Salas, Mario Marcel

Mario Marcel Salas was born in San Antonio, Texas, on July 30, 1949. Salas has been an advocate for San Antonio's African-American community since the early 1970s and was a key member of local activist groups such as San Antonio's Student National Coordinating Committee chapter, Organizations United for Eastside Development, Black Coalition on Mass Media, and Frontline 2000. He was elected to the City Council of San Antonio in 1997, where he served two full terms as Representative for District 2.

From the description of Mario Marcel Salas papers, 1969-2006. (University of Texas at San Antonio). WorldCat record id: 236486562

Mario Marcel Salas was born in San Antonio, Texas on July 30, 1949. He attended Central Catholic High School and graduated from Phillis Wheatley High School, an African American segregated school, in 1968. Salas entered San Antonio College and graduated with Associate's degrees in Applied Science--Engineering Technology and Liberal Arts. In 1987 he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). On July 9, 1988 Salas married Edwina Lacy of Chicago; their two children are Elena Patrice and Angela Christine.

For most of his adult life, Salas has been an advocate for San Antonio's African-American community. He was a key member of the San Antonio chapter of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and founding member of Organizations United for Eastside Development (OUED), Black Coalition on Mass Media (BCMM), and Frontline 2000. He championed the establishment of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a Texas state holiday in 1991, and participated in marches and other events commemorating Dr. King's legacy. Salas frequently contributes editorials to various activist newspapers and newsletters; including a regular column that ran in the San Antonio Community Journal/Inner City Journal during the 1970s. In addition, he was involved with political issues relating to social justice and human rights struggles world-wide. In particular, Salas supported the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa and opposed the recruitment of Americans as mercenaries in the revolutionary war in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia).

Salas became an educator for the San Antonio Independent School District and received his Master of Education degree in 1999 from Our Lady of the Lake University. He was elected to the City Council of San Antonio in 1997, where he served two full terms as Representative for District 2. In 2000 Salas wrote a sequel to Mary Shelley's classic novel, Frankenstein, titled Frankenstein: The Dawning and the Passing .

In June 2001, Salas enrolled in the Master of Political Science program at UTSA. He also began teaching for the Alamo Community College District as an English and Government adjunct faculty member. Salas campaigned for the office of County Commissioner in 2004. Additionally, Salas has been a lecturer for UTSA's Political Science Department. He has also served as Vice President of the Judson Independent School District (JISD) Board of Trustees and as Chairman of the Tax Increment Finance Board, Zone 11.

From the guide to the Mario Marcel Salas Papers MS 142., 1968-2009, (University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections)