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Friday, August 6, 1999

Rangel will be honored by Hispanic organization
Kingsville representative will be inducted into the National Alianza de Amigas Hall of Fame
By Anna M. Tinsley
Scripps Howard Austin Bureau

AUSTIN - State Rep. Irma Rangel, the first Hispanic woman elected to the Texas House, will become one of the first inductees into the National Alianza de Amigas Hall of Fame.
   Rangel, D-Kingsville, is being honored with a reception and banquet today in San Antonio for her work in the Legislature and for making strides for Hispanic women.
   "She was the first Latino woman to be elected as a state representative and it was a struggle to get her elected at that time,'' said Lu Betancourt, founder of the San Antonio-based group that provides training and empowerment for Hispanic women. "At that time, there were hardly any minority women in the House.
   "Irma Rangel has done so much in the area of education,'' Betancourt said. "And her passion for her constituency is still there.''
   Rangel, an attorney for 26 years and a lawmaker since 1977, said she was honored to be the first person admitted into this Hall of Fame.
   "I truly hope that we can serve as an encouragement to other women who deserve to be acknowledged for their hard work,'' she said.
   Rangel has sponsored legislation ranging from educating and training women on welfare to protecting domestic violence victims. She also helped to pass one of the first tort reform bills in Texas that exempted retailers from liability when donating food to the needy.
   In recent years, Rangel has been chairwoman of the House Higher Education Committee, where she has worked on initiatives to help minorities get accepted to college and stay on to earn their degree.
   She sponsored a key bill in 1997 that ensures high school students in the top 10 percent of their class are guaranteed admission to Texas colleges.
   And she was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1994.
   "She is a role model for all Latinas and has a reputation that extends beyond her home state and across the nation,'' Betancourt said.
   Rangel's award will be presented during the Alianza De Amigas women's training conference. The conference, which runs through Saturday at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel, is geared to provide new opportunities for women to meet and discuss concerns as the new millennium approaches.
   Other inductees for this Hall of Fame are Eva Camunez Tucker of San Angelo, a philanthropist and oil businesswoman, and Helen Soto Knaggs of Austin, director of governmental affairs for GTE.
   Family members of the late Emma Tenayuca, a longtime San Antonio community activist, teacher and humanitarian, will accept the Century Achievement Award.



Scripps Howard Austin Bureau writer Anna M. Tinsley can be reached at 512-478-9644 or by e-mail at tinsleya@scripps.com

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