AUSTIN — The largest university in Texas gave its highest alumni honors to two Brownsville natives Friday.

Juliet Garcia, president of the University of Texas-Brownsville/Texas Southmost College, and Tony Garza, U.S. ambassador to Mexico, were among six recipients of the 2007 University of Texas Distinguished Alumnus Award.

In 1986, Garcia became the first Mexican-American woman to lead a college or university in the United States when she was named president of Texas Southmost College.

She knew from a young age she wanted to teach. But it wasn’t until she was working on her master’s degree in Houston, “married and having my babies,” that she decided teaching college students suited her, she said.

She received her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin before returning to Brownsville to teach at Texas Southmost College.

In 1991, she helped morph Texas Southmost College into the newly created University of Texas-Brownsville to make a four-year university. She still describes the campus as “a magical place” for first-generation college students.

“I love that when you walk on that campus, and you’re scared to death and you have no idea what kind of potential you have, and then slowly we start to unlock it,” she said.

She is one of 15 people from around the world on the board of the Ford Foundation, the nonprofit group with a $13 billion charitable purse that was started with gifts from carmaker Henry Ford.

‘A noble calling’

Another big name in the Rio Grande Valley, Garza became the first Republican to win countywide office in South Texas when he was elected Cameron County Judge in 1988.

Then-Gov. George W. Bush named Garza the Texas secretary of state in 1994. Later, Garza was elected to the state railroad commission, whose purview includes regulating the Texas oil and gas industry. In 2002, Bush named him the U.S. ambassador to Mexico.

“I love getting up every morning and doing what I’ve been asked to do,” Garza said. “I think it’s a noble calling.”

Garza received his bachelor’s degree from UT in 1980 before going to law school at Southern Methodist University.

He wouldn’t say what his plans are after he leaves his ambassador post, but said he would like to get back to the classroom to share his experiences.

“Without good, accessible public higher education, guys like me would never have a chance in the world,” he said.

Recipients of the award receive a burnt-orange blazer, a medallion and a plaque bearing their name. It’s the highest honor a UT alumnus can receive, said Jim Boon, executive director of the Texas Exes, the university’s alumni association.

“This is the ultimate. These are the Academy Awards,” he said.

____

Elizabeth Pierson Hernandez covers the state capital for Valley Freedom Newspapers. She is based in Austin and can be reached at (512) 323-0622.