On the recordApril 26, 2013
Today I'd like to take a moment to honor the life of Demetrio P. Rodriguez, a great American we lost earlier this week in my hometown of San Antonio. Demetrio passed away at the age of 87 after a long and rewarding life, a life that literally transformed public education in Texas and across the Nation. Demetrio, like many of the folks who grew up on the west side of San Antonio, was a humble man. Born into a migrant farm-working family, he served in the Navy and later in the Air Force Reserve, and he worked for years at Kelly Air Force Base. In 1968, with 15 other parents, he led the charge to change the way we do school finance, not only in Texas, but in the United States of America. He objected to the fact that property-poor districts were so far outspent and given much more money than property-rich districts in Texas. He led that charge. In 1973, the Supreme Court said that education wasn't a fundamental right, but he didn't give up the fight. And in 1989, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the children of Texas should have an equal education, no matter their income. He was a great man. He'll be sorely missed. He was a fighter and a champion of people. ____________________
