Texas Border Business
By Eladio Jaimez
As Texas State Technical College celebrates 50 years of serving the state as the technical college of Texas, The TSTC Foundation honored the City of Harlingen with the South Texas Founders Award on Wednesday, April 22, at TSTC’s 50th Anniversary Celebration in Austin.
The TSTC Founders Award recognizes those whose leadership, vision and contribution have been unusually significant to Texas State Technical College. The City of Harlingen was one of four Founders Award recipients. Also honored were former State Senator Murray Watson Jr. of Central Texas; the Honorable R. Temple Dickson III (awarded posthumously) from West Texas and the Marshall Economic Development Corporation from East Texas.
“TSTC’s success in changing the lives of Texans and building a stronger Texas is due to the valiant efforts of these four individuals and organizations,” said TSTC Chancellor Michael L. Reeser. “They were able to envision a future that involved a qualified, highly-skilled workforce supporting Texas business and industry – and our economy’s dependence on a technically-skilled workforce will be even greater in the 50 years to come,” added Reeser.
Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell said he was honored and the city was appreciative of the relationship it has fostered with TSTC over the past 50 years.
“Partnering with TSTC has been invaluable to Harlingen,” Boswell said. “Harlingen has invested heavily in the development of this great institution and is really proud to have TSTC as a partner and someone we can always turn to when we need to train our workforce.”
Following the closure of Harlingen Air Force Base in 1962, a small group of visionary leaders from Harlingen looked to the James Connally Technical Institute (JCTI) in Waco and found an opportunity for educational growth in the Rio Grande Valley.
JCTI opened its doors in Waco in 1965 and a couple of years later, Harlingen welcomed its own branch of the state’s newest technical college.
Rio Grande Valley resident the late D.B. Dunkin, former Harlingen Mayor George Young, former McAllen Mayor and Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council Paul G. Veale, Economic Development Administration official Sam Lattimore, Economic Development Administration official Richard R. Morrison, former Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce Board President Robert Farris, former Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce President David Allex and former Harlingen City Commissioners A.B. Chapa and Chuy Rodriguez were all credited with spearheading the move to bring JCTI to Harlingen.
“We had great leadership in this city and as good private leadership as any city in the United States,” Allex said.
Boswell said TSTC has helped the city move forward the past 50 years.
“When the old Harlingen Air Force Base close down, Harlingen was devastated,” Boswell said. “Since then, TSTC has been the cornerstone of economic development in the city.”
In 1969, the college separated from Texas A&M and became an independent state system with a new name, Texas State Technical Institute (TSTI) and its own Board of Regents. TSTI was renamed Texas State Technical College in 1991.
Among the advancements TSTC has made recently is the move to integrate all 11 campuses in order to pursue single accreditation and align programs to better serve the state.
To date, more than 97,000 students have graduated from the 11 campuses statewide.
