Esther Buckley

Esther Gonzalez-Arroyo Buckley passed away Monday, February 11, 2013. Mother, grandmother, wife, teacher, educator and mentor, Esther was born and raised in Laredo, Texas. At the age of 15, she graduated as salutatorian, Martin High School class 1963.-She received an AA from Laredo Community College (Laredo Junior College) in 1965, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Mathematics, received a Master of Science with Honors in Secondary Education from Texas A&M University and was working towards a doctorate in Multicultural education, information technology at Texas A&M University at College Station.

Mrs. Buckley started her college years intending a career in medicine, but a year and a half into medical school, the calling of generations of educators before her ignited her passion to help one student at a time. She was employed with Laredo Independent School District from 1970 on. Mrs. Buckley-taught at Christen Middle School, Nixon Annex, Cigarroa High School and Martin High School. Her last assignment was at the Dr. Dennis D. Cantu Health Science Center at Martin High School. She passionately loved her profession. Esther loved to hear students tell her how they had gone on to be doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, bakers, nurses, or paramedics and it fueled her passion to motivate her students to succeed; not give up and drop out of school, but contribute to their community and society in general. A deeply religious person, Mrs. Buckley strongly believed her purpose in life was to teach with intensity and strength because it was God's will. Hispanic herself, she constantly looked for better ways for Hispanic students to learn, she was constantly learning and looking for or creating new ways to teach. She truly believed that all students could learn and succeed because barriers do not exist when you work hard to be the best you can be.

While serving as an educator, Mrs. Buckley also believed she could help others by becoming politically active and honoring her civic responsibilities. She believed that education and politics were tightly intertwined, she felt Republican values matched her religious philosophies and upbringing and the people she met whether Republican, Democrat, Independent or undecided - inspired her further. She spoke at state and national conventions, participated in and chaired senatorial causes and district meetings and served many years as Webb County Republican Chair. Governor William P. Clements appointed her to many commissions and boards, including the Governor's Commission on Women, and the Texas Hispanic Advisory Practices and Ethics Commission. In 1983 she was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. She served as a Civil Rights Commissioner for 9 years. She was also appointed to state level advisory committees both for the development of the Texas Educational Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), which is the current state curriculum, and was appointed to the State Board for Educators Certification (SBEC) advisory committee for teacher certification. Locally, she was a member of several organizations:-the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) beginning in 1985 and serving in local and regional capacities, Delta Kappa Gamma, and Phi Delta Kappa (PDK), president from 2003-2006. In 1995, Mrs. Buckley was appointed by Mayor Saul Ramirez as a charter member of the Laredo Commission for Women. Esther served on the Webb County Commission on Higher Education whose efforts were to bring a four year university to Laredo and she was a board member on the Battered Women's Shelter. Over the years she assisted with countless local voting recounts and other aspects of the electoral process. She also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants for L.I.S.D.

A phenomenal woman, Esther received numerous recognitions at the federal, state, and local level. In 1984, she was named one of six outstanding Hispanic educators by the Department of Education and was presented at the Rose Garden at the White House. She had the occasion to speak with President George W. Bush when he visited Dr. Leo Cigarroa High School.-In 1989 she was chosen as the Texas High School Physics Teacher at the 100th Year Celebration of the American Physical Society.-In 2010, Buckley was a finalist for the annual HEB "Best in Texas Education" award, part of its Excellence in Education Awards. She was also honored that year as a recipient of the "One Class at a Time" award presented by a local news station and the Laredo Federal Credit Union.

In her own words "From my earliest memories as a child, I have always been a teacher. I remember experiences in the second grade where I used to help other students with their assignments when they did not understand their lessons. I have been teaching for more than 40 years. I was asked this year if I would retire so I could get an honor bestowed on me by the school board for which I work. I turned it down because I feel that God's work for me lies in helping students to graduate from high school not in vainglory. As long as I can, I will be useful to my community and its advancement."

Mrs. Buckley is preceded in death by her husband Elmer Buckley, her parents, Hector & Amalia Gonzalez-Arroyo and several of her maternal aunts and uncles.

She is survived by her brother, Hector Gonzalez-Arroyo Jr.; her children, Trina E. (Nathan) Bratton, James J. Buckley, Catherine E. Buckley, Army Staff Sgt. SSG Christopher E. (Leah) Buckley, D.M.A., Dr. Rebecca A. Buckley, D.V.M., George A. Buckley, and Jennifer (Max) Buckley Torres; grandchildren, Samuel J. and Sean E. Bratton, Rene A. Pena, Enrique, Luke and Emma Buckley, Maximilliano D. and Elizabeth A. Torres, and Joseph E. Buckley. She is also survived by her cousins, Juanita (Joe) Benavides, Lupita (Emmett+) Howard, Dr. Juan J. Ayala, Lic. Jorge (Gaby) Ayala, Dr. Edgardo (Claudia) Ayala and numerous nephews and nieces.