Samora, Julian, 1920-1996

For a full biographical sketch of Dr. Julian Samora, please refer to Part 1 of this guide.

Mexican American civil rights advocate, educator, sociologist and anthropologist Dr. Julian Samora was born 1 March 1920 in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. As a child, Samora experienced significant discrimination at school and in his community, experiences that influenced his future personal and professional activities. In 1938, with a scholarship from the Frederick G. Bonfils Foundation, Samora entered Adams State Teacher's College in Alamosa, Colorado, where he graduated in 1942 with a degree in history and political science. That same year he married Betty Archuleta, with whom he had five children. In 1947 Samora obtained a Master's Degree from Colorado State University, and in 1953 he received his doctorate in Sociology and Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis with his dissertation on "Minority Leadership in a Bi-Cultural Community." He is considered to be the first Mexican American to receive a Ph.D. in Sociology and Anthropology.

In 1955 Dr. Samora became an assistant professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he worked with his long-time friend Lyle Saunders. In 1957 he became an assistant professor in Sociology and Anthropology at Michigan State University, and in 1959 took a tenured position as professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. He became the Head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Director of the Graduate Studies Program at Notre Dame, where he remained until his retirement in 1985. In 1971, with a grant from the Ford Foundation, Dr. Samora founded the Mexican American Graduate Studies Program at Notre Dame, which he considered on of his greatest accomplishments. In fifteen years as the Program's director Dr. Samora mentored and trained more than 50 students, most of whom obtained advanced degrees in diverse fields including Economics, History, Law, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology.

Dr. Samora's own research interests included the delivery of health services, rural populations in urban settings and the rural poor, Mexican immigration and the movement of Mexican Americans along the U.S.-Mexico border, population studies, and the educational status of youth and adults. He was the author or co-author of numerous articles and books, including Mexican-Americans in the Southwest (1969), Los Mojados: The Wetback Story (1971), A History of the Mexican-American People (1977), and Gunpowder Justice: A Reassessment of the Texas Rangers (1979).

Dr. Samora was an active participant in his academic, ethnic, and local communities throughout his life. He was co-founder, along with Ernesto Galarza and Herman Gallegos, of the Southwest Council of La Raza, now the National Council of La Raza. He served on boards or as a consultant to many organizations including, among others, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission, the Council on Foundations, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, the John Hay Whitney Foundation, the Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Science Foundation, the President's Commission on Rural Poverty, the President's Commission on Income Maintenance Programs, the United States Bureau of the Census, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and the United Way.

Dr. Samora received many honors and accolades during his lifetime. In 1985 he received the White House Hispanic Heritage Award. In 1989 Michigan State University founded the Julian Samora Research Institute, the first major university research center named for a Latino. In 1990 the Mexican government honored Dr. Samora, along with César Chávez and Américo Paredes, as the recipient of El Orden del Aguila Azteca, its highest civilian award given to non-Mexican citizens.

Dr. Julian Samora died on 2 February 1996 at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after a long struggle with Progressive Supra Nuclear Palsy.

Sociologist and educator.

Born Mar. 1, 1920, in Pagosa Springs, Colo. Attended Adams State College (B.A., 1942), Colorado State Univ. (M.S., 1947), and Washington University (Ph. D., 1953). Has taught at colleges and universities since 1944, including University of Notre Dame (1959-1985). Author of many journal articles and several books, he has also served on numerous boards and commissions.