Iowa Latino Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2018

Salvador (Chavo) J. Lopez

Salvador J. Lopez was born in Muscatine, Iowa, in 1928 to Antonia and Federico Lopez, two Mexican immigrants. During the Depression, the family moved from Fairport, Iowa, to Cook’s Point, where they found a close-knit Mexican community.  To earn extra money for themselves or their families, Lopez and the other children of Cook’s Point worked in the fields cutting the tops off of onions in nearby Pleasant Valley.

When World War II broke out, Lopez and several of his friends from Cook’s Point enlisted in the military. In the army, Lopez faced prejudice from his fellow soldiers, who did not see him as an equal. Upon his return to Iowa, Lopez hoped to work as a heavy equipment operator with one of the local factories because he had gained experience working with heavy machinery in the army. Yet despite his experience, the local union refused to issue him a union card. Discriminatory practices on the part of the union meant that Lopez continued to work maintenance on the local railroad.  When he applied for higher paying railroad jobs, such as a postal clerk at the freight house, he was turned away.

By then, Lopez was married to Joan Garcia and raising a family, which eventually grew to eight children. Since Lopez faced great discrimination, he and a couple of friends decided to co-found an Iowa League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in his area which was focused on discrimination, politics, and the betterment of the Hispanic community. As a founding member of LULAC, Lopez played a key role in the establishment of a LULAC education scholarship fund for college students, one of LULAC’s primary programs. Since 1978, LULAC Council 10 has awarded over $535,000 in scholarships to 920 Quad City students entering or enrolled in college.

Additionally, Lopez was part of the Davenport Citizens Advisory Committee (DCAP) and assisted in the administration of the federal Community Development Block Grant program for the past ten years. Lopez insured that the poor and disenfranchised were being represented as these critical federal dollars were allocated.  

While serving on the Center for Active Seniors (CASI) Board, Lopez was instrumental in the establishment of a senior Hispanic meal site which provided Mexican meals to the local Latino seniors. It soon became the most popular meal site in Scott County, drawing people of every race and age.

Salvador Lopez has no limits when it comes to participating and enriching the lives of those in Iowa and beyond our borders.  Whether it is participating in mission trips to Mexico building medical clinics (2008-2009) or orchestrating a Bingo event for earthquake victims of Mexico, Salvador, without fanfare, continues to give. On top of all these accomplishments and despite his own battles with injustices, Lopez continued to serve our country in the National Guard for 25 years.

Warren Morrow

Warren Morrow was born to Rosamaria Celis and Walter Morrow in Mexico City, Mexico. His family immigrated to Tucson, Arizona, when he was ten years old, and he moved to Iowa in 1995 to attend Grinnell College. Inspired by a Latino leadership conference he attended his last year of college, Morrow decided to forego medical school, and he and his friends created the Latino Leadership Project (LLP) in Des Moines in order to teach leadership development to high school students to help them create prosperous futures. The Latino Leadershp Project and Morrow helped connect undocumented Latino students with sponsors that allowed for these students to secure college loans at prestigious private colleges, further their education, gain Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, and eventually reach permanent citizenship.

Morrow also helped create the Latino business corridor known as La Placita that allowed for Latinos and women of color to pursue entrepreneurship while owning their places of business. While creating La Placita, Morrow worked hard to create his own business, Coopera Consulting, which specializes in bringing together unbanked populations and local credit unions. Through Coopera Consulting, Morrow expanded services to Credit Unions across the United States, allowing many to stay in business and grow others. Morrow also dedicated many hours to mentoring others who wanted to start companies in the Des Moines area and helped them navigate the American bureaucracy that kept women-owned, Latino and Hispanic immigrant communities from achieving their dreams.

Weeks prior to his passing, Morrow had meetings to create his vision of a center where nonprofits could have a space where the public would be welcome to partake in their services and volunteer of their time and talents. This conversation led to the formation of what later became the Latino Forum and in 2016 branched out to create a 501(c)(3) called the Iowa Latino Center whose mission is to create a space for and by Latinos to serve their changing needs.

After his passing, the Iowa Credit Union Foundation honored Morrow by creating the Warren Morrow Memorial Scholarship Program that encourages Iowa high school seniors and post high school students to learn about credit unions in order to prepare them for their futures. Coopera created the Warren Morrow Hispanic Growth fund to improve opportunities for more Hispanic individuals and families to receive needed financial services through credit unions.

Former mentees, his friends and his wife founded the Warren Morrow Memorial Concert in 2012 which has since grown to the Warren Morrow Latin Music Festival. The festival celebrates various Latin music genres and artists while raising money for the charities Morrow loved. Since its inception, the event has awarded over ten thousand dollars to Latino-serving agencies in Central Iowa.

Warren Morrow was a dedicated family man, spending time not only with his wife, Christina Fernandez-Morrow and their daughter, Ariana, but with his nieces and nephews, as well as being a foster parent to kids in need of a safe home.

