Ismael "Mayo" de la Rocha

Ismael "Mayo" De La Rocha

Ventura, CA

(1949-2015)

Ismael "Mayo" de la Rocha, a beloved teacher and community leader, passed away on August 3, 2015. Mayo was a professor at Ventura Community Collage for over 40 years who devoted himself to his family, friends, colleagues and students.

Mayo was born in Atascaderos, Chihuahua, Mexico on July 25, 1949 and immigrated to the United States at the age of 7. The second oldest of five children, Mayo grew up in East Los Angeles where he graduated from Roosevelt High School before receiving his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of California at Santa Barbara, with a specialization in the history of Mexico, the United States and Latin America. He also completed a considerable amount of post-graduate work at UCLA, becoming the first in his family to do so.

A passionate advocate for Latinas/os, Mayo played a significant role in the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s, taking part in the Chicano Moratorium, organizing with the United Farm Workers, and helping to establish MEChA (where he served as a faculty advisor for more than 40 years). He was involved in various community efforts, volunteering with Los Amigos del Pueblo, Latinos for Better Government, El Concilio, the Ventura College Foundation Scholarship Committee, working with at-risk and indigenous youth through the Tezcalipoca Project and Mixteca Project, and serving as the Scholarship Chair for the California Association of Bilingual Education for more than a decade.

Mayo began teaching History and Chicano Studies at Ventura Community College in 1974 until he retired in December 2014. He also taught at U.C.S.B., Cal State University Northridge, Cal Lutheran University, and Cal State University Channel Islands. He traveled and taught extensively around the world, including lecturing in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Cuernavaca, Mexico. During his time at Ventura College, Mayo also served as the Dean and Department Chair for the Social Sciences and Humanities Department. He received the Outstanding Instructor Award twice, the Academic Senate Award for Outstanding Service, the LULAC Outstanding College Educator of the Year, and the Latinos for Better Government Outstanding Service to the Latino Community Award.

He was an avid reader and runner participating in many 10K's, half marathons and marathons. He was a member of CAChA (California Association of Chicano Athletes), a local running group. A passion of Mayo's was sharing his rich heritage and culture to his family and students, and he absolutely loved being in the classroom.

Mayo was happily married to Gloria de la Rocha for 41 years and was the proud father of two sons, Michael and Albert, two daughters-in-law, Claudia and Quenby, four beautiful grandchildren, granddaughter Mayela and grandsons Gabriel, Mio and Mateo, and his lovely dog Che. He is also survived by his father, Alberto de la Rocha, brothers Raul, Albert, David, and sister Maria.

Services to be held at 9:45am at Sacred Heart Church located at 10800 Henderson Rd, Ventura, CA 93004 followed by a celebration of his life at Ventura Community College located at 4667 Telegraph Rd, Ventura, CA 93003 at 12 noon on Saturday, August 15.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to establish the "Professor Ismael "Mayo" de la Rocha Memorial Scholarship," care of the Ventura College Foundation, 4667 Telegraph Road, Ventura, CA 93003. You may also contritue online www.tinyurl.com/mayoscholarship