Times were tough for Mexican-Americans during the mid-1900s in America. Tomas Rivera was an author who wrote about their struggles in an effort to make others aware. It has been said that Tomas was constantly stating how we wanted to “leave the earth better than he found it”. Due to these immense desires, he spent most of his life working to further educate others. Tomas Rivera was an author, poet, husband, father, and educator, who lived an incredibly exciting and fulfilling life.
Tomas was born in Crystal City, Texas on December 22, 1935 to Florencio and Josefa Rivera. His parents were Mexican immigrants who worked in the fields for most of their lives. In his younger years, Tomas lived with his parents and grandfather in Minnesota, Wisconsin,…show more content… After completing his schooling, Rivera worked at Sam Houston State University as an associate professor. He held this job until 1971. In 1971, he became a Spanish professor at the University of Texas in San Antonio, Texas. At The University of Texas, he was named associate dean in 1973, and became the University’s vice president in 1975. In 1978, he transferred to the University of Texas campus in El Paso, where he became the executive vice president. While he held this office, he worked at the Times Mirror Company as a corporate officer. He eventually left these positions in 1979, to become the chancellor of the University of California, in Riverside, CA. He was the very first Mexican-American to be named chancellor of any major university. Between all these jobs, Rivera found the time to continue his passion for writing. Writing was a huge part of Rivera’s life, and he was good at it. He was awarded the very first Premio Quinto Sol literary award in 1971. He wrote many short stories, and became very well known for his novel,” ...y no se lo tragó la tierra” (“…and the earth did not devour him”), which was then turned into a film. Regardless of what job Rivera held, Rivera always considering himself a teacher