Ernest M. Rodriguez

Civil rights activist Ernest Rodriguez was born in 1928 in the predominantly Mexican settlement in Bettendorf, Iowa, known as Holy City. His father, Norberto Rodriguez, migrated from Mexico in 1910 at the age of 17, and in 1919 he married Muggie Belva Adams, an African American woman from Alabama.  They moved to Bettendorf, Iowa, in 1923.

The Rodriguez family lived in Holy City's boxcars and "flats" from 1924 to 1937 when they moved to southwest Davenport.  Rodriguez graduated from Davenport High School (now known as Davenport Central High School) in 1946 and served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953 where he was stationed in El Paso, Texas. In 1955, he married Juanita Serrano Segobiano, who pursued the path of a homemaker and chief caretaker of their nine children.

Rodriguez worked with other Davenport activists to push forward a strong civil rights agenda beginning in the late 1950’s and continuing throughout his life. During the 1960’s he served on the Human Relations Commission where he successfully targeted the need for a paid, full-time director for the commission. He stressed the importance of improving police-community relations as well as the need for the Davenport Community School District to hire more minority teachers, including Spanish-speaking teachers.

Rodriguez became the director of the newly created Area Board for Migrants, where he was instrumental in lobbying the state legislature for the creation of the Spanish Speaking Peoples Commission, the forerunner of the Iowa Commission of Latino Affairs. He advocated for a better understanding of Latino rights in Iowa and across the country. During this same period of time in the 60’s and 70’s, he initiated two bilingual newspapers (El Reportero and Columnas) as well as educational radio and television programs that reached a wide audience. Additionally, Rodriguez assisted aggrieved Hispanics to file discrimination complaints with appropriate government agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He developed an immigration assistance program which is currently sponsored by the Davenport Catholic Diocese.

In 1970 Rodriguez was appointed to the Iowa Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission and was a member of a team that toured the State of Iowa to make on-site assessments of community race relations in a number of cities. Rodriguez worked as an Equal Employment Officer for the Rock Island Arsenal from 1975 until his retirement in 1990, after which he continued to serve on civil rights organizations including the Illinois Migrant Council and the Davenport Civil Rights Commission.

At age 90, Ernest Rodrigeuz continues to do public speaking engagements at many eastern Iowa civil rights rallies and writes eloquent newsletters and articles for a variety of organizations and news outlets.

Vanessa Espinoza

Vanessa Espinoza was born in Zacatecas, Mexico. She is the daughter of campesinos. Espinoza immigrated to the United States when she was a toddler. Espinoza grew up in the small town of Conesville, Iowa, and attended high school in Columbus Junction, Iowa. As a junior in high school, she started a literacy program for Latinx adults. Upon graduation, Espinoza received the Herbert Hoover Uncommon Student Award and the Mariah Becker Volunteer Leadership Award. She received the distinction of giving a speech in English and Spanish at graduation.

A year after graduating high school, the young leader started the Vanessa Espinoza Scholarship. The scholarship recognizes graduating seniors that have overcome adversity. During her undergraduate experience at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), Espinoza co-founded the "I, Too, Am UNI" campaign with a group of student activists. They worked to address injustices on campus. After seeing racist, sexist, Islamophobic, anti-semitic and homophobic posts online, she worked closely with university administrators to create an inclusive and safe environment for UNI students on campus.

Espinoza collaborated with Dr. Cooley at UNI to create learning, advocacy, and professional support material for people working with immigrants that have survived sexual assault violence in the workforce. Espinoza, a McNair Scholar, and Sigma Delta Pi member was able to graduate with recognition from UNI with the Dean of Students Citation Award, the Outstanding Student Leader Award and a Purple and Old Gold for Meritorious Scholarship in Spanish.

After UNI, Espinoza relocated to Washington, Iowa, where she co-founded Latinos for Washington, IA, Inc. This 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization reaches out to the whole community for the betterment of all its citizens, especially Latinos. Additionally, Espinoza worked at Mid-Prairie Community School District in Kalona, Iowa. She taught Spanish and English to speakers of other languages while acting as a cultural liaison for the district’s Latinx families.

Currently, Espinoza is a graduate student at Iowa State University. She has been involved with Latinx Student Leader Council in which the team created a 5K race for the first time to raise scholarship money for undocumented students. In addition, she is the ACPA Latinx Midwest Representative, advocates for her cohort members in the School of Education Graduate Student Advisory Council and works with first generation, low income and students with disabilities in the TRIO Student Support Services Program.

At the age of 26, Vanessa Espinoza has launched innovative initiatives, excelled in academics, and charted her professional life, all with a laser-like focus on lifting up Iowa’s Latinx community. She is a keen observer. She sees a problem, confronts the problem, and gathers others to help look for solutions. Espinoza is a doer who will continue to achieve remarkable things for our community, state, and the world.

