HENRY B. GONZALEZ
“Voice of the People”
“Voice of the People,” a celebration of the legacy of the late Texas Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez, will be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Wednesday, October 25. The program will be hosted by the University of Texas at Austin Center for American History (CAH), Mrs. Bertha Gonzalez, and the family of Henry B. Gonzalez.
The event will be held in the River Room of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio for invitees who plan to attend. The program begins at 6 p.m. followed by an on-site reception at 7:30 p.m. The ceremony will feature distinguished speakers and former congressional colleagues of the late Congressman, the unveiling of the Henry B. Gonzalez Web site, a photographic exhibit, and the opening of the Henry B. Gonzalez Collection archived in the Congressional History Collection at the Center for American History.
The Honorable Henry Cisneros will serve as master of ceremonies for the program. San Antonio Congressman Charles Gonzalez and Dr. Don Carleton, CAH Director, will be the featured program speakers.
A panel of distinguished former congressional colleagues of Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez will discuss his contributions and legacy. These members include: the Honorable E. Kika de la Garza, the Honorable Tom Loeffler, and the Honorable Robert Krueger.
Gonzalez, a highly revered and outspoken San Antonio Congressman for nearly four decades, established a national reputation for public service and for his advocacy of economic justice and equality for all Americans. “With his lifelong commitment to public service and a better life for all people, Congressman Gonzalez left a legacy of achievement that shaped the American economy and society in the last half of the twentieth century,” stated CAH Director Carleton.
Invitees who plan to attend the ceremony should RSVP no later than October 18 to: (210) 886-9229.
The Gonzalez Collection includes over 500 linear feet of correspondence, committee records, campaign files, schedules, personal schedules, appointments, legislative files, photographs, video and audiotapes, memorabilia and artifacts.
During his congressional career, Gonzalez received numerous honors, including the National Alliance to End Homelessness Award, the Texas Civic Leadership Award, the B’Nai B’Rith National Humanitarian Award, the 1992 National Rural Housing Legislator of the Year, and the 1994 Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Foundation.
This extensive and valuable collection includes records from Congressman Gonzalez’ years of service as an elected official on the San Antonio City Council, the Texas State Senate, and the U.S. Congress. The Gonzalez Collection becomes part of the Center for American History’s extensive records of more than sixty members of Congress from Texas during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These include Sam Houston, Sam Rayburn, John Nance Garner, Lloyd Bentsen, and Ralph Yarborough. San Antonio area congressional papers in the historical collection include Garner, Maury Maverick Sr., Paul Kilday, Harry M. Wurzbach, and Robert Krueger.
For a full list of congressional collections at the Center for American history, see: http://www.cah.utexas.edu/collections/congress_politics.php.
For more information on the event, contact:
Ramona Kelly, Associate Director
Center for American History
Phone: (512) 495-4696
Fax: (512) 475-9468
ramonakelly@mail.utexas.edu
