In memoriam: UTSA's inaugural police chief dies at age 81
Manuel Chavez
Manuel Chavez
Share this Story(July 13, 2012) -- Former UTSA Police Chief Manuel Chavez died Wednesday, July 11 at age 81.
On April 20, 1973, Chavez was appointed by then UTSA President Peter T. Flawn as UTSA's first chief of police. When appointed, the UTSA Police Department consisted of one chief, one sergeant, three patrolmen and 10 uniformed guards. They provided security to the UTSA campus, the Lutcher Center in Terrell Hills and the Institute of Texan Cultures. At the time, there was no on-campus housing or a Downtown Campus. When Chavez retired in 1994, after serving for 21 years, there were nearly 30 police officers employed by the department and the student population had more than tripled.
Chavez also served for 17 years in the 1950s and 1960s as a patrolman and lieutenant of detectives at the Harlingen Police Department, then as chief of police at the Pharr Police Department. A graduate of the FBI National Academy, he was a member of the Texas Police Chiefs Association and served as president of the Harlingen Jaycees and Boys Club of Harlingen.
One of the few remaining UTSA Police Department employees who worked with Chavez is Captain Douglas Sonego, who said, “Virtually everyone at UTSA who knew and worked with Chief Chavez liked and respected him as a person and for his fairness and common-sense approach. Chief Chavez gave me my start in law enforcement and allowed me to learn as an officer and as a detective through hard knocks, which helped me to grow as an officer and as a person. I was very fortunate that he was my first chief."
A funeral service will be at 10 a.m., Saturday, July 14 at the Rudy Garza Funeral Home, 1702 E. Harrison St. in Harlingen. There will be a graveside service in San Antonio at 10 a.m., Monday, July 16 at Holy Cross Cemetery, 17501 Nacogdoches Road.
Events
Join the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.
