Esther Buckley

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Esther Gonzalez-Arroyo Buckley
Member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights
In office
December 1983 – December 1992
Succeeded byConstance Horner
Personal details
Born(1948-03-29)March 29, 1948
Educator

Esther Gonzalez-Arroyo Buckley (March 29, 1948 – February 11, 2013) was an educator in

Ronald W. Reagan
.

Background

Of

Laredo Community College[1] and subsequently pursued an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin, with concentration in biology and mathematics. At the time of her death, she was working on a doctorate in multicultural education and information technology from Texas A&M University in College Station.[2]

Buckley received much recognition during her forty-two years in professional education. She was a member of the Association of Texas Professional Educators and the secretary in the regional office for that group. The day after Buckley's death, the

professional organization for educators, Phi Delta Kappa.[2]

Political activities

A former chairman of the

United States Constitution and objected to school busing, quotas, and affirmative action as proper methods to level the playing field for minorities in competition with whites in matters of education and employment.[5]

Buckley served under three chairmen, all

George Herbert Walker Bush.[6] During Buckley's 9-year tenure, President Reagan had tried without success to remove Democratic commissioner Mary Frances Berry, an African American professor who challenged the president in court in a bid to maintain what she claimed to be the survival of the independence of the board from executive branch control. Berry not only survived Reagan's opposition but served as the commission chairman thereafter during the administration of President Bill Clinton.[7]

Buckley was replaced on the commission in December 1992, when in his last days in office President Bush tapped another Republican woman,

U.S. Senate. Formerly, the president had appointed all eight members, who then required confirmation from the Senate.[5][8]

In 1995, Laredo Mayor

Saul N. Ramirez, Jr., a Democrat in a nonpartisan position, named Buckley as a charter member of the Laredo Commission for Women. Her service on the Webb County Commission on Higher Education led to the establishment of a four-year degree-granting public institution now known as Texas A&M International University, from which she received a Master of Science degree in 1975. She was a board member of her local Battered Women's Shelter.[2]

Buckley's husband, Elmer Buckley (1932-2009), was a native of

Gerald R. Ford, Jr., he worked to organize the South Texas Economic Development Office and was vice-chairman of the South Texas Workforce Development Board. He was active in Republican political campaigns for Governor Clements, U.S. Senators John Tower, Phil Gramm, and Kay Bailey Hutchison, and U.S. Presidents Ford, Reagan, and the two Bushes. Elmer Buckley was preceded in death by his first wife, Barbara Buckley, and one son.[9] When Aldo Tatangelo ran unsuccessfully for county judge in the 1990 general election as a write-in candidate
, Esther Buckley sent letters to Republican voters urging them to support Tatangelo.

As Republican chairman in Laredo, Esther Buckley was an

ex officio
member of the Webb County Election Board through which she lobbied steadily for the sanctity of the ballot. According to Martha Cigarro de Llano of the Laredo law firm of Person, Whitworth, Borchers, and Morales, Buckley

was involved in local elections for decades in almost every capacity: a volunteer for candidates, the qualifying and counting of votes, numerous recounts petitioned by candidates or ordered by state district court judges, and in ensuring that every vote was counted in a transparent manner, giving effect to every voter's ballot. She worked very long, grueling hours alongside election officials, candidates, volunteers, and others in a patient yet firm, demanding manner.

To her, every vote mattered, every vote had to be counted , and every voter had to be assured that the time and effort taken to cast his/her vote was meaningful and most important that his/her vote was accurately counted. I can attest to her dedication and love towards the election process in this community in a matter which was always respectful and professional.

