A Kineos Journey

On September 20, 1988, the United States Senate unanimously confirmed Lauro F. Cavazos as the fourth Secretary of Education in President Ronald Reagans administration. A sixth-generation Texan and Kineoa descendant of Mexican citizens who accepted work on Texass King Ranch in the 19th centuryCavazos was the first Hispanic appointed to a position in an American Presidential Cabinet. The story of Cavazoss journey leading up to his cabinet appointment is a portrait of a life devoted to the principles of education. In 1954, Cavazos married Peggy Ann Murdock; the couple had ten children, all of whom were educated in public schools. To enhance their childrens education, the Cavazos traveled extensively, living out the principle that a holistic education includes exposure to others worldviews. During his service as Secretary of Education, Cavazos insisted that all children in America be educated to their fullest potential. A key tenet of Cavazoss service was an emphasis on educating minority studentsa passion Cavazos formed early on in his career, first as a faculty member at the Medical College of Virginia, then as a professor and Dean at the Tufts University School of Medicine, and later as President of Texas Tech University. Gene B. Preuss is an associate professor of history and Special Assistant to the President at the University of Houston-Downton. He is the author of To Get a Better School System: One Hundred Years of School Reform in Texas.