Lauro Fred Cavazos Jr., is a U.S. educator and politician. He served as Secretary of Education, and was the first Hispanic to serve in the United States Cabinet. A sixth-generation Texan, he was born on the King Ranch near Kingsville north of Corpus Christi, Texas, where his father served as foreman of the showcase Santa Gertrudis cattle division. He was the son of Lauro F. Cavazos, Sr., and the former Tomasa Quintanilla. Through his maternal ancestry, he is a descendant of Texas Revolution heroine Francita Alavez, the "Angel of Goliad". He earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in zoology from Texas Tech University, and a Ph.D. in physiology from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. While in college, he was a member of Kappa Kappa Psi. Following a stint on the faculties of Tufts University and the Medical College of Virginia. From 1975 to 1980, he served as Dean of the Tufts University School of Medicine. From April 15, 1980, to 1988, he served as President of Texas Tech University. He was both the first alumnus and the first Hispanic to serve as Texas Tech president. 

January 4th, 1927 in Kingsville  /  Died:   Mar 15th, 2022