Dr. Francisco Arturo Rosales.
Dr. Francisco Arturo Rosales passed away on December 22, 2016.
He left behind an enviable body of published works and inspirational leadership for the Chicano community. I was fortunate to be able to work with Dr. Rosales during the production of the acclaimed four-part PBS documentary series CHICANO! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. Throughout our collaboration, Dr. Rosales demonstrated the leadership, intellect and creativity that was essential to making the series a success. He wrote the book that accompanied the television broadcast which was published by Nick Kanellos and Arte Publico Press and left an imprint on Chicano and Mexican American history that will not be forgotten. It is my honor to have worked in the shadow of such a giant.
Dr. Rosales received his Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1978. He wrote his dissertation on Mexican immigration to the Chicago area, he has published over 40 articles and essays and six books on the Mexican immigrant experience and on Latino civil rights. His book Chicano! A History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement (Houston: Arte Público Press, 1996) accompanied a PBS documentary of the same name. Professor Rosales published ¡Pobre Raza!: Violence, Crime, Justice, and Mobilization Among Mexico Lindo Immigrants, 1890 with the University of Texas Press in 1999. Since then Arte Público Press has published two of Professor Rosales’ works; Testimonio: A Documentary History of the Mexican American Struggle for Civil Rights in 2000, and in 2006, A Dictionary of Latino Civil Rights History.
After five years at the the University of Houston,Professor Rosales moved to Arizona State University where he taught Mexican American, United States and Latin American history. Besides undergraduate teaching, Dr. Rosales has mentored graduate students throughout his career, many of whom now teach at other universities and colleges. While at Arizona State University, Professor Rosales served in various university committees at the departmental and presidential level. In addition he has been involved in numerous national organizations, including serving as a speaker for the Arizona Humanities Council Resource. Since his undergraduate days, Dr. Rosales has been unwavering as a civil rights activist, including his most recent support of projects dealing with immigrant rights.
Dr. Rosales’s passing is a great loss and he will be remembered as a true Chicano hero by family, friends and associates.
–Jesús Treviño