King Ranch, recognized by many as the birthplace of the American ranching industry, will be the focus of the next Laredo Community College Distinguished Speaker presentation featuring author and cowboy Bobby Cavazos.

Sponsored by the LCC Honors Program and the Student Advisory Board, Cavazos will present his lecture Tuesday, March 26, at 7 p.m. in the de la Garza Building, room 101. The subject of Cavazos’ lecture is based on his book, Cowboy From the Wild Horse Desert: A Story of the King Ranch.

Cavazos attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock and was selected All American for his success as a running back for the football team. His professional career in the NFL with the Chicago Cardinals was cut short by an injury and he returned to Texas Tech to complete the R.O.T.C. program.

He became an officer in the U.S. military, and after serving his time, he returned to the King Ranch, where he was made foreman of the Laureles Division.

His experiences with his father, Lauro, and as foreman himself, provided him with in-depth knowledge of the King Ranch operation and its history and was the basis for his book, published by Larksdale Press in 1999.

Founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King, King Ranch has been a bellwether of America’s ranching industry -- the founder of two major American beef breeds, a producer of some of the all-time top running and performing horses, and a source of technology that has led to many significant advances in livestock and wildlife production and management. Today, King Ranch continues to play a significant role as a leader in the multinational agricultural business world.

In 1934, King Ranch, Inc., became the successor to the South Texas ranching business. The private company is comprised of approximately 60 descendants of its founder. In 1961, the U.S. Department of Interior, through the agency of the National Park Service, designated the South Texas ranches near Kingsville as a National Historic Landmark. Covering nearly 1,300 square miles on four separate divisions of land known as Santa Gertrudis, Laureles, Norias, and Encino, it is larger than the entire state of Rhode Island.

For more information about Cavazos’ lecture at LCC, contact the LCC Honors Program by calling 764-5956.

LCC’s Phi Theta Kappa

celebrates 50th

anniversary March 23

Theta Theta, the Laredo Community College Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, invites alumni and the public to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2002.

In honor of this special occasion, a formal dinner will be held Saturday, March 23, at 7 p.m. in the Kazen College Center. Donation is $10 per person.

The LCC Phi Theta Kappa chapter was founded in 1952. Since then, many alumni have achieved career success as attorneys, doctors, bankers, educators, politicians, and much more.

The nationally acclaimed honor society for two-year colleges was founded in 1918 by a group of Missouri two-year college presidents who sought to recognize and encourage scholarship among associate degree students. There are more than 1,200 chapters in the United States and abroad.

LCC Calendar of Events
March 16-17: LCC Palomino baseball vs. Alvin College, 721-5326
March 18-19: LCC Palomino baseball vs. Independence College, 721-5326
March 18: LCC Music and Dance Faculty Recital, 721-5330
March 22: LCC Yeary Library teleconference, 721-5842
March 23: LCC Palomino baseball vs. National Christian University, 721-5326
March 23: LCC Phi Theta Kappa 50th anniversary dinner, 764-5956
March 26: Steve Byrne comedy show, 721-5179
March 26: LCC Distinguished Speaker Series, 764-5956
March 28-29: LCC Palomino baseball vs. Wharton College, 721-5326
March 29-April 1: LCC Easter holiday break, 721-5140
April 5: 21st LCC Spanish Poetry Competition, 721-5355
April 5: Wellness Lecture - Prostate Cancer, 721-5326
April 5: LCC Palomino tennis vs. Lee College, 721-5326
April 6: LCC Recital featuring Jeremy Kushner, 721-5330
April 8-May: Summer Session I Phone Registration for Self-Advised Students, 721-5109 (Registration Office)
April 13-14: LCC Palomino baseball vs. UT-Brownsville, 721-5326
April 15-18 & 22-25: Summer Sessions I and II Early Advisement, 721-5109
April 15-May 9: Summer Session I Phone Registration for Early Advised students, 721-5109
April 16: LCC LBVE Science Center 3rd Anniversary Celebration, 764-5701
April 17: LCC Expo, 721-5461 or 721-5140
April 17: LCC Lunch Concert featuring LCC Showband, 721-5330
April 18: LCC Math Awareness Month Celebration, 721-5441
April 18-19: LCC Opera Workshop production, 721-5330