Santos S. Garza
Del Rio, Val Verde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
SANTOS S. GARZA, ALSO KNOWN AS “DON SANTOS” OR “FATHER OF SAN FELIPE SCHOOLS,” WAS BORN NOV. 2, 1881 IN EITHER PIEDRAS NEGRAS OR EAGLE PASS. HE CAME TO DEL RIO IN 1898 WHERE HE OWNED NUMEROUS BUSINESSES INCLUDING A THEATER, GENERAL STORE, DAIRY, PHARMACY, RANCH AND BAR. HE MARRIED JESUSITA MENCHACA GALINDO ON JAN. 3, 1901, AND THEY HAD FIVE CHILDREN AND ADOPTED A SIXTH. GARZA WAS A CIVIC LEADER WHO IS BEST REMEMBERED FOR PREVENTING THE ANNEXATION OF THE SAN FELIPE AREA BY DEL RIO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT IN 1928, ALLOWING HIS COMMUNITY GREATER CONTROL OF ITS SCHOOLS, AND FOR HIS LEADERSHIP IN THE MOVEMENT TOWARDS CREATING THE SAN FELIPE I.S.D. ON AUG. 21, 1929. GARZA DIED JUL. 25, 1936.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Known as 'Don Santos' and the 'Father of San Felipe Schools,' Santos S. Garza came to Del Rio in 1898 and built a string of businesses—a theater, general store, dairy, pharmacy, ranch, and bar. His lasting legacy was civic: in 1928 he blocked the annexation of the San Felipe area by the Del Rio school district, keeping his largely Mexican-American community in control of its own schools, and he led the movement that created the San Felipe I.S.D. in 1929.
Why it matters
Garza's fight for local control of San Felipe's schools is an early chapter in Mexican-American self-determination and educational rights along the Texas border.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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