Eleuterio Escobar Jr. (1894-1970) civil rights activist, businessman, community leader and one of the namesakes for Coronado/ Escobar Elementary School in the Edgewood Independent School District in San Antonio.
This morning I presented the "Edwards Aquifer: History of a Rock Star" show for 4th and 5th grade students at Coronado/ Escobar Elementary on the west side of town. It was the first school that I've visited that will be closing at the end of this school year due to the legislative budget cuts. It was an odd feeling knowing that in a little over a week the school would close it's doors permanently and next fall the kids will have to be bused to various schools not in the neighborhood. The property itself will probably be sold off by the district. Here's a little about the school's history taken from their website:
Hello and welcome to Coronado-Escobar Elementary School. Our school offers the Dual Language Bilingual Program, a long-term instructional program where both English and Spanish speaking students develop oral and cognitive/academic language proficiencies in both English and Spanish. We offer our students the opportunity to achieve academically in a culturally enriched environment.
History
Coronado-Escobar got its name when Coronado Elementary School was closed and Escobar Junior High School became an elementary school in 1987.
Coronado Elementary School was named in honor of the great explorer Francisco Coronado.
Escobar Junior High was named in honor of Eleuterio Escobar. Mr. Escobar was born on September 11, 1894 in Pearsall, Texas. He came to San Antonio as a young boy and eventually owned several businesses.
Mr. Escobar was president of the School Improvement League from 1938 to 1950. The League fought to improve the conditions of all schools on the West Side within the San Antonio Independent School District. He would often visit schools on the West Side and make notes of the conditions. People would sometimes call him with complaints and Escobar would make phone calls or write letters to settle the matter. He attended political rallies to lecture the crowd on the necessity of improving the schools.
On January 5, 1959, the EISD Board of Trustees voted to name the district's new junior high school in honor of Mr. Escobar. On May 10, 1970, Mr. Escobar died at the Lutheran General Hospital and was buried at the San Fernando Cemetery #2. *
Below are some links with biographical info for Eleuterio Escobar.
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