Dr. B. Roberto Cruz

CRUZ, Dr. B. Roberto-- May 2, 1941 - September 4, 2002. Dr. B. Roberto Cruz was a devoted husband, father and friend, whose greatest gift was the love he gave to all whose paths he crossed. He gave of himself, unselfishly, dedicating himself to family and service. Roberto was the dutiful son of Antonio and Connie Cruz and a loving brother and uncle. He had the purest of spirits and the most heroic of souls, having worked his whole life for the betterment of all. Above all else, Roberto Cruz was a humble child of God who loved his family and friends.
Roberto Cruz was lost to illness, but what this dreaded disease could not take from him was his spirit, which lives on through his loving wife Lupe, their three adoring sons and the people he touched. Roberto was happiest when he was with Lupe and his three sons Roberto II, Marco Antonio and Fernando Rey. Always there for his sons, Roberto saw that they lacked for nothing as he lavished them with his greatest gift - his love. With the assistance and support of Lupe, he raised three fine sons and taught them to love, carry faith and to have compassion for your neighbor. For Roberto, his greatest achievements were his wife and sons as he drew great satisfaction from the fact that he watched them all receive college degrees. As in life, Lupe and the boys are not far from him as their love continues to bind them.
Bernard Roberto Cruz was born on May 2, 1941 in Corpus Christi, Texas. He was born on the shore and to the sounds of the sea. Roberto was the third of five sons who grew up in a barrio in Corpus Christi. He saw poverty but never felt poor. His father, a World War II veteran and fisherman, was a strong and firm man. However at 5 foot 11 inches, Roberto looked up to his 4 foot 11 inch mother Connie. As his father was away at war and spent long years working to support a family, the brunt of raising 5 sons fell on his mother. ""Bobby', as he was called in his youth, was always at his mother's side ready to assist. He adored deeply and loved both his parents always.
Growing up in a south Texas barrio was tough and provided for little options to improve one's situation. As he told so many people, he was a C student in high school with the majority of classes being wood shop. His options for life after graduation included the Army, working at the local smelting plant or meat market. It was not until his senior year that another option presented itself-an opportunity to go to college on a football scholarship. Although Roberto did not distinguish himself early on in the classroom, he did do so on the football field. A four-year Letterman, he was a star middle linebacker and center for the state powerhouse Miller High School Buccaneers. His football prowess gave him the opportunity to change his stars and go to college.
Roberto would attend and graduate from Wichita State University in 1964. He was a four year Letterman on the football team and played in the 1961 Sun Bowl. He passed on opportunities to try his fortunes professionally for a chance to teach at a junior high school in Stockton, California. He saw his calling early and went west to help other C students. All who knew him, saw what a natural teacher he was and the joy he got from it. Working with the children of migrant workers, Roberto helped them to overcome challenges to their learning and saw in the process the need for improving the educational system. Eventually becoming frustrated with seeing his students fail in high school, he left teaching to pursue and complete a Masters and Doctorate Degree from U.C. Berkeley. He felt that if he were to effect change, he would need to be a principal or superintendent. Just like in everything, he took it one step further and in 1971 established the Bay Area Bilingual Education League (B.A.B.E.L.), a consortium of schools and educational institutions developing bilingual education for students in Oakland and Berkeley. As the young Executive Director of the Berkeley non-profit, Dr. Cruz built a reputation as a champion for equal access to education for minorities. He was selected to visit schools in Mexico, South America and Israel as an expert in the field of minorities in education.
In 1981, Dr. Cruz and a group of loyal supporters established The National Hispanic University in a two-room building in Oakland, California. He knew from personal experience that education unlocks the door and that a university needed to be created to address the learning needs of Hispanics and other minorities, especially non-native English speakers. As the founding President, he would spend the rest of his life fulfilling this mission, changing the lives of thousands of students in the course. With the unwavering support of his wife Lupe and that of countless supporters, he has built NHU into a quality accredited private four-year university for all. In his life, he was the visionary and driving force for the establishment of 2 preschools, a charter high school and a 4-year university. Thanks to the vision of Dr. Cruz and the help of many supporters, all of these institutions continue to flourish today.
Dr. B. Roberto Cruz will be remembered as a devoted husband and father, a loyal and grateful friend and a humble servant of God. He was also a university president, a coach, a mentor and a Knight of the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem. He spent his whole life giving, selfless even in the end. He was the best of us all and proved that Si Se Puede!. It can be done.