HERCULANO & ELIDA HERNANDEZ FOUNDATION TO HONOR FOUNDER FRANK P. HERNANDEZ ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 24TH AT THE LATINO CULTURAL CENTER
On Wednesday, May 24th, we will honor the lifetime of achievement of our founder, Frank P. Hernandez, Esq., at the Latino Cultural Center. The evening will feature a Welcome Reception at 6:00, a video presentation with guest speakers at 6:30 and a Post Reception at 7:30. Admission is FREE and complimentary food and beverages will be served.
The purpose of the evening is two-fold: First, to explore the legal, political and community achievements of Frank P. Hernandez; Second, to illuminate how those achievements represent the greater changes in the Latino community and Dallas as a whole.
So, who is Frank P. Hernandez, you may be asking? Good question. Here are some of his achievements (Now, I?m his son, so forgive me if I am bit biased?right?):
* Was the first Latino ?Head? student football manager in the history of Texas A&M University (1958-1959) and was a founding member of the Texas A&M Letterman?s Association in 1974.
* Was the first Latino to graduate from Southern Methodist University School of Law?s Day Program in 1964
* Has been a civil rights attorney in Dallas for 42 years
* Integrated the grand jury in Dallas in 1966
* Was the founder of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
* Was a founder of the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association
* Was appointed the first Mexican-American judge in the history of Dallas County in 1976, thus becoming the first judge from SMU?s 1964 law class
* Served as president of the League for Educational Advancement (LEAD), which was instrumental in the desegregation of the DISD school board
* Was a member of the Tri-Ethnic Committee and the Dallas Alliance Task Force, which created the school desegregation plan that was largely adopted.
* Appeared before the Supreme Court of the United States four times ? twice on the brief, participated in argument once, and argued for Falcon in GTE v. Falcon.
* Served on the board of directors for four years and as Vice President of the Mexican-American Legal Defense Fund (San Francisco)
* Served on the board of directors of Urban League of Dallas for six years
* Served on the board of directors of United Way for three years
* Served on the board of directors of the Dallas Museum of Art for three years
* Appointed Dallas Film Commissioner by Mayor Steve Bartlett, 1992
* Founded The Herculano & Elida Hernandez Foundation in 1996 to promote Latino culture through arts and education and the Vistas Film Festival in 1999
As you can see, a number of our founder?s achievements have had a significant impact on our community ? and we feel that now is the time to remember those achievements, to reflect on the growth of our community and to hopefully inspire a new generation of leaders.
NOTE: We are looking for a small number of individuals and/or companies that can assist us with donations so that we can offset the costs of making this event free. If you or your company is interested in supporting our efforts, please contact J.Frank Hernandez at 214-887-9048 or via email at jfrank@hyehernandez.org. All donations will be made to the Herculano & Elida Hernandez Foundation, which makes them tax-deductible (a receipt will be provided).