Ernest A. Raba (December 1, 1912 in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

– December 3, 2007 in San Antonio, Texas) was a

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of the

St. Mary's University School of Law St. Mary's University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of St. Mary's University, a private Catholic university located in San Antonio, Texas. Academics The School of Law has an enrollment of about 770 students, pursu ...

Early life

Raba was born of immigrant parents. His father, Ernst W. Raba, was a well-known photographer and artist in San Antonio, Texas. He attended grammar school at St. Joseph Parochial School, then attended St. Mary’s Academy High School, the predecessor of Central Catholic.

Early career

Raba graduated summa cum laude from

St. Mary's University, Texas St. Mary's University is a private Roman Catholic university in San Antonio, Texas. Founded by the Society of Mary (Marianists) in 1852, St. Mary's is the oldest Catholic university in Texas and the American Southwest. With a student populati ...

in 1934. He then received his law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law in 1937, graduating at the top of his class. After involvement in private practice, Raba taught as an Adjunct Law Professor at St. Mary's University School of Law. In 1942, he was inducted into the Army. Soon after, he was accepted into the first Judge Advocate General’s School for service members at the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a Public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of C ...

. Following the JAG program, Raba served in the JAGC 8th Service Command Headquarters in Dallas. He later served as Staff Judge Advocate at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

Dean of St. Mary's Law

Shortly after his time in the service, Raba was appointed Dean of

in 1946. Raba oversaw the move of the law campus from downtown San Antonio to its current location at the St. Mary's University campus. Raba also helped the Law School achieve accreditation from two national accreditation bodies. In 1978, Raba retired as the longest tenured law school dean in the United States.

Honors and awards

Among many other awards, Raba received the Distinguished Alumni Award (1977); Distinguished Law Graduate Award (1982); the St. Thomas More Award (1988); and the Lifetime Achievement Award (2005). Additionally, the main faculty building on the Law School campus is named after him.buildings on the St. Mary's campus
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raba, Ernest 1912 births 2007 deaths People from San Antonio St. Mary's University, Texas alumni St. Mary's University, Texas faculty Deans of law schools in the United States 20th-century American academics