WCHF names Dr. José Roberto Juarez President of the Republic of the Río Grande

Historical scholar Dr. José Roberto Juarez has been selected as President of the Republic of the Río Grande for 2005-06 by the Webb County Heritage Foundation. Juarez, a retired professor of history, is a long-time advocate of historic preservation and author of numerous scholarly publications on regional history. He was formally installed as President at the Heritage Foundation's Founders' Day Luncheon May 14th at Texas A&M International University .

“The President of the Republic of the Río Grande is an honorary title presented annually by the Heritage Foundation in recognition of an individual who has shown outstanding commitment to the goals of historic preservation or heritage education,” said Margarita Araiza, executive director of the WCHF. “We are especially delighted to present it to Dr. Juarez during this very special year commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of Laredo .”

Juarez, born and raised in Laredo , is a graduated of St. Augustine School . He earned a bachelor's degree from St. Edward's University, and a master's and doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin . He has taught at St. Edward's University in Austin , the University of California at Davis , and Texas A&M International University in Laredo . He was Academic Dean and then Vice-President for Instruction at Laredo Junior College for 16 years. He has published numerous articles in journals such as Hispanic American Historical Review, Historia Mexicana, and Aztlán. His book, Reclaiming Church Wealth: The Recovery of Church Property after Expropriation in the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, 1860-1911 was published by the University of New Mexico Press in 2004. In 2001, Texas A&M International University President Ray M. Keck appointed him general editor for TAMIU's Frontera Book Series.