The Dennis Chavez Foundation recently donated $100,000 to the University of New Mexico Law School to establish the U.S. Senator Dennis Chavez Endowed Lectureship/Symposium on Law and Civil Rights. Jorge Tristani, a grandson of the late senator, made the presentation to UNM Law School Dean Kevin K. Washburn.
Photo: Jorge Tristani, grandson of the late Sen. Dennis Chavez, and John Cordova, Cordova Public Relations, present a $100,000 check to John Stropp, president, UNM Foundation.
“Our family is pleased to be able to make this contribution to the UNM Law School to endow the U.S. Senator Dennis Chavez lectureship,” Tristani said. “We’ve worked with the UNM Foundation to establish this because we believe that the law school’s work will honor Dennis Chavez, a man whose actions helped shape modern day New Mexico, and who is revered as a champion of the common individual.”
The purpose of the lectureship is to promote awareness and academic discourse of the senator and topics related to his legacy and life’s work, however UNM may use the funds to invite local or visiting preeminent scholars in the areas of law and civil rights and/or the life’s work of Senator Dennis Chavez. Related topics focusing on human rights, equal opportunity, Hispanics and New Mexico in government, law and politics and civil rights and their impact on human welfare may be presented by public lecture or lecture series.
“This is an important and joyous occasion for the School of Law,” Dean Washburn said. “We cannot thank the Dennis Chavez Foundation, its leadership and the members of the Chavez family enough for entrusting us with a role in preserving Senator Chavez’s incredible legacy. This gift will add a very important component to the school, as Senator Chavez's legacy will be an inspiration for all of our students. We at the School of Law are so grateful for this gift.”
“It is such a great honor to be a part of and witness to the great support and passion that the Chavez family and their Foundation are conveying to the UNM School of Law,” said John Stropp, UNM Foundation president.
“Their generous donation will support venues for advocacy and cultural diversity in legal education. We are grateful. This gift perpetuates the legacy of Senator Chavez and his lifetime of great works.”
Sen. Chavez represented New Mexico in the U.S. Senate from 1935 until 1962. He was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms and served in the New Mexico House of Representatives. The socially conscious Chavez was the only minority in the senate chamber at that time. A maverick, he tirelessly fought against the discrimination he witnessed and experienced. The civil rights legislation of the 1960s grew directly out of Chavez’s efforts in the 1940s, as he became an advocate for minorities nationwide. Born in 1888 in Los Chavez, NM, he died in 1962. A close confidant of former U.S. presidents Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy, Sen. Chavez also led the anti-McCarthy protests.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu