S.R. No. 15
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, San Antonio lost an admired activist, artist, and
cultural historian with the passing of Ramon Vasquez y Sanchez on
May 8, 2023, at the age of 83; and
WHEREAS, The son of Olivia Sanchez and Ramon Vasquez, Ramon
Vasquez y Sanchez was born on the city's Westside on May 6, 1940; he
attended San Antonio College and joined the staff of the Bexar
County Archives to focus on the preservation of Mexican American
history; in addition, he was a member of the Bexar County Historical
Commission; he also gained increasing recognition as an artist,
illustrating the Bexar County coat of arms and publishing work in
newspapers and other media; his acclaimed paintings of the early
Indian Missions centered on the ordinary people and Mexican heroes
generally left out of historical narratives, and his subjects
included daily life in the barrio; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Vasquez y Sanchez became a leader in the Chicano
rights movement; he wrote the preamble for the establishment of the
Raza Unida Party, provided graphic designs, and served as vice
chair and gubernatorial campaign manager; as chair of the Bilingual
Bicultural Coalition on Mass Media, he oversaw suits against the
Federal Communications Commission that led to greater Mexican
American representation among journalists; he was a fierce advocate
for equity in city arts funding, and he was instrumental in
establishing Centro Cultural Aztlan and ran its visual arts program
for decades; in that role, he encouraged other artists, created a
sense of community, and popularized public Día de los Muertos
commemorations; he also fought for the inclusion of Mexican
American and Tejano stories in the Alamo narrative and organized
the first "Olvidate del Alamo" and "Las Mujeres del Alamo" art
exhibits; tenacious and outspoken, he nevertheless expressed his
strong viewpoints with grace, courtesy, and logic; and
WHEREAS, In 1988, Mr. Vasquez y Sanchez helped reorganize the
Mission Descendant Families of Northeastern Mexico and South Texas
under the umbrella of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation; he served
as a tribal council member for over three decades; moreover, he
formed the nonprofit group American Indians in Texas at the Spanish
Colonial Missions and united with other activists to secure the
return of over 150 ancestral remains to Mission San Juan
Capistrano; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Vasquez y Sanchez married Gloria Camarillo in
1962, and they became the parents of three children, Ramon Juan
Vasquez, Edna Marie Vasquez, and Marisol Vasquez; he and his second
wife, Maria Magdalena Gonzales, had one son, Javier Ramon Vasquez;
following her passing, he was fortunate enough to find love again,
and in 2013, he wed Maria Chavez, who survives him, along with his
children and his 11 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his lifetime, Ramon Vasquez y Sanchez
sought to root out injustice and illuminate the richness of Mexican
American heritage, and although he will be deeply missed by all who
were privileged to know him, they will treasure their memories of
his wisdom, compassion, and wry sense of humor; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature, 1st
Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of Ramon Vasquez y
Sanchez and extend sincere condolences to his family, to his many
friends, and to all who mourn his passing; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas Senate adjourns this
day, it do so in memory of Ramon Vasquez y Sanchez.