As a woman, Mrs. Buckley was a trailblazer and a transformational figure. Those who were lucky enough to work with her or to be taught by her know that this is true. She will always be remembered for her incredible, meaningful life and will be missed ....[10]

Death

Buckley was killed in a two-vehicle accident in Webb County fifteen miles north of Laredo. She was the passenger in a 2007 Dodge minivan driven by her son, James Joseph Buckley (born c. 1971), an English teacher at the Vidal M. Trevino School of Communication and Fine Arts within LISD in downtown Laredo.[4] The Buckleys had been in Austin that day lobbying state legislators for the restoration of $5.4 billion in school funding earlier cut to balance the state budget. They had visited in the office of District 21 State Senator Judith Zaffirini, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Committee on Government Organization and as the former chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee remains active in the education field.[11]

On the return trip from Austin to Laredo at the intersection of

San Antonio.[12]

Services for Buckley were held at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Laredo. Like her husband, who preceded her in death by more than three years, she was cremated. In addition to her son, James Joseph Buckley, who underwent surgery for his wounds at the time of his mother's funeral,[13] Buckley was survived by six other children, Trina Elaine Bratton and husband Nathan, Catherine Elizabeth Buckley, United States Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Edmund Buckley and wife Leah, Rebecca A. Buckley, D.V.M., George A. Buckley, and Jennifer Esther Buckley. Mrs. Buckley also had a brother, Hector Gonzalez-Arroyo, Jr., of Laredo.[2]

Legacy

In her obituary printed in the Laredo Morning Times, Buckley recalled, "From my earliest memories as a child , I have always been a teacher. I remember experiences in the second grade where I used to help other students with their assignments when they did not understand their lessons. I have been teaching for more than forty years. ... As long as I can, I will be useful to my community and its advancement."[2]

Buckley said that her purpose in life was to teach with intensity and strength because it was God's will that she do so, even though she was well past eligibility for teacher retirement. Her connection to the Republican Party, she said was an outgrowth of her religious philosophies and family upbringing.[2]

Days after her death, Texas A&M International University established a special memorial scholarship in Buckley's name. She earned her master's degree from the institution when it was known as Laredo State University. TAMIU President Ray Keck said, "We thought it would be a fitting way to honor a remarkable educator and, in turn, help to make an important difference in the lives of other students seeking to complete their higher education at TAMIU."[14]

On March 28, 2014, Buckley was

posthumously honored with inclusion into the Martin High School "Tiger Legends".[15] The Association of Texas Professional Educators recognized Buckley with an honorary resolution during its 2013 House of Delegates meeting.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Esther Buckley Biography". martinhselisd.org. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Esther Gonzalez-Arroyo Buckley (March 29, 1948 - February 11, 2013)", Laredo Morning Times, February 15, 2013, p. 10A
  3. ^ JJ Velasquez, "Magnificent teacher: High school educator Esther Buckley remembered", Laredo Morning Times, February 13, 2013, pp. 1, 12A
  4. ^ a b JJ Velasquez, "Accident kills one: Minivan-truck crash leaves beloved educator dead", Laredo Morning Times, February 12, 2013, p. 1
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-313-30425-4
    . Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  6. ^ A Message to Americans: Civil Rights Commission chief leads crusade for racial harmony. Ebony magazine, July 1991. July 1991. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  7. ISBN 0-19-517122-5
    . Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  8. ^ Reauthorization of the United States Commission on Civil Rights: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, One Hundred First Congress, first session, April 27, 1989
  9. ^ "Elmer Buckley obituary". tributes.com. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  10. ^ Martha Cigarroa de Llano, "Buckley was a trailblazer and a transformational figure", Letter to the Editor, Laredo Morning Times, February 20, 2013, p. 4A
  11. ^ JJ Velasquez, "Sen. Zaffirini out", Laredo Morning Times, October 5, 2012, pp. 1, 11A
  12. ^ JJ Velasquez, "Buckley services set: Fatal traffic accident remains under investigation", Laredo Morning Times, February 15, 2013, pp. 1, 12A
  13. ^ Ricardo R. Villarreal, "Buckley Service: Teacher remembered at mass", Laredo Morning Times, February 17, 2013, p. 1
  14. ^ "TAMIU creates Esther Buckley scholarship", Laredo Morning Times, February 22, 2013, p. 3A
  15. ^ "Martin High School: Tiger Legends Honored", Laredo Morning Times, March 29, 2014, p. 1
  16. ^ "The 2013 ATPE Summit: Set Sail". Fall 2013 ATPE News. Association of Texas Professional Educators. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
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