Tatcho, the son of Hortencia and Tatcho Mindiola Sr. and a retired Professor in Chicano Studies and Sociology at the University of
Houston, passed away on August 17 with his wife, Cindy Mindiola, and all his children by his bedside. Tatcho was a major figure in Mexican American Studies. He excelled as an author of numerous sociological studies (his most recent book-length ethnography, Race Talk in a Mexican Cantina, 2021, the longtime director of the Center (the precursor of the current Center for Mexican American and Latino/a Studies at the University of Houston, and a public intellectual in the Mexican social movement (most notably as the
two-term Chair of the National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies Association, 1987-88 and 1988-89, and a major figure in La
Raza Unida Party, 1972-78).
Tatcho was prominently involved in developing the Center for Mexican American Studies into one of the leading urban-based programs in the country with a publications unit, a faculty fellowship and recruitment program, and an extensive student recruitment initiative that is still operating at the University of Houston. Tatcho also faced numerous contentious challenges successfully and with grace, including an uphill fight for tenure due to a denial of status for publications and professional service in Chicano Studies by Higher Education institutions, and an initiative to secure direct funding for the Center from the State Legislature when the university failed to provide adequate support.
Our recent visits with Tatcho and Cindy are now precious reminders of his importance in our lives. As always, he was kind and welcoming and still carried himself with an upstanding sense of composure. Possibly because of the long road that we have traveled,
Tatcho was especially interested in talking about our long friendship, the numerous friends and colleagues living throughout the country who we shared, as well as special memories from his life. One of his recollections said much about his character and moral fiber.
He reluctantly joined the military to secure financial support for his college education with the understanding that after a designated time, the Army would release him to fulfill his dream. When his commanding officer reneged on the promise, Tatcho complained to
a U.S. senator, a move that eventually allowed him to exit the military but that also incensed the officer. When the officer relented, two fellow recruits showed their displeasure with racist comments about his being Mexican. He remembered that “My daddy
had told me to never let a White person ridicule you for being Mexican.” Tatcho defended his honor by knock-
ing them out separately with swift punches.
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This tribute was written and copyrighted by Dr. Emilio Zamora and Dr. Angela Valenzuela. They were good friends of Tatcho Mindiola, Jr. Dr. Zamora and Dr. Valenzuela were also both affiliated with the University of Houston. It is reprinted here with their permission.