Governor Robert D. Ray

Robert D. Ray was born in Des Moines, Iowa,  on September 26, 1928, and passed away on July 8, 2018. In the intervening years, Governor Ray’s leadership touched the lives of Iowans on dozens of fronts and reached global impact on several occasions.

Governor Ray grew up in the Drake neighborhood and met the love of his life and future wife, Billie Lee Hornberger at what is now First Christian Church while they were students at Roosevelt High School. The Roosevelt High School sweethearts started dating in 1945 and were married on December 22, 1951.  His life revolved around love of family, first as a son and brother, followed by his passion to be a devoted husband, dedicated father to the Rays' three daughters and adoring grandfather to their eight grandchildren.

After World War II, Governor Ray served in the U. S. Army in Japan.  He graduated from Drake University with a business degree in 1952 and law degree in 1954.  He was a law and reading clerk in the Iowa State Senate, where he began to understand government and relish politics.  Later, he built a successful practice as a trial lawyer. 

In 1963, Governor Ray was elected Iowa Republican State Chairman.  After heavy losses in 1964, Governor Ray led GOP elected three new Congressmen and 88 state legislators in 1966.

After winning a hard-fought primary, and surviving an airplane crash, he was elected Iowa’s 38th Governor in 1968.  He was re-elected in 1970, 1972, 1974 and 1978.  Because Iowans appreciated his steady, open, bipartisan leadership, Governor Ray became the state’s first four-term, then five-term Governor.

Governor Ray established the Iowa Commission of Latino Affairs and the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women and issued Executive Orders advancing civil rights.

In the late 1970’s Governor Ray became a worldwide leader in the humanitarian resettlement of refugees from Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam by helping them relocate, find jobs, and start new lives in Iowa.  

In 1979, Governor Ray was a member of the U.S. delegation to the Special United Nations Conference of Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland.  He later served as a U.S. Representative to the United Nations in 1983.

After leaving office, the Rays moved to Cedar Rapids where he became President and Chief Executive Officer of Life Investors, Inc., later known as AEGON.  The Rays moved back to Des Moines when he became President and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa.  Governor Ray owned radio station KILR in Estherville and was co-owner of WMT in Cedar Rapids.  

Governor Ray was a member of the Iowa Business Council and served on the boards of directors of The Maytag Corporation, AEGON USA, Norwest Bank (aka Wells Fargo) and Alliant Energy. As a private citizen, Governor Ray became involved in national health care debates while serving on many commissions.

In the late 1990's, Governor Ray filled out a term as mayor of Des Moines.  He also chaired the Drake University Board of Trustees and, when a vacancy occurred, he was named president of Drake.  

Governor Ray was a trustee for the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum and member of The Greater Des Moines Committee.  He was a founding board member of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and founding co-chairman of Keep Iowa Beautiful. Governor Ray was a strong supporter of Easter Seals of Iowa and Camp Sunnyside including decades as a faithful participant in the annual Pony Express Ride.

In 2005. Governor Ray became the only governor or former governor to receive Iowa’s highest honor, the Iowa Award, presented by Governor Tom Vilsack and the Iowa Centennial Memorial Commission.

Govermor Ray was the first recipient of the Des Moines Register’s Iowa Star Award after having been named by the paper in 2000 as "The Most Influential Iowan of the 20th Century." He was inducted into the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame, the Business Hall of Achievement, and Iowa Business Hall of Fame.

 “The happiest people I know are people who are doing things for other people.”  - Governor Robert D. Ray

Governor Kim Reynolds issued a proclamation declaring September 15-October 15, 2018, as Latino and Hispanic Heritage Month. 

WHEREAS, the history of Latino and Hispanic people in Iowa dates back centuries and continue to positively influence and enrich our society through their strong commitment to family, community, and service; and

WHEREAS, Latinos descended from Native Americans whose indigenous civilizations developed and thrived thousands of years before Christopher Columbus reached the Americas; and

WHEREAS, Latino and Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate  the multicultural and multiethnic traditions of people whose ancestry can be traced to the Caribbean Islands, Central America, Mexico, South America, and Spain; and

WHEREAS, as part of this celebration, the Iowa Commission of Latino Affairs recognizes and honors the outstanding and significant cultural, political, social and economic contributions to Iowa by Latinos and Hispanics through the Iowa Latino Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, Ernest Rodriguez, Salvador Lopez, Vanessa Espinoza, Warren Morrow, and Governor Robert D. Ray symbolize Iowa’s strengths, demonstrating outstanding achievements and play a vital role in Iowa’s economy and workforce as well as our communities with the cultural, educational, and political influences of their culture that can be seen and appreciated in all aspects of our life, from farm-worker struggles for housing and equal wages to incredible and gifted artists, professionals, vibrant businesses, music, and community festivals.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Kim Reynolds, Governor of the State of Iowa, do hereby proclaim September 15 to October 15, 2018, as

LATINO AND HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

in Iowa, and urge citizens to observe this month by increasing their awareness of the valuable ways Latinos and Hispanics have contributed to our state’s prosperity.