September 2006:
Number 509
|
|
|
A newsletter for the students, faculty and staff of the Collin County Community College District. Published monthly. For information or submissions, call 972.599.3142. Cougar News welcomes student and faculty submissions. Next deadline: September 10 All submissions are due by 5 p.m. on the due date. Photos cannot be returned. Text should be emailed to mrobinson@ccccd.edu or sent on disk. Please submit copy that is proofed, edited and saved in Word format. Cougar News staff: Lisa Vasquez, director; Mark Robinson, editor; Marcy Cadena-Smith, contributor; Sydney Portilla-Diggs, campus correspondent; Stephanie Hall, student correspondent; Nick Young, photographer and layout
|  |
|
|
Top 10 -- Lesser-known Hispanic-American Accomplishments
The repercussions of Hispanic-American breakthroughs in science, politics, sports, entertainment, art, literature and more are felt daily. Here are some accomplishments that many people may not know.
10. Dr. Lauro Cavazos
Cavazos was appointed Secretary of Education by President Ronald Reagan, the first Hispanic named to the Presidential cabinet in 1988.
9. Cesar Pelli
Pelli, an Argentine-American, was the first U.S. Hispanic to be named to the American Institute of Architects 10 Most Influential Living Architects.
8. Lucrezia Bori
Bori, the first Hispanic opera diva in the United States, made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1912.
7. Tomás Rivera
Born to migrant workers in Crystal City, Texas, novelist Rivera won the first international award for Chicano Literature – Premio Quinto Sol -- for his novel “Y no se lo tragó la tierra (And the Earth did not Devour Him)” in 1991.
6. Nilo Cruz
In 2003, Cruz, Cuban-born, was the first Hispanic playwright to win the Pulitzer Prize for his drama, “Anna in the Tropics,” which chronicled the lives of Cuban-Americans working in a 1920s cigar factory.
5. José Salas
At the 1924 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Salas became the first Hispanic named to the U.S. Olympic team. He was a boxer.
4. Evelyn Rivera
A zoologist, Rivera performed research on cancer and the biology of tumors, which garnered her the UNESCO Award from the International Cell Research Organization.
3. Luis Walter Alvarez
Alvarez was a busy man. The physicist was the first to develop the theory in 1980 that the extinction of the dinosaurs was the effect of a giant meteor crash. In 1943, he joined the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bomb and in 1968, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in physics for his work in the development of bubble chambers for the detection and identification of subatomic particles.
2. Mario Molina
In 1995, Molina, of MIT, shared the Nobel Peace Prize in chemistry for research that led to an international ban of chemicals that are believed to be destroying the planet’s ozone layer.
1. Cleto Rodriguez
Most people do not know this San Marcos native. He is one of 39 Hispanics to be given the Medal of Honor – one of thousands of Hispanics to serve in the armed services dating back to the Civil War.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
|
|
|
