Texas Philanthropist and Educator Teresa Lozano Long Dies at Age 92
- Mar 25, 2021
Teresa (Terry) Lozano Long, a Texas icon and distinguished alumna of UT Austin beloved and respected for her brilliance, generosity and impact, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 21, 2021. As her devoted husband, Joe, had done every day during their 63 years of marriage, he was by her side, holding her hand. Terry and Joe personified the meaning of “happily ever after.”
A young girl raised on a dairy farm in Premont, Texas, Terry stood on her graduation stage as valedictorian of her high school class at age 16 and later at her college commencements as the first Mexican American and woman to earn bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in kinesiology from The University of Texas. Some 74 years later, she would stand in honor at the White House as a 2019 recipient of the President’s National Humanities Medal.
An ardent supporter of education and the arts, Long is the namesake of the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS) at The University of Texas at Austin, named for her after she and Joe created a $10 million endowment for the institute in 2000. LLILAS, part of UT Austin’s College of Liberal Arts, is widely regarded as the best Latin American studies program in the United States.
“The university has lost an incredible friend,” said UT Austin President Jay Hartzell. “Teresa knew from experience that a UT education is life-changing, and her own impact on our community has been transformative. Working with her husband and fellow Longhorn Joe, she improved the lives of thousands of students — who like her rose from humble origins — by creating scholarships, supporting campus fine arts, and helping UT develop the nation’s premier Latin American studies program, rightfully named in her honor.”
Read her full story on UT News.
